Evening star., 1928-12-17
ARMY COMPLETES
AIR REFUELING TEST
OVER VIRGINIA HILLS
Continued From First Page.)

Continued From First Page)
at Middletown, Pa, and flew to Wash
ington yesterday.
In the top of the fuselage of the en-
durance plane hole about feet square
has been cut. Through this the IA
inch flexible hose is dropped from the
bottom of the fuselage of the refuehng
plane and is caught by Maj Spatz, who
handles the job Of fuel transfer
Seventy-five gallons of gasoline min
ute can be transferred in this way. In
the endurance fight above California
300 gallons will be taken aboard the en-
durance ship at each refueling opera
ton, for the three engines of the Fokke~
use IS gallons each per hour, total of
As gallons an hour. Mai. SpatZ wears
a protective covering to insure against
burns fro:n the high-test aviation gas,
and in the longer transfer may wear
gas mask as protection against fumes.
The entire test is regarded by the
War Department as problematical, and
the Fokker has been called the Ques-
ton Mark.
Personnel of Mission.
The personnel of the mission follows:
Endurance plane-Maj. Carl SpatZ.
Quesada and Lieut.. H. A. Halverson,
pilots; 'Sergt. Roy Hooe, mechanic.
Refueling plane No. Capt. Ross
G. Hoyt. pilot. and another officer to be
chosen at San Diego.
Refuelillg plane No. Grew and
plane to be arranged for at San Diego.
Ground peFsonnel--Lieut. Ray Harris,
engineering officer; Hans j. AdamSon,
md Lieut.. Arthur Ennis, in charge of
communication with the plane.
At the conclusion OF the test today
Gen. F'echet expressed complete salts
faction with the result Of the expert
ment, declaring it of inestimable value
both to the Army and to civilian avia-
tion. There will be but one objective
after the plane takes off at Los An
geleS," he said, land that is to refuel it
when fuel is needed and to keep the
ship in the air until the motors stop.
We regard the test as of extreme value.
For example, it will save much time
to refuel air mail ships and to refuel
planes such as big bonlbers which may
run out of gas in a place where there
are not proper landing facilities. In
time of war the refueling operation
should be very valuable.
Minor repairs, such as replacing mis-
firing spark plugs and valve springs,
the chief causes of breakdown of the
Wright motors, with which the en-
durance plane is equipped, can be made
in the air, as the ship will run on
two engines while the third is being
repaired. The actual fuel transfer is
not new, for LieutS. Lowell H. Smith
and John p Richter transferred 125
gallons of gas in the air five years ago.
But the Fokker must have about 900
gallons of gas each day.
Mai. Spatz and Capt. Eaker will pilot
the Fokker during the day, while Lieuts.
Halverson and Quesada will be at the
controls at night The fuel transfer
involves no particular hazard, the great
est danger coming in the possibility OF
a hose or rope being taught in the re-
vplving propellers. The nerves and
hands of the pilots, however. must be
steady to keep the two ships in perfect
alignment in the air while the operation
is being carried on.
The Fokker is called the Atlantic CO
Army transport, and is single-wing
ship powered by three J-5 air-cooled
engines, generating 220 horsepower
each. The refueling planes are Douglas
C-1 Army transports. biplanes with
single Liberty engine of 400 horsepower.
The actual endurance test. will prob
ably be made between Santa Monica
and San Diego--a distance of ITO air
miles-while if fog comes up over the
coast the ship will fly over the I'M
perial Valley.