Evening star., 1929-12-15
AVIATION
BY JOSEPH S. EDdERToN.

experimentation IN the nelQ OF
military aviation is made by Rear
Admiral William A. Moffett, chief
of the Navy Bureau of Aeronau-
tics, in his annual report.
Admiral Moffett's Views.
although our present types of
planes are good" he said, they
are still years from being stand
ardized. Continuous improve
mentS must be made to keep in
| the forefront of advancing avia-
ton knowledge. In order to do
this, 1t is essential that relatively
large amount of this bureaus ap-
propriationS be utilized for expert
mentation and development.
Even more effort in this di-
rection is required in the future
than in the past and the bureau
strongly recommends that larger
appropriations for this expert
mental work be approved by the
department and urged upon the
Bureau of the Budget and upon
Congress-"
These quotations are indicative
of the general trend and there
would be no point in using more
of them. The need for research
is recognized by all aviation peo-
pie who are not fools. Those who
are fools won't last long in the
business and really make no diff
ference.
AeronauticS has taken a strong
grip on the life of today and, as
the Department of Commerce
aeronauticS branch has pointed
out, has become an integral part
of our general transportation,
even though many of us may not
yet sense that fact. It's develop
ment is based on research and
upon continued research must its
future growth be founded.
It is inevitable that aeronauticS
will be cast in a major role on the
commercial stage Of the imme-
diate future. That Is evident from
the situation today.
"If," the aeronauticS branch has
pointed out, "all air transport
facilities which now exist were
suddenly removed, the unfavor-
able effects would be far-reaching,
and we would appreciate that it
has already become an indiSpenS-
able part OF the general trans
portation scheme of the country"
Radio Aids Developed.
One of the early developments
of 1880 may be a blind" landing
at the Bureau Of Standards radio
test field, College Park, Md. De-
velopment Of a high-freQuency
landing beam, which will mark
out by radio the gliding angle to
be taken by a fog-blinded pilot in
coming into the field, Is well
along. The power of this beam
doubling the distance range, and
efforts are being made still further
to amplify it at the receiving end.
Work also Is being continued on
an experimental 12-courSe visual
radio range at College Park. A
mutual coupling arrangement be-
tween two loop antennas has been
devised to bring about sharper
beacon courses. The 12-courSe
range has been under a disad-
vantage as compared with the
four course beacon because of
the lower SenSitivity. This dis
parity has been reduced SubStan-
TALLY by development of an auto
matte switch to Shunt out OF cir
cult the pair Of coils controlling
the vibrating reed not in use.
Naval officers recently made an
inspection at San Francisco of
vertical radio beam which indi-
Gates on a pilots instrument
board when the plane is exactly
over the transmitting apparatus.
The device is to enable pilots to
find fields Shrouded in heavy fog.
The same type of apparatus has
been used on Federal airways and
is another example OF what is
being done to conquer the great
est single obstacle to scheduled
air operations.
Hinton Lists Opportunities.
The opportunities in aviation
which exist for the average man
or woman, in flying and non-fy-
ing capacities, are discussed in a
mastery fashion In the first Of
series Of books on this subject by
Walter Hinton, first transatlantic
pilot and president Of the Avia-
tion Institute.
After giving comprehensive
view of developments in every
branch of aviation, based upon a
most thorough and intelligent
survey, Hinton outlines the avail
able line Of approach for the man
or woman who wants to get into
aviation in any of its multifold
aspects. He gives advice based on
long experience to the young man
who wishes to become a pilot and
describes his chances for ad-
vancement in his chosen profeS-
sion.
The book also includes a de-
scription of the manner in which
business and the professions may
profit from aviation, the savings
which may be effected by more
rapid transportation and the new
fields of enterprise which may be
opened.
This is a book which should be
of value to any one considering a
career in the newest Of the great
industries and one which will give
the layman an unusually compre-
hensive view of what modern
aviation is all about, how 1t has
Il g. sIRAI b.