Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-05
Plane RADIO TELLS
OF INAUGURATION
Observers, AIoft, Give Birds.
Eye Views Of Parade
and Events.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

BY MARTIN CODEL.
IN the following article Martin ccdel.
nan correspondent OF The star and the
aueurai procession over the radio from an
airplane in flight
All North America was able yesterday
% listen in on real bird's-eye view de-
eeriptions of the Inauguration of Her
bert Hoover.
This browning achievement of the
Nationwide radio network was accom-
plished by means Of those much
discussed short waves connecting air.
planes to ground stations. This is the
first time that airplane radio observa-
tons were ever sent out over coast
forecast networks.
Much has been written about the
value of the short waves, particularly
concerning their application to aircraft
communication. The public, however.
having had little or no experience with
those radio channels below zero point
on the dial of the average receiving set,
has probably been little impressed. The
Inauguration was the occasion for giving
q vivid demonstration of the posi-
hilities of short waves.
I enjoyed the privilege Of acting as
observer and reporter in one of the
short waves to pickup stations below
for relays to radio stations throughout
the country for rebroadcasting damned
down in the radio compartment in the
fuselage Of a Martin bomber of the
United States Navy. along with Sam
Packard, the former radio commissioner
who is now vice president of the Co
lumbia broadcasting system, was able
to look below and see the maneuvers of
the little army Of half million or more
marching ant-like humans.
Spoken in Yells.
Sam Pickard's impressions and my
own were spoken into tiny aircraft hand
microphones-spoken almost In yells.
It was not game of wit as much as
1t was championship battle of vocal
cords versus motor roars. Fortunately
our periods on the air were short, and
We were able to outroar the motor.
One cannot realize just how much he
depends upon his own voice for clarity
Of thought until he tries an airplane
radio reporting job. The noise Of the
motors was deafening, and it was i'm
possible to hear ones own voice, even
when shouting into the 'rnike"-at
least, not until Chief Radioman "Bill'
Williamson Of the naval air station at
helmet with built-in earphones into
receiving set in the plane, which was
picking up our own broadcast.
Through this set We were able to hear
Ill other broadcasting efforts.
Speech radio aboard aircraft is still
IN the development stage, with the
Army, Navy. Bureau Of Standards and
commercial radio laboratories all work.
Ing StreuuouSly to perfect It.
Military aeronautics require the
knowledge Of code radio, such as the
dirigible Los Angeles and the Army
and Navy blimps employed as they
doated over the inaugural parade.
But the commercial pilot is now de-
manding voice radio, and the future
of aircraft radio doubtless rests largely
with voice frequencies.
Nays Finest Detailed.
Some of the Nays finest were de-
tailed to aid In the inaugural feature.
The pilots were Lieut. Morton Sterling,
chief radio officer at the naval air sta.
ton, and Chief Aviation Pilot Elmer
(Pewee) Payne.
The aforesaid bill" Williamson was
at the compact 75-watt sending set.
and aloft with us also was Charley
Francisco, radionlan. There were two
broaocastS from the plane, Sam Pick
ard and the writer taking turns.
While the Columbia featured q radio
program from o fast single-motor
lighting plane, where space considera-
tons were paramount. the. National
Broadcasting Co. employed an Army
tri-motored cabin Fokker for similar
stunt.
The announcer who twice described
the scene below, the second time dur
ing the driving rain which dampened
the latter part Of the inaugural cere-
mony, was William Lynch of the N. B.
G. staff. The pilot was Lieut.. Leroy
Wolfe. who brought the plane through
from Wright Field at Dayton, Ohio.
Lieut. Wolfe and Robert Morris, a
development and research engineer of
the N. B. c., took turns at the micro
phone. Aboard the ship also were
2. w. Dinga, company engineer, and
II. w. Knott, Army radio engineer.
The quality of transmission from the
Army plane, according to reports this
observer obtained later. showed q great
advance In aircraft radio. Unhandi-
capped by space restrictions, the Army
sirplane was virtually q flying radio
laboratory.
Copyright, 1899. By North American News
paper Alliance.)