Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-29
AVIATION
BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.

transportation is doing at all
times. This will include stats
tics showing the safety Of air
travel as compared with other
means of travel.
Safety Comparison.
Department of Commerce fig-
ureS show that during the first
six months of 1929, though $780,
776 miles were flown on contract
airmail and passenger lines, not
a single passenger was killed. In
all other anyways operations only
z passengers lost their lives.
In the year now coming to a close
IL passengers have been killed in
approximately 100000 miles of
scheduled airwayS flying, or at
the rate of approximately one
passenger death to 100000 miles.
Statistics of the Interstate
Commerce Commission show that
$500 persons were killed and 85,-
$50 injured as result of the OPP
Grafton of railroads in 1928. Dur
ing that year passenger trains
travelled 521,349,000 miles and
freight trains 601, 648, 900 miles, or
a total Of 1,122, 997 900 miles. The
fatalities were at the rate Of /
per 172,768 miles.
In all classes of civil air trans
portation last year 70,472,000
miles were flown, with a loss of
life, including all. flying person
mel, of 368 and the injury of 672
persons. These figures include all
accidents due to student train
ing, airmail flying, test flying and
acrobatics. Including all this
extrahazardous flying, which does
not enter into air tranSporta-
ton in any form, one life was
lost for every 191,500 miles trav-
eled, slightly better than the rec
ord for the railroads.
Award Stresses Safety.
Emphasis was given to the in
creasing safety of flying by the
awarding of the Schiff trophy for
the first time to the naval flying
organization which flew the great
est number of hours during the
year without serious accident to
personnel or material.
The first organization to win
the coveted trophy under the new
rules was Training Squadron z of
the 18th Naval District, San
Diego, Calf. During the past
fiscal year the squadron planes
flew a total of 8,159 hours, cover
ing approximately $1,000 miles,
in the training of 478 students
and the qualifying Of 157 others
for further training.
This remarkable achievement
was realized by 6 officers and
18 enlisted pilots, under command
of Lieut.. Thomas Gerry Fisher,
acting as instructors. Not a
single student or instructor was
scratched during the year and
there were only three minor acct
dents, including one broken wheel,
a bent strut and slight collision
between two planes on the
ground.
The record is all the more re-
when it is considered
that it was won by a training
squadron engaged throughout
the year in what is considered the
most dangerous stage of an avia-
tors career-the training period
Diesel Motors Flown.
In the field of material develop
ment the most important events
of the year have been the appear
ance in actual operation in the
air of the heavy-oil aviation
engine and the development of
several types of giant aircraft,
notably the giant German Dor
nier Do-X and the JunkerS J-38.
The first American-buil Diesel
aircraft engine to be operated
successfully in flight made its
last Spring. 1t is a
radial air-cooled nine-cylinder
motor, the details of which have
been kept secret by the Packard
engineers, who designed it. A
demonstration test of this motor
was made during a successful
flight from Detroit to Langley
Field, Va, and return. The mo-
tor, though admittedly not yet
perfected, seems well along the
road toward practical utilization.
In Germany a new JunkerS
heavy-oil motor, which is an
adaptation of the Diesel principle,
has been test flown and gives
promise of eventual development
as a motor of great power for use
in large aircraft. There now are
no reliable aircraft motors of
more than 800 horsepower rating.
The Junkers aircraft Diesel is
constructed on the two-cycle
principle, but Is of unusual de-
sign, having two opposed piStonS
in each cylinder. Heat control
Is improved by division of the
stroke between the two piStonS
and torque is said to be lessened
by application of power from the
sources.
Airmail growth in this coun-
try, especially in the matter of
poundage carried, has been rapid
during the past year Three i'm
portant extensions of the airmail
network have been approved by
the Interdepartmental Committee
on Anyways. They include a new
Southern ranscontinental route,
connecting the existing lines at
Atlanta, Ga, with Los Angeles;
New York with st. Louis, by way
Of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Co
lumbUS and Indianapolis, and
Louisville, KY, with Dallas, Tex,
by way of Nashville. Tenn, and
Memphis. It is probable that
these routes will be in operation
before the end of next Summer.