The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-07-31
BY ISRAEL KLEIN
Science Editor, NEA Service

automobile and the airplane.
A century and a half ago, Mont
golfers 35-foot paper balloon sur
priSed the world by rising above
France. Today, while still novelty
to most of us, the huge airships that
have evolved from this balloon are
highly practical air-going vessels.
In the past thirty years Germany
has built more than $50 such air.
ships with remarkable success.
But these were extremely small
and Anticipated affairs compared
with the U. S. Nays pride and
that is soon to take the air at Ak
ron. Here is an airShip that en-
bodies not only the very latest ideas
In design and construction, but
promises to hold its supremacy for
many years.
Its twelve gas cells contain So
million cubic feet of non-infiamna-
bic helium, or twice that of the
Graf Zeppelin.
NONSIDER the Akron's outstand-
~ ing features:
l. Every previous rigid airship has
had only one metal keel or back
bone, running from nose to stern
along the bottom. The Akron has
three such keels, one along the
top and the other two along the
sides.
These keels are also triangular
paSsageways, providing access to the
engine rooms on each side, to the
valves on top, and to practically
every other part of the airship.
2. For greater sturdiness, the Ak
ron has a skeleton of eleven huge
main rings or frames. These crisis
crossed frames are really the chief
ribs of the ship.
Between every two main frames
are three smaller intermediate
rings, and all are joined by GRID
ers, thus forming a rigid and stable
hull structure.
3. Since helium, a non -indam-
mable gas, is the lifting medium in
the Akron, the designers have
placed the compartments within the
airship, extending shafts eighteen
feet out to the propellers. The re-
suit will be a marked decrease OF
air resistance.
{. Condensers in the Akron's
water recovery system provide
enough water ballast from the ex-
hauSt gases to make uu for the
weight of the fuel used in flight.
Thus the ships weight is kept con-
slant.
5. At the end of each propeller
Shaft, propeller with blades
eighteen feet long is placed on a
swivel joint and thus is tilted at
any angle from vertical to hori-
zontal. Thus the Akron will be
able to propel itself up or down,
besides forward and backward.
6. Being a naval aircraft, the
Akron will have a hangar within
one of its compartments, or bays"
for five airplanes. These planes
will hang from a monorail system,
ready to be dropped by means of a
trapeze through a T-shaped hatch
way.
Moreover, it will have a car, sus-
pended from long cable, by which
an observer can be lowered to spy
on the land below while the airship
remains hidden above the clouds,
The observer will be in commune
cation with his ship by phone.
IN addition, there are emplace-
Il mentS for sixteen 50-caliber. high
pressure, rapid fire rifles, each
capable Of firing 500 bullets a.
minute.
The great airship could be struck
by numerous bullets without being
brought down since it has twelve
separate and distinct gas bags of
non-infammable helium, and the
gas leakage from small holes, for
short periods, would be inconse-
quentiaI. ......
The Akron also viii have COM
plete radio and Photographic out
fits, including machines for the
rapid facsimile transmission Of
photographs by which a picture OF
enemy territory can be flashed back
to its base
These are only the major innova-
tons in airship construction that
mark the Akron as unique. Also i'm
portant are such facts as:
l. It's duralumin skeleton is onlv
one-third the weight of soft steal
Of equal strength.
2. 1t has eight engines. totaling
nearly $500 horsepower, three more
than the Los Angeles or Graf Yep
pelin.
3. It's heliun cells are half of a
new rubberized fabric, the other
half of a gelatinous latex, both oF
which types have been thoroughly
tested in the United States Los An
geles.
4. It's radio equipment has ia
cilities for secret transmission and
reception Of messages, by telegraph
and facsimile reproduction, over
distances at least one-third the way
around the earth.
B. 1t has a capacity, if CONNER
cialized, for 100 passengers, and a.
crew Of fifty. Under commercial
conditions, its interior would be as
luxurious as a hotel.
6. Its range, at a cruising speed
Of flfty-seven miles an hour, is H.
600 miles without refueling-nearly
twice that Of the Graf Zeppelin,
nearly three times that of the Los
Angeles, and over twice that of the
British RICO.
7. It's huge size of 6,5O0,000 cubic
feet is nearly three times the ca
pacity OF the Los Angeles, twice
that of the Graf Zeppelin and far
greater in size, power, speed and
range than the British RICO.
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