The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-12-10
General Electric Inventor |.
Developing Altimeter for
All Conditions
Editors Note: This is the
fourth Of a series on the dangers
faced by the pilots who fly the
airmail.

fourth Of a series on the dangers
faced by the pilots who fly the
airmail.
The new height soundcr" de-
velopcd by DR.. +. F.. Alexanderson
of the General Electric laboratories
at Schenectady, N. Y. promises to
save many a pilots life as soon as
it is put in use in the dangerous
airmail courses over the Pcnnsyl-
vania mountains and the Rockies.
With the radio beacon, radio phone
and numerous protective devices in
their planes pilots now are able to
fly safely through fog and storm,
except for one thing.
No one yet has been able to devise
an altimetcr-which shows a pilot
his altitude above the ground under
all conditions. Airmail pilots are
hopeful that DR.. Alexanderson's new
device will meet this need.
"Thc present altimeters we are
using are nothing but barometers,
so adjusted as to show us our al
titudc above the point at which we
take eff" according to Wesley l..
Smith, one of the original airmail
pilots. Smith is now superintendent
of the eastern division of National
air Transport.
If Weather Unchanged
"They are all right" Smith con-
tinucd. ''if the weather conditions do
not change during the progress of
a flight. But if there is change
the altimeter isn't much good. They
simply measure altitude by record
ing changes in baromteric pressures.
Theoretically, when air pressure
lessons altitude has been increased.
But practically, this may also mean
the plane has plunged into an area
OF lower pressure.
Several Of our pilots have been
dashed to their deaths against
mountain sides because Of this, when
they thought they were flying at
safe attitudes.
Zone Of them was Charles r.,
Ames. He was killed in 1925 when
his plane crashed against a noun
tainside near Bellenfontc. Pa. Ames
had run into low pressure area as
he flew west from New York. His
altimeter apparently showed he was
flying at safe altitude, because it
was adjusted for weather conditions
when he left New York.
william C. Hopson, another fine
pilot, apparently was killed in the
same way when his plane ripped into
the side OF a hill near Polk, Pa"
Ice: Feared as Foe
But there are other dangers which
instruments and other modern dew
ices have thus far failed to combat.
One of them is ice, the most feared
foe Of airmen.
From late fall until spring ice
clouds are an ever present source
Of danger. Sometimes pilots can
pillow through them up into clear air
and fly over them. But at other
times their motors are unable to
surmount the ice clouds. Then the
pilots are forced to find air strata
where ice does not form or else turn
back defeated. Sometimes the ice
loads become so heavy they force
planes down. One pilot. Jack Milat-
20, Of Chicago, was killed in that
way two years ago.
On one occasion Smith fought for
three hours trying to get through
ice clouds over the mountains. At
one time he lifted his plane SO he
could see through the top Of the
clouds to clear weather above, but
the motor was unable to climb q foot
higher.
"Another 500 feet and / could have
got through. but the motor was Civ
ing me all it had, 50 had to turn
back" Smith explained.
ION another occasion I was as.
signed to take the mail to New York
out OF Cleveland after Pilot Steve
Kaufman had crashed in q lumber
yard in the city.
Battles Ice Clouds
II began to hit ice clouds as
approached the mountains, 20
started to climb. After getting ar
1900 feet got out Of the, first layer
OF ice. There was 1000 feet 81 cleal
air and then another layer Of ia
clouds.
II headed up into that and climbed
again. But there seemed "a be II
ceiling 70 that second layer. 10 aftel
trying for Z time to climb above II
dropped down again into tn cleal
level between the two ~ cloud1