Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-26
FASTER A|RPLANE
DEMAND INCREASES
Yankee DcodIe'S Flight Spurs
Producers to Make Speed
Ter Crafts.

The flight OF the Yankee Doodle from
Los Angeles TO New York in Is hours
and So minutes and at an average speed
OF $50 miles per hour will have the
I'effect Of compelling the American air.
craft industry to produce faster air
planes for cir transportation work than
now are coming off the production lines,
in the opinion Of airmen here
While pallsing for moment to pay
tribute to the already we'll known ability
of the Dole race winner to handle an
airplane and get the most out of 1t.
Army, Navy and commercial airmen laid
emphasis on the plane which Gobel
flew. But for two features of the Lock-
heed Vega it would be the most per-
feet airplane Of commercial nature in
the world--perfect as to clean design
and streamlining, which is another word
for speed.
The two features which prevent the
100 per cent rating are the landing gear
and the frontal surface of the AGO
horsepower Wasp air-cooled radial
engine. These two contribute drag or
head resistance BY retracting the
wheels in flight and cowiing or stream
lining the engine so the nose would be
as sharp as the tail. it is believed the
plane would have an unbelieVably high
speed for n commercial craft
Fastest Commercial Plane.
AS the Lockheed Vega stands today,
It has a top speed of 1877 miles an hour
with six persons aboard and this inquire
Is held to be accurate. Hence 1t is the
fastest commercial plane in the world,
and with light load 1t is faster than
the speedy Army and Navy single-seater
and two-seater pursuit planes.
THAT plane and that performance
are gong to revolutionize the whoie
commercial industry stated one pilot
of many years flying experience. 1t
will. he said, urge the manufacturers
to produce commercial planes that WIZ
have high speeds around ITO and l8O
miles an hour and cruising speeds-a
velocity at which the engine Is the most
efficient without laboring-of $50 or
more miles an hour,
In jumping far out ahead Of the other
single-engined cabin monoplanes, the
builders of the Lockheed Vega en-
ployed a principle of construction that
is not used in any other aircraft man
ufactured In fact, they adopted the
scheme employed by builders of racing
planes. where speed is the first and
main objective.
The fuselage. which is virtually round,
a point at the tail and as much Of a
point as can be obtained at the nose,
owing to the radial engine, embodies
a type Of construction known as mono
cooue plywood" The framework OF the
fuselage is a succession of laminated
spruce diaphragmS or rings, spaced sew
eral inches apart and running smaller
in diameter as they near the tail The
old practice called for gluing strip OF
wood separately over this hooplike
framework.
But the present builders have de-
veloped a process which they claim
enables them to assemble one-halt OF
the complete fuselage at time, which
is glued under a pressure of $50 tons.
The wing Is covered With plywood, as
are the tail surfaces. making the air
plane wood throughout.
Experience with 'monocoque" fuse
lagos in the past has been expensive
and disastrous, according to pilots here.
When there is crash the fuselage
flies all over the ground and there is
no USE trying to rebuild It." explained
one pilot who has had experience with
this type. That, it rs generally con-
ceded here. is the one drawback against
this particular type of construction, and
whereas planes have been rebuilt or
Strengthened out" after crash at lit
tie cost. the monocoque type usually
calls for new one.
Minor Repairs Simple
However, under the process employed
in constructing the Vega q different
picture is painted by the builders.
minor repairs are simply made by
cutting away the damaged section OF
the shell and mailing and gluing in a
new panel of plywood between the ad-
jacent transverse diaphragms, they say.
I'm case Of a serious crash, the ire
mendous strength and resiliency OF the
structure tend to minimize the damage
done both to airplane and personnel.
There are no struts, longerons or wires
to cut or impale anything carried
within the fuselage, and In the worst
cases a complete new fuSelage can be
furnished at cost below that at which
other types can be rebuilt"
The span Of the single wing of the
Vega is Al feet and the average
width of chord is rs inches. The
wing is the widest at the point where
it is joined on to the fuselage and tap
ers down to each wing tip. The wing
| is secured onto the fuselage without
| the aid of supporting wing struts as
| seen III ob!4Si IuuliopiducaI WHICH slI ulS
contribute drag" The ship Is 27.5
| feet long from nose to tail Empty,
| and with the Wasp engine, it weighs
| about 700 pounds The gasoline, for
! ordinary commercial use, is carried in
| two 50-gallon wing tanks directly
| above the fuselage. giving a gravity
| feed system to the engine. The fuel
| carried is sufficient for about seven
| hours cruising with the Wasp engine
This same type plane, with the
Whiriwind 200-horsepower air-cooled
radial. was used by Capt Sir George
! WIlkins and Carl Ben EieIsnt In thnir