Evening star., 1928-02-12
AIR EXPERTS In WAR ON OCEAN
FLIGHTS BY PUBLICITY SEEKERS
Oppose Hops Over Water With Single.Engined Land
Planes-Engineers Aim at Perfection of
Safe and Fast Craft.

amphihian because OF the better op-
portunity offered to get into the air
from land with heavy load.
Mr. MacCracken has not the police
authority to pinch flyer who acts
contrary to what the civil aviation
head believes Is sound advice. He can
only advise.
Lieut. Maitland. who piloted a three
engined land plane In the longest Night
yet made above water, looks TO the fly
Ing boat for the future of safe flying
three-engined land plane to accom-
plish again and again what he and his
companion, Lieut. Albert r. Hcgcn-
berger. did. but he admits he would
not fiy that distance again in the big
Fokker monoplane land plane lust
for the fun of IT.
Profits by First Trip.
III were ordered TO rush serum 10
a stricken group of people on the is
lands. or were detailed to carry out q
strategic mission OF vital Importance. -
he told the writer. II would go In q
minute. Profiting by few things We
learned on our trip, such as putting
stoves on the engines TO keep the
moisture Iii the carburetor from freex-
10
Lieut.. Maitland stresses the use OF
the flying boat to overcome obstacles
that write ''finis" on every land plane
over the oceanwengine trouble and ice
on the wings Added To this are pos
sihlities OF failure In auxiliary equip
ment. temporary defects In ignition. a
broken gasoline or oil line and many
other failures that could be repaired II
but safe forced landing could be
made
with a flying Doa'. Lieut.; Maitland
explains. a landing could t." made on
the surface should Ice form on the
wings. Likewise, Lieut., Maitland ex.
plains, many opportunities are offered
10 make repairs while resting on the
water -opportunities that never come To
land plane.
Another flying boat enthusiast IL
Cant Richardson. chief Of the design
and material section OF the Bureau Of
| Aeronautics. pilot Of the NC-3 Of 1919
Forced 10 land on the ocean AS re-
suit of a terrific storm. the flying boat
battled the waves and second storm
for two and half days before reach
Ing port, The late Comdr, John
Rodgers and his crew. II viii be re-
called, spent nine days on the surface
Of the Pacific,
Larger Ones huilt,
There WAS u time when Il Was gem
orally believed that the big flying boat
alwaya would be limited In It's cruising
radius To 600 miles W al because OF
the weight and aike ot the hull and the
two heavy engines since that time,
however the air~cooled engine. with It's
reduced weight. has arrived, reflne-
menta III design have been made and
lighter materials are used M construe-
ti0n Hence the weight ot tho plane
has been reduced several hundred
pounds. and this saved weight can be
used IN fuel,
According to Capt. Richardson, the
Navy now has two types of nyina
boats that are capable Of sustained
fight of 5000 to aau0 miles. One Is
the PN.ii, similar Ia the type used By
Comdr, Rodgers, but at alirmetal con-
struction and tilted with airscooleti
epaines The other h the hoeins
patrol, originally built ta participate IN
the Nays California; Hawaii night,
which has been t,ttsd With aHrcoolesi
engines and undergone an operation
inr the remnval of excess weiaht.
huoh type boat employed an 4
1000 ~mtle tileht between Newfoundland
ana E,,rope would have capacity for q
uaehll load, either In persons az earSu,
ar, II the night we're undertaken hy
pilot and navigator, there would he
tcen,inaed on ThId esss>