Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-20

| weighs Z,536 POUNDS WIN Iull lOaQ,
as against 1900 pounds for the
Hawk.
Both Boeing and Hawk are
armed with two machine guns,
placed forward of the pilot and
Synchronized to shoot through the
propeller. The guns are aimed
by moving the whole ship. One
gun is so caliber and the other
80 caliber and both are fired by
a single button on the control
stick.
Because of the fixed mounting
of the guns and the lack of fire to
the rear, the planes must be ex-
ceedingly maneuverable. since the
safety and efficiency of the pilot
depend upon his ability to out
perform his foe. The mission of
the pursuit plane is to shoot down
| and destroy enemy aircraft and
thus protect friendly aircraft of
other types and friendly ground
| forces.
The attack planes which have
been converted to pursuit planes
| for experimental purposes are de
/ velopments of the postwar pc
Rod. They are exceedingly eff
cient and deadly weapons when
used against their intended tar
gets-ground forces. The attack
plane is not intended to operate
against other aircraft except de-
fenSively.
There is only one type of attack
plane now used by the Army Air
CorpS-the Curtiss Falcon, off,
cially designated "A-3" These
planes are fast and highly ma
recoverable, but are not intended
for altitude work, since they sell
dom fly higher than 500 feet above
the ground while on tactical mis-
Sions and often operate below 100
feet.
Cruises at lis Miles.
The Falcon uses the same motor
as the Hawk and it's total weight,
including armament, is 4,400
pounds. It cruises at lis miles
per hour and has a high speed of
40 miles per hour. The Falcon
has terrific offensive power, as
it carries $50 pounds of small
bombs, either 10 or IS Founders,
and six .30-caliber machine guns.
Four of these guns are fired by
the pilot and are of the fixed type,
being aimed by pointing the
plane. Two are mounted in the
lower wings and two above the
motor, as in the pursuit planes.
The remaining two guns are on
~ in ~
cockpit and are controlled by a
gunner.
Though splendidly suited to
ground Straff1ng, the attack plane
is too slow and heavy for pursuit
work. The experimental two
place pursuiter now being built
is to be comparable in speed with
the best Single-SeaterS. 1t is be-
lieved that something may be sac
rificed in performance because of
the added protection of the two
rear guns.
If the two-seater pursuit plane
is adopted by the Air Corps this
type of plane probably will oper-
ate at an intermediate level, leav-
ing the work Of patrolling at ex-
IRENE attitudes to Single-Seaters.
This Summer also will witness
the flight testing of revolution
airy type of observation plane, to
be used for high-altitude, long
range reconnaissance. The first
of two experimental planes of this
type now is well under way at the
New Jersey Fokker plant. It is a
flying wing type, with two engines
built into the monoplane wing
and with retractable landing gear.
Three men will compose the crew.
1t is to be exceedingly fast, capa-
BILE Of flying at attitudes above the
range of fighting planes.
Test Automatic Pilot.
Tests of "Mecaviator," the new
Sperry automatic airplane con-
trolling mechanism, are being
made during the California ma
neuverS. The automatic pilot has
| been installed in a Condor b.
bombardment plane, the largest
used by the Army.
Extensive tactical tests of the
installation were made during the
long flight of the I'd Bombard-
ment Group from Langley Field,
Va, to Sacramento, Calf. For
periods of hours at time the
little gyroScopic mechanism,
weighing less than so pounds, flew
the bomber, which, with full load,
weighs more than eight tons,
without a human hand touching
the controls. The control is re-
garded as long step forward,
since it operates as well in bad
weather as in good and maintains
accurate flight under conditions
where human pilots fall into
error.
For the first time during Air
have been able to operate at alti-
tudes of $4,000 feet, the impor-
lance of which may be realized
when it is considered that victory
in pursuit operations usually goes
to the man with the greatest
speed and altitude. Full pursuit
operations have been carried on
at attitudes of more than five
miles above the ground, where
the temperature is &C degrees be-
low zero on the warmest Summer
day.
Flying at this altitude the pilots
breathe from oxygen tanks and
the engines of their planes are
supplied with air condensed to
sea-level pressure by super
chargers. The pilots wear about
so pounds of clothing and equip
ment apiece and carry oxygen ap-
| paratuS weighing SO pounds more.
a transcontinental towed glider flight;