Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-26
AVIATION
BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.

the appropriation by Congress OF add
tional funds as the initial step.
AirmaiI Slash Threatened.
The Nations airmail contractors,
staggering under the effect of recent
drastic cuts in Federal payments for
carrying the mails, face still further
reduction OF income. Postmaster Cen
eral Walter F. Brown expects, before
the Winter Is over, to put into effect
reductions which he intends that the
lines shall make up from passenger
revenues.
Last February Mr.. Brown called into
conference representatives of the con-
tract airmail operators. To them he
declared that the cost Of flying the
airmail must be reduced If they did
not voluntarily work out q reduction Of
the amounts paid by the Government
in accordance with an equitable sched-
ule, the action would be taken for them
by the Post once Department The
operators worked out schedule which
cut their income several millions OF
dollars a year.
With the money thus saved the Post
Office Department awarded contracts,
without bids, for the extension" Of a
number OF contract airmau lines. Two
Of these lines terminate in the National
Capital one, from Pittsburgh, having
been opened last June, the other. from
Atlantic City, opening last Monday.
These extensions have increased to q
total OF some $4,000 miles, the daily
total flown by the operators. The
amount of mail carried on virtually all
the contract routes has increased
steadily. Passenger totals also are
mounting again on many Of the pas
senger lines after sharp reductions last
Winter.
Whether the Postmaster Generals
expectations that the companies can
live on passenger revenues in event of
drastic reduction of mail revenues are
based on a firm foundation remains TO
be seen. Many passenger lines are re-
ported to be losing money. Passenger
ties have been cut so low. in the face
of competition, that the operators cam
not hope to make money until they can
get more efficient airplanes, capable OF
carrying the same number OF pasSen-
gers at greatly reduced operating cost.
Shooting the Works.
Shotgun shells may become q regu-
lar part Of the equipment Of military
airplanes, as result Of experiments
conducted by Army Air Corps officers
at the Materiel Division headquarters.
Wright Field Dayton, Ohio. TIE shells
will not be used for offensive or defen-
sive purposes They will not be fred
from Shotguns. They will BE- used for
starting airplane motors and will be
fired in new type of Self-starter.
Cartridge starters are not an espe-
cially new idea, but the type developed
at Wright Field has new features which
carry promise for the flrst time that
the device may become a practical
thing 10-gauge shotgun shell Is
used and is fired electrically in a small
cylinder. driving a piston and a gear
which turns over the airplane engine.
The shock is taken up in the starter,
and the thrust on the engine is no
greater than from an electrical starter,
it is claimed.
The starter weighs 1s pounds: the
breech and exhaust piping pounds,
and the cartridges run % TO the pound.
The first tests, conducted on Wasp
engine, gave satisfactory results. the
War Department announced. There
was no shock when the starter was
fired or when 1t picked up the engine
load.
Tests were conducted in q low tenn
perature chamber under temperatures
below the freezing point. Compare
tive tests were made with the old
inertia starter and the cartridge
starter. The cartridge starter was
IOuNQ 10 IuIH Tie cLBAlC ONCI ASoVSA
than the inertia starter, though at low
temperatures more heavily loaded
shell was required and the number OF
revolutions of the engine at q single
explosion decreased. Further tests VIII
be made to determine the necessary IN
crease of powder content OF the shell
for reliable operation under conditions
of extreme cold.
An explosive mixture type of starter
was tried out early in the history OF
starters the War Department said, and,
although in the foreign field 1t acquired
a somewhat extensive use. 1t was never
popular in this country. multiplicity
of parts, with attendant weight and
difficulty OF maintenance, caused this
type to be abandoned. The new car
fridge type, however, it Is claimed, Of
fers none Of these disadvantages and
may prove exceedingly useful equip
ment for military aircraft.
The Old Becomes New.
One of the novel features Of the u.
S. S. Akron, worlds largest airShip,
now nearing completion for the Navy
at Akron, Ohio, is the use of full
Swiveling propellers, which may be en-
ployed to drive the ship forward, back
ward, up or down.
Though many who have heard of
them consider them q strictly modern
improvement in the airShip field, they
are the descendants of Swiveling pro-
pellerS which were used in the early
days of AnGsAaAA sirship operation.
The first use Of Swiveling propellers
in a large American airShip. appro-
priately enough was in the only other
airship which has borne the name
Akron. The first Akron, which fell q
fiery victim to the use of hydrogen
lifting gas made use of two Swiveling
propellers to aid in navigation.
The first Akron, built by Melvin
Vaniman for proposed transatlantic
flight, was destroyed when its hydrogen
filled bag caught fire over Atlantic City
on July 2, 1912. carrying Vaniman and
four others to death. The use of
hydrogen has been outlawed for Army
and Navy dirigibles. and helium, inert
and non-infiammable, will form the
lifting medium In the cells of the new
Akron.
Vaniman's Akron was 25s feet long,
with a diameter of ~ feet. A car $50
feet long was suspended beneath the
bag and contained power units. fuel
supply, controls and quarters for the
crew. In the new Akron all units, save
the control cabin and propeilers, are
built into the hull.
The Vaniman ship had q l00-horse-
power engine driving two forward pro-
pellers and two 80-horsepower motors
driving two swiveling propellers IT.
horsepower engine also was carried to
drive a generator supplying current for
lights and wireless.
The first Akron was destroyed on its
second flight and the swiveling pro-
pellers never were thoroughly tested
out, leaving this task to the second
Akron.
The launching and christening Of the
TT @ q ALrnn will HakA VaIMea at m