Evening star., 1928-12-30
TEST MAYOPEN WAY
TO WORLD FLIGHT
Nonstop Trip Around Earth
Held Possible Through
RefueIing in Air.
BY WILLIAM f. BERCHTOLD,

Whether man can fly around Il.
world without stopping may be detel
mined after the Army Air Corps TIL
motored plane Question Mark com
pletes its endurance test next month.
The Army's projected refueling-in
flight tests at Los Angeles. scheduled
get under way at dawn New Year day
are being watched with unusual interes
by experts in both military and civ
aviation.
If the tests are successful they ma.
show the way for aerial exploits no,
incOnceivable to the average layman
AirplaneS that can remain in flight 70
thousands of miles, speeding through
the air at 100 miles an hour will
safety would be of untold value to mill
tary and civil aviation.
The quartet of Army flyers, by OBJ
tanning fuel from another plane Will
in flight, plan to remain aloft 800 hour
or more if their engines. equipment ant
nervous systems can endure the strain
Estimate for 300 Hours.
If they remain in the air 800 hour
they will fly more than 27,000 miles,
distance greater than the circumference
of the earth. The Army is not plan
ming globe-girdling flight without stop
but the significance. OF the fight II
spanning comparatively shorter dis
tanceS can be realized best from thi.
startling comparison.
1t would be carrying the feat only &
step farther to place refueling plane.
on battleShips and at strategic land
bases around the world to accomplish
nonstop globe -girdling fight. If an
airplane can remain aloft over a speci-
fled course in Southern California fol
800 hours, it could place the miles it
covers on end around the globe just as
easily as it could cover them on a closed
course.
One reason the Question Mark will
carry on its tests over California rather
than in some spectacular long distance
flight is that the Federation Aeronau-
t1que International insists in it's rules
that plane must return to the point
OF departure if it wants to claim world
record, The Army plans to break the
present world record for endurance an(
distance with the aid of refueling,
record now held by Belgium.
Present Record, so Hours Minutes.
The present record, made last Jun
by Adjt. Louis Crooy and Sergt. Victo.
/ Groenen of Belgium, is go hours and L,
minutes. The Army plans to make that
mark just milestone on its projected
flight of 300 hours or more
The greatest hazard in lCng-distance
flying across oceans anc continents to-
day, aside from bad weatherlieS in the
danger of crashing under the burden of
heavy gasoline loads when taking off. II
the refueling test is successful, future
transatlantic planes probably will gel
into the air with a small amount OF
gas and then receive their heavy loaG
Vl1o a. e.,
Likewise, transcontinental planes
carrying priceless cargoes of silks OF
gems, now carried by fast heavily
guarded trains, could continue thei,
long journeys with greater speed ar
safety by obtaining fuel while in fig
Long distance could be cut down
taking great circle course rather II
route which must include well ec'
ped fields at the bigger cities.
Refueling Problem Considered
To military aviation the refuelll.
test is of great importance. hecaus
Army bombers now must carry eithc
heavy bombs or large supply of gas
They cannot lift unusually heavy load:
of both bombs and gas from small fields
However, with the new system the,
could get into the air and then tax
on their supply of gasoline which woul,
make possible operation over long dis
tances into enemy territory with heav.
armament.
The four men selected by the Arm
Air Corps for the long grind of livin
in the air for from 10 to l3 days ar
ready for the tests. Cots have beer
placed within the planes cabin, so tha
one pair may sleep while the other
flying the plane. Food and water wi
be lowered to the endurance plane fror
the two planes which are to bring G.
into the air during the long flight.
Extreme Test Guaranteed.
Capt. Ira Eaker, Mai. Carl Spa
Lieut.. Elwood r. Quesada and Sta
Sergt Roy Hooe will remain aloft wit
the giant tri-motored Fokker plane un
til its engines give out, or they are ur
able to stand the strain of renlainin
aloft longer.
A special hose. dropped from the re
fueling plane, will carry gasoline to tn
big transport at the rate of $50 gallon
in two minutes. Refueling in flight hs
already been proved a success, but it
believed possible that with the ne
equipment extraordinary distances ma
be spanned without stop.