Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-06
Coste's Own Story
Pilot Believes Planes of Smaller Types Better for
Ocean Flying Than Dnigible or Massive
DO-X Ships

things, not so much about meteorology
as about conditions under which the
various materials used in a plane can
be depended upon. These technical
matters will be of interest to airplane
designers, but would, suppose, bore
the layman.
And as to what the flight proved
relative to long-distance travel over wa
ter, here is the thing / realize fun well
that it is handicap for commercial
aviation that the lightweight of fuel
should eat up the room that might
otherwise be used for a pay load.
We flew across, arriving at the exact
destination which we had determined
upon. That is a thing to make me very
happy, but am still quite aware that
the fight comes far from proving the
present practicability of commercial
service over the same route. We must
have better planes and plenty of land
ing stations of one kind or another en-
route, enough, at any rate, to enable
us to dispense with some of our gaso-
line and replace it with pay load, COM
parable to that of the airShip.
This would seem to be concession
to dirigibles. Nevertheless / maintain
that their performance is not yet con-
vincing. / admire what they have ac-
complished. 1t is granted that they
have taken passengers across; but the
dirigible is more at the mercy OF an &C
cident than the airplane. Let them OPP
crate on regular schedule in an over
ocean service. If they can do this for
long period without miShap, that
would be conclusive that they are prac-
teal. But, even at that, they must in
crease their speed to be commercially
successful.
DirigibIes Much More Costly.
Their inferior speed is not their only
handicap. From practical standpoint
they have another one that will still
remain even If the speed can be stepped
up to a point where it compares with
plane. This second handicap is the cost
involved not alone in the construction
of the ship, but also of the huge hangers
required. And, beyond that, a large
ground crew must be maintained. Until
now there has been great struggle
between these two types of aircraft, but,
despite the splendid voyages of the Graf
Zeppelin and the R-100, think the air
plane still has the upper hand. The
dirigible can do things the eirplane
cannot, but the use of landing fields
ashore and af1oat will offset this.
Eventually, of course, direct flight will
be the thing.
I realize that the ability to make
direct fight is just the goal at which
the designers of the DO-x aim.
DO-X Regarded Too Large.
But airplane designers must not make
the same mistake as is found in the
dirigibles-they mustn't build their ma
chimes so large that the expense of con-
struction and operation eats up the
profits.
That is Just SIMPLE business consid-
Grafton and it is my reason for believing
that the DO-X is too large for practical
purposes. Of course, it constitutes an
extremely interesting scientific expert
ment and admire those who are work.
ing on it. They are trying to solve
difficult problem-to find whether the
use of many motors gives plane a real
advantage.
This inquiry is assuredly of value to
aviation, for we should never forget that
safety must be placed ahead of every
other consideration if tranSocean flying
is to be a business success. Speed with
safety is the problem, and only the
future can solve it.
place my faith in one good motor,
and / prefer to have one rather than
three. Though the three may each be
just as good as the one, there are
IIlTee CtdIlCtS Oh 6CJJiIlS AAiIO tlOublC
instead OF one. But then, l do not
want to generalize.
Vast Area Aid in U. S.
America has aviation advantages
greater than those of any other coun-
try. Distances here are long enough
to make the time saved by flying very
appreciable, whereas, in Europe. the
cities are. many of them, relatively
close together, and when the time con-
sumed in travelling to and from air.
dromes is added to the flying time.
there is little saving over the time of
a train trip.
But your country has other advan-
tages than that of vastness. An i'm
portant one is the lack of national bar
riers. Today / shall fly thousand
miles and more. When one flies that
distance over Europe he may cross half
q dozen countries, each with It's Gus
toms and passport regulations. That is
not only an inconvenience, but operates
to add to the actual flying time.
In contrast, one can cross an entire
continent here without any such inter-
ruption. Indeed, instead of finding ones