Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-01


realization that it is quite
a commonplace thing for a bust
ness man, en- route from city to
city by first class airplane, to call
up his business associates or home
by radio and telephone with no
more effort or excitement than if
he were in his Office leaning back
in his swivel chair with his feet
on the desk or among the potted
ferns.
Lolling in a comfortable chair
with the landscape streaming by
5000 feet below, he will flip a
switch, pick up receiver, wrangle
politely with an operator through
the microphone, in accordance
nth his tried and trusted habits,
and finally get his dear wife on
the phone.
'Gwendolyn," or Minerva" or
"Appolinaris," he will say. depend
ing upon what name was inflicted
upon his spouse at the baptismal
font, cit grieves me to announce
that I shall be a little late for
supper this evening"
Wife's Customary Response.
Another stupid business con-
ference, suppose" she will re-
ply, as the corpus of her beloved
husband rusheS away from her
through space at rate of several
miles per minute.
"a conference, yes" husband
will reply little stiff1y.
0n,1oLxunrfH doy.li1an SC
that rushing sound I hear over
the wire?" the little woman will
inquire. "Are you thinking again?"
THAT" Duckworth will reply,
sis the purring of three contented
engines"
ooh, Duckworth, you are flying
from me again."
Eyes, I had to go to Chicago,
but though the miles lengthen
between, oh my myrtle and roses,
my heart is ever with thee, my
own"
ooh, Duckworth!"
And then, perhaps, the static,
or an operator, saying, What
number are you calling, pleez?"
Old Man Habit.
And Duckworth will sigh or
swear or grind his teeth or do just
whatever it is he does every day
In the year under similar circum-
stances. And the operator will
explain to Gwendolyn, or whoever
it was Duckworth married, that
she can't re-establiSh the con-.
nection unless Gwendolyn knows
what number she was talking
with.
But the point of all this fool
ishness is that neither Duckworth
nor Gwendolyn will see anything
at all unusual in the fact that
they are able to converse over the
miles, Duckie in his airplane,
Gwennie in her home.
Perhaps you may think all this
visionary. Had you witnessed GER
tain demonstrations during the
past week at Boiling Field, how
ever, you might not be so inclined
to scott. There were two air.
planes at the field, a tri-motored
Ford and a Single-engined Fair
child, both representative of
SGoA10oA0 u oAAoPOAb CJPCoS d11u DOG4I
equipped by the American Tele-
phone g. Telegraph Co. with the
latest word in airplane radio in
stallations.
There were microphones and
head sets not only for the pilots
but for each passenger. It was
possible for a passenger in either
plane to talk to any other paSsen-
ger or either of the pilots in his
own plane or to any one of the
passengers or the pilot in the
other plane, either with both
planes in flight or with one plane
in flight and the other on the
ground.
Radio at It's Best.
The outfits were demonstrated
to officials of the aeronautics
branch of the Department of
Commerce, and most interesting
and significant demonstrations
they were. They revealed a re-
finement of aviation radio beyond
a point thought possible few
years ago.
The Ford took off on the first
demonstration carrying as pas
sengers Harry H. Blee, director of