Evening star., 1932-05-15

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nditiOn.
achieved by the French government IN
cooperation with private organizations.
Not only is the fire hazard tremendous
ly reduced, but the new fuel also has
the advantage of not leaving residue
Of carbon in the motor. It viii work
either In Diesel motors or ordinary
gasoline engines.
Airplanes manufactured IN the United
States during the first three months Of
the year totaled only 376, Of which 1874
we're built for domestic commercial use,
219 for military deliveries and 20 for
export trade. There we're only three
companies which built more than 10
planes each.
The annual International Gliding
Contest held In Germany Will begin on
July II, continuing until the end Of
the month. Prizes will be offered for
the longest flights, for duration flights
over 10 hours, for the highest altitude
end for distance and special events.
Only 40 gliders viii be permitted to
compete.
The first commercial air pilots GER
tificate Of the Irish Free State has been
issued. Previously all pilots had to
qualify for flying certificates In Great
Britain. The Free state government
now has taken over that function.
The seventh annual Aircraft Engi-
neerfng Research Conference between
executives and engineers Of the aircraft
industry and representatives Of the
Government win be held under the aus
pices Of the National Advisory Com
mittee for Aeronauties at It's research
laboratories, Langley Field, Va, May
IS. The party will make the trip from
Washington aboard the steamer District
Of Columbia. leaving the Seventh street
wharves at $50 pm. May "a.
The fifth anniversary of the take-off
Of Col. Charles A. Lindbergh on hts
Paris flight viii be celebrated May 20
at Roosevelt Field. N. Y. by an early
morning take-off at the exact minute
and from the exact spot recorded for
the beginning Of that spectacular fight.
Miss Beulah Unr1h, senior flying
hostess for Eastern Air Transport, has
flown 174,000 miles in carrying out her
duties Her routine carries her through
the National Capital on fights from
New York to the South. Miss Madeline
R1OOIl ht1Q b1A3o It1al lOli OOVhs d1oO ktOSb~
esses on the line have flown 152 900
miles and 144,000 miles, respectively.
Flaming Coffin" Passes.
The once celebrated de H. the
Flaming Coffin" Of the wartime Army
Air Service, has passed out of existence
In the Army Shortly after the close
Of the war there we're approximately
1000 De Havilands in the service. The
number dwindled until few months
ago IL was discovered that there were
but 4 Of them, all at the Air Corps
Training Center, Randolph Field, Tex.
A few days ago 1t was discovered at the
War Department that the inventory re-
ports no longer listed the faithful old
four. They had gone the way OF the
dodo and the great aux. aa}c~ sT5'f ssf
The DH-4 for a number Of years
was the standby Of the Army Air Corps.
It was a result of this country's frantic
search for an airplane which would
help win the war, The OH was not an
American product. 1t was designed ny
a British designer, now one OF the lead
ers In European air transport plane
design and production. "a"
The Oh, then considered the most
adaptable of all existing designs TO
American military plane requirements,
was selected as the standard for two
seaters for the Army. Basically, the
DH-4 was good airplane, but 1t had
engineering faults which soon earned
for It the grim name Of Flaming Cof-
fin," which chung to 1t through the
closing days of the war.
The main gasoline tank, slung be-
tween the upper longerons In back OF
the pilot, was Of the pressure feed type,
the fuel being forced to the carburetor
by air pressure built up by pumps In the
tank. The result was that If the tank
broke In crash or was ptlnctured by O
bullet or for any other reason sprang
a leak, gasoline and gasoline vapor we're
forced out far and wide by the air pres
sure. The number of OH fires was ap.
palling. It had other weaknesses. When
the Liberty motor was substituted for
the original British power plsnt the
center Of gravity Of the plane was
moved forward, due TO the greater
length Of the Liberty. The landing
gear remained unchanged, however, and
the result was an airplane which was
prone to stand UP on its nose in any
kind of poor landing or landing on
rough ground. Heavy tail fiutter was
another characteristic Of the OH.
Despite these engineering faults,
however, the OH was turned out IN
great numbers and was the American
Army standard. The DH-4 was used
for observation, light bombardment,
training and other purposes.
After the war the OH became an air
mail plane The Post ONCE Department
took over number of them from the
Army and converted them into mail
carriers Some 5s engineering changes
were made in the DH-4 and the result
was the DH-4B, the plane with which
the trAnScoftinental air mail service
came into being. For its purpose, the
DH-4B was very good plane. Il could
land In almost any open place. On
several occasions pilots, forced down by
motor trouble, landed safely in fields so
small they could not fly out again and
the planes had TO be taken down and
cafted away to larger fields