Evening star., 1931-12-06

speed Of about 35 miles per hour, and
the climb very fast. Top speed Is lit
tie less than 100 miles per hour with
the 28-horsepower engine. The plane
is said to have good directicnal and
lateral stability and to have good ma
neuverability.
Airmail planes In the Canadian
prairie provinces are to be equipped
with radios, built into the instrument
panel, for reception of weather broad
casts and radio beacon signals. Both
visual and aural beacon signals may be
received. The outfits are Of a special
shielded long-wave type. Rado stations
are located in Regina and Maple Creek,
Saskatchewan and Forest, Manitoba.
Two more are being completed at Red
Deer and Lethbridge, Alberta.
Radio Progress Noted.
Almost unknown to the general pub
lie, but Of the most far-reaching i'm
portance to the Navys air forces and
to the national defense is the work on
naval aircraft radio being conducted at
the Anacostia Naval Air Station and
the Naval Research Laboratory at
Bellevue, D. c. Bellevue is charged with
the research work. Anacostia with the
fight testing. Between the two must
pass every type Of radio communica-
tions outfit used in the Navy planes.
So complex have become the require
ments of naval aviation that radio
communication is indispensable. With
out adequate radio communication the
simplest Of the feet missions now re-
quired of aviation would fail.
Naval oir raft radio tc nf
years Of painstaking investigation and
development, dating back to 1911, when
the first tWo-way radio communication
ever to be accomplished between air
planes and the ground was carried out
at Annapolis by the Navy, it is ex-
planned by the Navy Bureau of Aero
nautics in its news letter.
During the war and for some time
afterWard an experimental unit at
Hampton Roads was engaged in air.
craft radio development. This unit
was moved to Anacostia and broken
into two divisions, one of which went
to Bellevue, the other remaining at the
local air station.
Since their establishment these di-
visions have grown steadily In impor-
tance. Today practically all radio ap-
paratus in use by the operating squad
rons is passed on by the two divisions
In addition, great amount Of investi-
cation regarding electrical power supply
for aircraft radio Is being carried out
at the Naval Aircraft Factory, Phila-
delphia.
In its search for better aircraft radio
equipment, which will give greater
range and more certain results without
increased weight or size. the Navy has
had recourse to all the commercial
aviation radio developments and ha,
checked closely all radio engineering
| progress, civil as we'll as governmental
The results have been most encourag.
| ing.
BY way of illustration, the Navy De
! partment points out the advance il
patrol plane radio equipment. Patro
planes for many years were able to out
range In fight distance the radio equip
ment they carried. Today the erer
gency power equipment alone provided
Tor communication while the plane Il
on the water, is sufficient to give range.
better than was possible a few years agc
under the best fight conditions.
Emergency Radio Success.
Recently" the report continued, q;
! patrol plane was forced to change
motor while at port on Lake Erie
While so engaged the commanding off
! Ger, through the agency of the emer.