Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-04

! New YORK business area.
More passengers were flown during
September, the opening month of oper-
ations, than during any of the sue
ceeding months. This was due to the
novelty of the new service in part and
in part to almost perfect weather
throughout the month. The September
total was 500 passengers. In Octo-
| Der the weather was less favorable and
| 4,422 passengers were carried. Many
days of fog and bad weather were en-
countered in November and the pas
senger total fell to 3,243" Last month,
however, showed a substantial increase,
4,27S passengers having been flown.
| This increase, amounting to 1,179 pas
sengers or 1872 per cent as compared
with November, was due largely to a
lower round-trip rate which became eff
/ fective November "a.
ZR-4 Shows Progress.
The dawn of the new year found
construction of the duralumin frame
work of the U. S. S. Akron or IRA,
| giant Navy airship now under contract
at Akron, Ohio, well along toward COM
pletion, according to reports received
here. The 76-foot cone-shaped nose
had just been raised into position, the
control car taken from the fabricating
plant to the construction dock for at
taching to the ship and the tenth of the
IL main frames was about to be hoisted
| into place.
With the nose in place, the skeleton
of the great ship measures 615 feet in
length. With the tenth frame added,
the skeleton will be 685 feet long, leav-
ing 100 feet to be put into position. The
airship is to be by far the largest the
world has ever seen, its total volume be-
ing that of the Los Angeles and the
Graf Zeppelin combined.
The control car is being installed well
toward the nose of the big ship, pro-
jecting below the streaming. 1t is be-
ing built in as an integral part of the
structure. In this room the captain
and his staff will be stationed. 1t will
contain all known modern devices for
navigation and control. The radio cabin
and commanding officers quarters will
be inside the hull directly over the
control car
One of the 100000 cubic-foot gas
cells which will contain the lifting gas
was completed and tested several weeks
ago and three more of the large cells
now are being made. The fabric for
covering the ship is being manufactured
and the placing of the covering is about
to be installed, beginning at the nose.
Electricians now are busy wiring the
ship for the power and lighting plants
and work on the elevator and rudder
fms is well under way. One of the
power transmission systems to be used
in transmitting power from the engines
inside the hun to the universally jointed
propellers outside now is undergoing
a 300-hour test, which may continue to
500 hours. This test is primarily for
a rigid tryout of the transmission gear
ing and is not motor test. Each of
the eight Maybach engines has been
thoroughly tested.
Progress now. being made indicates
completion of the new air giant for
its initial flight in the early Summer.
"FIight Tutor Improved.
The Army Air Corps now is using
an improved type of flight tutor, /"
which handles just like an airplane
and in which students in the Primary
Flying School, Brooks Field, Tex, are
put through regular course of in
struction. The tutor consists of a Sec
ton of airplane fuselage, including the
cockpit, propeller and electric motor,
control surfaces and full operating con-
troll of standard airplsne type.
Improvements in the Brooks Field
tutor include a lighter car to reduce
momentum, more eQualiZed effect of
the three control surfaces, larger cleo
trio motor to give a strong air stream,
larger and more comfortable cockpit,
new system of electric contacts that
will not overhead and an improved tele-
phone system.
The tutor is used to determine to
some extent the aptitude of the student
for flight training and to educate him
in familiarity with the unusual posi-
tons an airplane may assume, the
feeling and effect of the controls and
the noise and effect Of propeller blast
and slipstream in fight.
More than 40 graduates of the United
States Military Academy recently were
put through course of instruction on
the tutor. They made an initial flight"
in the tutor to accustom them to the
machine and the use of its controls.
Each student then made at last four
more trips, the first devoted to banks,
the second to gentle and medium banks,
the third to review of the banks and
to climbing and gliding turns and the
fourth to acrobatics for recovery from
unusual positions.
BY comparison of the ratings made
by the students in the tutor with their
ratings in actual flying training it is
expected that the true value of the
flight tutor may be determined. 1t is
anticipated, however, that the device
not only will aid the Air Corps in de-
termining the ability of prospective stu
dents but also will lessen the time re-
quired for student to reach the solo
stage.
National Conference Planned.
The Aeronautics Branch, Department
OF Commerce, is planning a national
conference on the marking of obstruc-
tons to air navigation. The conference
Is to be held here on date yet to be
announced.
Particular attention is to be given to
regulations governing the establishment
and certihcation of aeronautical lights,
as well as to the subject of methods of
marking distractions.
Invitations to assign delegates to the
conference have been sent by the de-
partment TO national associations deal
ing with electric lighting, electrical
manufacturing, gas lighting, railways.
electric railways, radio engineering,
Illuminating engineering, telephones,
electric power transmission, telegraphy,
air transport operations, aerial service
operations, flying schools, airports and
TO the Post Office Department airmail
division, the Army Air Corps and the
Navy Bureau of Aeronautics. Repre-
sentatives from the Always division,
aercnautic and development service and
licensing and inspection service Of the
aeronautics branch will be present.
Several matters of vital importance
to the membership of the District of
Columbia Air Legion. local private flying
club, viii be discussed and put to a
vote at meeting tomorrow night at
8 o'clock at the Legion heaquarters,
1919 F street Chief among these items
will be an amendment to the bylaws
TO provide for solo bond of $50, to be
required of all solo members and of all
future solo members on or before their
FIRST solo flight
Membership in the glider unit of the