Evening star., 1928-05-20
BY FREDERICK R. NEELY.

ERONAUTICAL engineering re-
~ search in America has jumped
II forward with such leaps and I'd
\ bounds in the past few years
that it is no longer feasible for
the saw and hatchet virtuoSo to attempt
to grab off some of the profits that are
alleged to be accruing TO alrplahe
manufacturers by setting up factory
for the manufacture and sale OF ar
craft IN his woodShed or his nelgnpoI
abandoned barn.
Rapidly the manufacturer who does
his own engineering. and very little at
that. will find himself left far behind
unless ne copes with the business theory
of matching and surprising his COM
petitor. To do this he Will nave 10
establish staff OF technical experts
who not only can work out problems
peculiar to the type of ship being
manufactured but who can talk on a
common ground with the Governments S
research engineers of the National Ad-
visorv Committee for Aeronautics, that
independent establishment created py
CONGRESS- in 1915 "for the supervision
and direction of the scientific study OF
the problems of fight"
Aviation development in America to-
day has its greatest friend in the ao-
yisory committee, which ''umbere among
! its members the foremost technical men
of the country who serve without COM
pensation.
"workshop' at Langley Field. Hampton,
va known as Langley Memorial Lab
oratorv. The equipment in that work
shop is the most elaborate IN the world.
| MANY of the devices are peculiarly
| original. 1t is there that the staff OF
| exnerts. all bright, seriouS-thinElng
Young men. forge ahead day after DAY
with subjects that are Greek-plus 70
the layman.
Gem of Science.
But their accomplishments find their
way into the planes that ny overhead.
| An airplane no longer is a fuselage WIN
a pair of wings stuck on and an engine
in the nose. 1t is a gem OF science
education and highly intelligent apph-
cation of the education. And tne re- re-
| search engineers do not yet see the
| light of day. Probably if they thought
| thev did they would not be very good
| engineers. ..
! At the recent Third Annual Aircraft
| Engineering Research Conference, ar
ranged by the advisory committee with
| the aircraft industry, an insight was
given into the tremendous progress
made and yet to be accomplished.
Some of the accomplishments and con-
| tributions made in the past IL months
glittered a little brighter than others,
but all. nevertheless, have vital bear
| ing on the airplane of the future.
The public. viewed from the stand
point OF a unit that has invested IN
automobiles, does not yet care about
me pressure distribution on pair OF
wings or pontoons: they are not con-
cerned about the word "aerofoiP' and
whether or not it has spinning charac-
teristics: it means nothing to be told
that AUTHORIZATION" is being solved or
that the day Is close at hand when
Lateral control" will no longer be con-
centrated upon with the degree OF IN
tensity that 1t has in the past.
To the scientists. however. solution
of some of these problems means per-
feet. safe airplane beyond a reasonable
doubt.
Packed with Thrills.
The research work that now is going
| forward IS packed with thrills and SEN
sations. even though operating under
| the word technical" Does the pres
sure distribution ON PW-9" mean
anvthingaaac4
II means this: The little single
scatter, powerful Boeing pursuit plane,
which must have high maneuver-
| ability performance in its work Of keep
ing the air clear Of enemy pursuit
planes, was loaded 10 the guards with
sensitive instruments from which small
pipes extended to i74 parts of the air.
plane. The task of installation was gi-
gantic. The ship had to be stripped
of its fabric and the pipes woven IN be-
tween the network Of steel and wood
construction.
Then the pilot--in this case Lake
Christopher, a civilian test pilot Of the
committee-climbed aboard. He head
ed for the ceiling of the world. High
in the air he pushed the nose dowr
in a vertical dive. When his air speed
meter showed 100 miles per hour he
yanked back on the stick. broke the
dive and headed Skyward When be
changed that direction suddenly, a
load of $4,000 pounds descended on the
plane with bang The instruments
, recorded It. The plane stayed together
| The pilot Welt to bed for 10 DAYS, SO
great was the effect on him. A few
years ago the fJiSelage would have gone
one way and the wings the other