The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-09-25
GERMANY GIVEN
VALUABLE WAR
AID BY ECKENER
Master of Zeppelin Taught
Scores of Students to
Fly DirigibIeS.
CHAPTER VII

CHAPTER VII
DR.. Eckener just had reached his
46th birthday when the World war
broke out, and Delag ships we're ia
ken over by the government. He
applied for a post as Zeppelin COM
mander But he was to lead no
bombing raids. see no reconnais-
sance operations Of the great fleet.
The spectacular operations of
peace-time airships had given the
German public high hopes for their
use in wartime. especially as Ger
many was tse only country possess
ing this type of aircraft.
Eckener had had wider experience
than any other man in Europe in
flying ships. He must be held at
home to train new pilots. Some one
must be at hand TO pass on to new
men the accumulated flying expe-
rience of four years of peace time
operation. DR.. Eckener was logically
that man.
Gives Thorough Training
How thorough the training DR..
Eckener gave the military pilots
can be realized only by considering
what an airship commanders duties
are
His motors are housed in small
cars outside the hull of the ship, the
farthest of them 500 feet away.
From the control car up forward
the commander may order his mo-
tors, at idling speed.
He may cutSome motors and run
the rest, may with the present type
order some run in reverse if he
wants suddenly to check speed.
However. motors are motors. whether
on airShips o rsurface craft or auto
mobile
The airship has two sets of rud-
ders. two steering Wheels, one set
controlling direction, the other alti-
tude. For the airship sails in two
dimensions.
Must Keep Ship in Trim
The commander must keep his ship
I'm trim, know that whatever con-
sumption of fuel, or what shifting
of ballast, the ship from stern to
stern is in equilibrium. Though
there are times when it may be
desirable to fly his ship at an angle
through the air, making it nose
heavy or tail-heavy. He can check
the trim of the ship from his in
strument board, can direct his
helmsmen from the bridge.
The main lifting force in the
ship comes from the fact that it is
inflated with a gas much lighter
han air. The lift of a ship, how
ever, is not constant. It varies with
he temperature and barometric
pressure.
In landing a ship he must be
yareful not to drive it down too hard
and do damage to it, but he also
must not swing down too cautious
ly and miss his landing crew en-
tirely.
Must Know His Valves
AS he consumes fuel his ship
grows lighted and flies higher, with
the result that the lifting gas ex-
pandS and the surplus flows out
through the valves at top and bot
tom. At his peril he must be certain
that his valves work freely and as
needed.
He must know the principles of
kn oh - of
night or through fog, and know
where he is at all times. He must
know weather. too.
The manager of ground station
must be ready with landing crews
when needed. must have men ready
for refueliug. regassing, overhaul
and maintenance. But the ship
commanders responsibility does not
cease when he has landed his ship,
nor when it is safe in the hangar.
Vigilance Never ReIaxeS
Aboard ship his vigilance and
watchfulneSS can never slacken. But
aloft or on land, the commanders
responsibility persists continuously,
until he is relieved of command.
Perhaps the most spectacular sin
gle phase of the Eckener training
course was the making Of theoretical
flights.
Well before the war the convic-
tion had been growing in his mind
and that of Count Zeppelins that
the time was not far ahead when
airships would be flown regularly
across the north Atlantic to Amer
lea. With typical thoroughnesS
Eckener began making plans to that
END
He had directed the compilation
OF weather reports between central
Europe and New York, getting the
data from the logs of thousand
ships and innumerable inland sta
tons until he had assembled fairly
complete weather map of the route,
covering nearly twenty-five years.
Vast Mass of Data Used
From this he had been able 70
draw certain conclusions as to av-
erages in wind directions and We
locit:es. And this huge collection of
data now was to become of imme-
date practical benefit.
A cadet commander would call at
Eckener's Office, receive directions 20