Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-13
AVIATION
BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.
NECESSITY for greater speed
in military planes has been
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4 of the past week. There
afe-in regular commercial opera
ton in this. country types Of
which can run away from any
military plane in the Army or
Navy service. That is not par
ticularly healthy situation from
the viewpoint of military aviation.
Hearings which have been con-
Quoted during the past week by a
subcommittee of the Senate COM
mittee on naval affairs have
drawn attention forcibly to the
high-Speed airplane situation in
this country and abroad.
Ostensibly launched to de-
termine why Lieut.. Alfred j. Will
liamS, jr., resigned from the Navy
and the effects of this resignation
upon Speed-plane development,
the hearing eliminated in an ex-
preston by Senator Willard E..
Tydings of Maryland, chairman,
of his determination to find just
how the military planes of the
country compare in point of speed
and performance with similar
planes of other countries and
what steps, If any, may be neceS-
sary to improve their speed or
performance.
The hearings have proved a
complete vindication OF Lieut..
Williams in his long fight for
high-speed airplane development
In this country. Members OF the
committee, especially the chair
man, Senator Tydings, expressed
dissatisfaction with this country'S
failure to take part in the Schnei-
der classic or to share in the bene-
fits that accrue from the efforts
to make ready for such competi-
ton.
Senator Tydings expressed the
belief that either the Navy is not
obtaining sufficient appropria-
lions for experimental and re-
search work, especially with a
view to the increasing Of speed of
service planes, or that the ap-
preparations which are being
made are not being applied prop
erly.
81 am convinced" said Senator
Tydings, that any nation which
Has O11C OpCCOACOO SAc4ACo AAeSo q
tremendous advantage in time of
war. It is no consolation to us to
consider that England, Italy and
France have faster planes than
we have, even if they are purely
racing types. I do feel most en-
phatically that future wars, If
there are to be future wars, are
going to be won by speed"
Calls for Speed Data.
Senator Tydings called upon the
Navy Department to prepare for
the Senate tables showing the
speed and performance character
iSticS Of every type Of naval fight
ing plane since 1925, the year the
Navy dropped out of racing plane
development, up to the present
time, with comparative figures, a.
far as possible, on the planes OF
corresponding types in the mill
tary service Of other nations
These figures, being matters OF
military secrecy, will be submitted
to the committee in executive
session within a day or two and
will not be made public.
Upon the basis Of these figures,
Senator TydingS said, he hopes
the Senate will be able to de-
terTnine whether this country'S
military planes require improve
ment for the sake Of national
security and whether the Navy
Department should take up again
racing plane development.
Spring maneuverS OF the an
forces Of the Army and Navy, the
one now in progress, the other
Just completed, have. served to
focus public attention on military
aviation. F. Trubee Dawson,
Assistant Secretary Of War for
Aeronautics, plans to leave the
National Capital for Mather Field,
Sacramento, Calf, headquarters
for the provisional wing now in
the field, during the next day or
two. He probably will go in a
new Consolidated FleetSter cabin
monoplane, now being considered
as a pursuit squadron transport
plane.
Leaving this city in the morn
ing, Mr.. Dawson could be at
Mather Field the next day. Car
rying six passengers, the Fleet
Ster, a single-motored plane, can
run away from any Single-seater
pursuit plane In the Army's
fastest squadronS.
Military Planes Too Slow.
It Is true that commercial
planes do not have to be'built to
Withstand the extreme stresses
imposed upon fighting planes, nor
do they carry military loads.
pute over the fact that, in COM
parison with the faster COM
mercial planes, our military planes
are too slow.
During the past I'VE years there
has not been much improvement
In the Navy fighter or Army pur-
suit planes in point Of speed.
This Is true especially in COM
parison with the speed increases
which have been made in COM
mercial aviation. BaSically, the
pursuit plane is the same as 1t
has been for years. A few miles
per hour have been added from
time to time by better stream
lining, the use Of coWling over
air-cooled engines or the subSti=
tuition of chemical for water
cooling. The standard pursuit
equipment Of the Army and Navy
sQuadronS today, however, Is the
uncowled air-cooled and water
cooled engine.
An our pursuit and fighter
planes are Of the biplane type.
In the past no monoplane could
ha 1aY1i1f UJIoich would Withstand