Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-18

1900 revolutions per minute
through use Of supercharger
developing a pressure of five
pounds per square inch, it was
reported.
Another most important de-
velopment of the year at the lab
oratories has been the completion
of a small vertical wind tunnel
and a new type of dynamometer
for the detailed study of causes
and methods of prevention and
recovery from spins. A large YER
teal tunnel now is under con-
struction for the further expan-
sion of this work, which is regard
ed as among the most essential
items of research now in progress
in any aeronautical laboratory.
Device Checks Spins.
Demonstrations of the small
tunnel were made with a mono
plane wing of about 3-foot span
and full floating aileronS as the
subject of the tests. With the
aileronS imperative the wing
went into a continuous spin in
the wind stream, continuing to
spin as long as the air flow con-
tinued. With the floating ailerons
unlocked, the spin was checked
in turn or two after being spun
sharply by hand.
It long has been recognized that
human observations are subject to
serious errors, especially in the
case of violent airplane ma
neuvers. For this reason the
Langley laboratories have pro-
duced a mechanical observer, a
robot whose reactions are precise
and whose senses continue to
function accurately through the
most extraordinary acrobaticS.
The robot is really a group of
instruments which record upon
revolving drums eight separate
records of the airplane behavior.
They do their work so accurately
that the camera obScura obServa-
tions which have long been re-
garded as necessary to check on
the movements Of airplaneS in
test flights, may be discontinued
when the robot is at work.
Formation of ice on airplane
wings, especially on the leading
edge of the wing, is one of the
most serious Winter problems of
the pilot. Such ice formations
distort the wing curve and destroy
it's ability to sustain the plane,
this effect being even more seri-
Gus than the accumulation Of
weight.
Zee Removal Shown.
A new method of removing ice
from the leading edge of the wing
while in flight was demonstrated
in a special performing wind
tunnel. The leading edge of the
wing Is covered with a rubber
strip impregnated with oils to
which ice will not adhere tightly.
Beneath the rubber sheet are two
rubber tubes which may be In
fated by a pump In the cockpit Of
the plane.
The process was shown in the
tunnel. A model Of the wing was
subjected to an icy stream Of air
filled with water vapor. A film Of
ice quickly formed over the lead
ing edge. The elmer tubes" were
filled with air, breaking the ice
and the wind blast blew it off the
oily rubber, leaving the wing edge
clear.
Tests to show the amount of air
resistance, or drag, caused by the
various parts Of an airplane were
made by the committee In the
propeller research tunnel with q
standard Fairchild II cabin mono
plane. The tests showed that the
greatest amount Of drag was
caused by the wing and wing
struts, totaling 49.6 per cent of
the total. The tail caused only
Al per cent, the landing gear 1874
per cent, the engine, 1863 per cent
and the fuselage and turtleback,
1874 per cent.
TWO weeks ago some mention
was made in this column Of
the Arrny's mechanical airplane
pilot, christened by the War De-
partment 'Mecaviator." It was
pointed out that a more catchy
title was needed If ''Mecaviator"
was to attain public popularity as
a dinner table topic Of discussion.
The British, it was pointed out,
call their version of the mechani-
cal pilot George" and the sailor
calls the gyroScopic Steersman of
the ocean liner Metal Mike"
It was predicted that Lieut.. Ro-
land Birnn, Army Air Corps, who
served as intelligence officer on
the staff Of the provisional wing
in California when 'Mecaviator'
was strutting his stuff as pilot of
a Condor BE- bombardment
plane, upon his return to this
city would have something to
say about the mechanical pilot.
Lieut.. Birnn Is back and Lieut..
Birnn has.
Birnn Speaking.
Maybe" says Lieut.. Birnn,
George Is a hot name for the
mechanical aviator over In Merrie
England, but not 50 In this land
of liberty and Pullman cars. A
pilot Is a pilot, which, If you asked
an r. M. A. sometime after the
armistice, means that a pilot is a
pilot. What I mean Is that q
pilot is a pilot, and try to get him
to do anything else!
"You may be able to scrap q
lot Of good human pilots by send
ing them back to the buttonhole
factories or what not, but you
can't scrap q fellow like 'Mecavia-
tor who Is built for his Job and
nothing else. But you don't want
I to make the mistake of calling