Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-17
AIR TRANSPORT MEM
SEEK i. S. RADIO ADD
Operators Confer With Gov
eminent Over installation
of Ground Stations.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

BY MAhI1N CODEL.
Air transport operators, looking to the
Gay when all passenger-carrying air.
craft will maintain constant radio-tele-
phone communication with the ground,
have sent their radio experts to Wash
ington to discuss plans for the more
extensive adaptation of radio to av1a-
ton, Their conferences here this week,
under the auspices of the Aeronautical
Chamber of Commerce, have already
led to tentative scheme for establish
ing a privately-operated network OF
radio stations along the airways to sup
plement the one being installed by the
Government.
To a technical subcommittee has been
delegated the task of investigating into
the best methods for utilizing the "a
short-wave channels recently allotted
aviation by the Federal Radio Commits
sion 1t is headed by Thorp Hiscock of
the Boeing Air Transport Co. One OF
its members is Herbert Hoover, jr., son
of the President-elect, who Is leaving
to become radio techn1clan Tor the
Western Air Express OF Los Angeles,
beginning February /.
For the first time in the history OF
aeronautics and radio, unified policies
regarding the use of radio in flight have
been formulated by the air operators.
Radio-telephony, rather than radio
telegraphy, has been generally accepted
as the desired method OF communica-
ton with the commercial planes flying
the airways. A comparatively operated
chain of stations, rather than afiliation
with any of the projected domestic COM
mercial radio systems, is proposed In |
the recommendations adopted by the
conferences.
Seek Greater Safety.
The experts are proceeding on a
theory that they themselves are reSpon-
sible for increasing the safety OF air
traffic, and they indicated that they
would oppose efforts to classify their
proposed system as public utility.
Newly established air transport lines,
they agreed, will be taken into the CO.
operative agreement If traffic permits.
Their radio network project, however,
will have no more commercial and
profit-naking features than the block
signaling system has in railroading, &C
cording to Mr.. Hiscock.
That they will insist upon priority
along with ships in the So-called mobile
band of high freQuencieS was indicated
clearly by the technicians. They rec
commended that channels allowed by
the Federal radio authorities be allo-
Gated exclusively to the various chains,
but that reservations should be made
in adjacent wave bands for parallel
chains when found necessary, due to
expansion of traffic. If the wave
lengths they obtain are not enough, they
will insist upon more, since radio Is
the only means Of communicating with
aircraft.
The chief difficulty faced by the oper-
atorS is uncertainty regarding the chan
nelS most efficient for communicating
with planes. Another problem Is that
of obtaining efficient receiving and
transmitting equipment. The technical
committee is remaining in Washington
for an indefinite period to study the
developments in this field by the Army,
Navy and Bureau of Standards. The
conferences were attended by repre-
sentativeS of commercial companies In
terested in producing aircraft radio
equipment
Situation Confused.
Different experiences Of the several
air transport companies which have al
ready made some progress in radio have
served only to confuse the situation re-
specting the relative merits Of various
high-frequency channels for commune
cation purposes. There was consensus
among the experts that the broadcast
ing band was the best suited for radio
telephony, but the use Of wave lengths
interfering with program reception Is
accepted as being out of the question.
At best the short waves are regarded as
a field for considerable more expert
menting. A demand viii also be made
for quota of long waves.
Opinion in the aeronautical industry
that the Government should provide all
odfn oiHc ponTiirod a. <7xyiyaY xxyas
answered in statement by Capt. r. c.
Hingsburg, chief engineer of the De-
partment of Commerce airways division.
He asserted that the airwayS division
feels the operators over any one route
have the direct responsibility for the
safety of their passengers, and there
fore should establish their own system
for communicating weather, directional
and landing data and messages involv-
ing the convenience, comfort and safety
of their passengers.
The Always radio network being es-
tablished by the Government, Capt.
Hingsburg reported, has already linked
New York and Cleveland via Bellefonte,
Pa. Stations are also being installed
along the transcontinental airways at
Bryan, Ohio: haywood, ILL.,; Omaha
and North Platte, Neb.; Cheyenne and
Rock Springs, Wyo.; Salt Lake City;
GIAO anu fteIlO, NeV.y ana OdklanQ,
Calf. There is a station at Key West,
Fla, and sites have been obtained and
equipment ordered for feeder" radio
routes, with stations at La Cross, Wis;
Kansas City, Wichita, Fresno, Calf;
Los Angeles, Portland and Medford,
Greg
Besides Chairman Hiscock and Mr..
Hoover, the operators technical COM
mittee includes Paul GoldSborough,
Universal Aviation Corporation; H. c.
LenteritZ, Pan-American Always; e.
w. Proctor, National Air Transport, and
H. j. Walls, Department Of Commerce.
Among the IS air transport, CONNER
cial Radio Co. and Government repre-
sentatives who participated In the con-
ferences were L. D. Seymour, National
Air Transport Charles L. Watson, Boz
ing Air Transport: Dan Bartlett, Trans
continental Air Transport; A. A. Lilly,
Seaboard Always; H. A. Elliott and H.
T. Merrill, Pitcairn Aviation; l.. w.
Whittemore, r. W. Armstrong and e.
L. Nelson, Bell Laboratories; w. G..
Logue and F. H. Kroger, Radio Marine
Corporation of America; H. N Willis,
Western Electric Co.; F. H. Schnell,
Burgess Battery Co.; Maj. w r. Blair,
United States Army; Comdr. w. j..
Ruble, United States Navy; Comdr. T.
A Craven, United States Navy, Federal
Radio Commission, and Luther Bell and
Paul H. Brattan, Aeronautical Chamber
of Commerce.