Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-23

Americans man, stationed in. the pass,
watches the ceiling and telephones con-
ditions to the airport. No plane gets
away without getting a report from this
weather Waterman and no plane en-
tiers the pass to the city without get
ting a radio message, telephoned to
the airport and then relayed on the
waves to the plane. Radio, more than
any one other factor, has made efficient
air transport possible for this beautiful
city among the mountains.
This incident in our tour was just one
Of scores in which radio played a strik-
ing part. Here is one more. We left
Port of Spain, Trinidad, for our trip
to Miami with two Pan-American
planes in the air. We talked with both
of them. One was $50 miles behind us,
also northbound, and the other was
southbound. They were both amphib-
ians and We had a land plane. Bouck
kept giving them. our bearings so that
at any time, should we be forced down,
a rescue plane able to alight on the
water was within an hours flight of us.
Our crash brought out an interest
ing use of radio. A short time before
we sought a landing at Exuma we
knew we were going to have to land.
The motor vibrated, owing to fault in
the mount, so that we thought it would
i
Pan American station at Camaguey
Cuba, our position and the fact that
we were going to land. / also told
the station that If they did not hear
from us within Is minutes after we
landed to notify I. Goldberg, president
of the Pilot Radio g. Tube Corporation
at Lawrence, Mass.
Well, Eddie brought us in perfectly,
but the wheels struck a boulder and
over we went. There was no chance of
sending message. Pan-Am waited
nearly an hour and then notified Gold
berg. He at 0nce called the State De-
partment, which in turn appealed to the
British embassy. There was no time
lost there and the colonial government
at Nassau was notified of our plight,
and within three hours of the crash the
colonial government had a rescue boat
on the way to us, knowing exactly
where we came down and equipped for
an emergency which fortunately had
not arisen. But for the radio we might
have been marooned for some time at
our wreck on Exuma.
Finds Operator Needed.
I could go on recording incidents In
which the radio was used on that trip,
but I won't. I would like to emphasize
have argued that radio is necessary, but
that apparatus is still experimental and
not always sure / know from our ex-
perience that all air transport today can
equip its planes with radio receivers
and transmitters, which In the hands of
experienced operators will be just 100
per cent efficient.
Good operators are necessary. and /
do not think that the pilot-operator,
with his divided duty, should be ex-
pected to run a flying radio station
efflciently. What Is needed on the trans
port Is one man who can devote his
whole attention to his set and its at
tendant problems.
All in all, the tour was most inter-
esting and educational experience. We
had pilot in Emil Burgin to whom bad
weather meant nothing; radio engi-
neer in Zeh Bouck who could get us
around and through any weather be-
cause of the information the ground
stations and other planes gave us, and
we had plane and an engine fit for
the job. Some day tourists will be
making that trip in their family touring
air sedans and coaches just as now they
tour the country on the Lincoln High
way. Even today gas and oil stations
cover South America, so that fuel and
repairs constitute no serious problem.
Copyright, 1880, by New York Times Coz