Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-03-20

connecting most of the countries of tn
American continent has required tn
most delicate international negotiation
Some of the individual problems havt
required months of negotiation between
the officials of the American enterprise
and the governments in question. Daily
operation results in constant friction
due to local restrictions and inconsist'
ent enforcement of regulations.
The Havana convention provides fol
regulation of all phases of air tranSpor.
tation on a uniform basis Throughout
the Americas. Aviation authorities il
the Capital are urging ratification Of
the convention by all the government!
of the New World as a means of set.
Ting the differences which are hinder.
ing speedier development of air traffic
among the Pan-American nations.
Altitude Flight Described.
Details of long struggle against bit.
Ter colo, falling oxygen supply and othel
hardships in connection with what i.
believed to be the highest altitude pho.
tographic flight yet made over the Ma.
tional Capital are described by the aerial
photographer, Sergt. Andrew E. Matos
Boiling Field, in a report just submitted
to the War Department.
Sergt. MatOS accompanied Lieut. Da-
vid w. Goodrich, chief of the Bollinc
Field Photographic section, who flew
the plane. The mission was flown tc
determine the maximum altitude which
could be attained by the plane, an Army
Farchild Photographic ship, and to OBJ
tam photographs showing the Capital
the Mount Vernon Boulevard ano
Mount Vernon on a single film.
The plane carried "a gallons of fueI
and tanks of oxygen, with a pressure
OF l.75O pounds In each. The ground
temperature of 38 degrees fell to about
10 degrees below zero as the plane
reached its maximum altitude of 23. zoe
feet three hours after taking off.
THE first 10000 feet was made in
is minutes" Sergt Matos reported
but it took As minutes of hard strug-
Cling to make the last 500 feet. Breath
ing oxygen from an ice-cold tank was
like eating ice. The camera was frozen
and very hard to operate
Fight S0-MiIe Wind.
1.-THE exposures we're made about
2:30 pm. AS this was late for the
time of year and there was considera-
bic haze, the negatives were rather fiat,
somewhat under contrast. The results
obtained, however, were very satisfac-
tory. Six vertical photographs were
made at three-minute intervals and,
according to the overlap on the photo
graphs, the ship was making very little
Roadway. There was 80 per cent
overlap. We estimated that 10 to 80
mile wind was blowing.
Although there were solid blankets
of haze restricted to certain areas, we
the city, look beyond Baltimore and as
far as Leesburg in the mountains to
the northwest, and down the Potomac
about go miles away to Chesapeake
Bay
"One of the greatest difficulties en-
countered in taking the photographs
was the handicap imposed by the short
length of tubing connected to my oXy-
gen tank. 1t was less than yard long,
and it was almost impossible to move
from the back of the plane to the front
in taking obliques and verticals. 1t was
also difficult to keep the mouthpiece
from slipping out, due to the excessive
chattering of my teeth from the intense
cold.
Pilots Vitality Lowered.
when making the last strip of photo.
graphs over the main part of the city
the left gasoline tank went dry and the
motor stopped roaring, idling very slow
ly. For the moment forgot my camera
and turned my eyes toward the front o.
the plane. Usually in such cases Lieut.
Goodrich's movements are very quick
but to my surprise he seemed to b.
moving very slowly, much the same a
an actor on a screen in slow motion
picture Apparently his vitality wa
lowered by the rarefied atmosphere
Finally he succeeded in pulling thu
throttle back, but it took both of hi
hands to turn the switch to the cente
tank Immediately the motor started
roaring again, and another photograph
was made which, when compared Will
the others in scale, showed we had los
1000 feet altitude in these few second
quite a contrast to the hard struggl
we had undergone to gain the last 5O'
feet.
After being in the air three hours m.
supply of oxygen was nearly exhausted
so when Lieut.. Goodrich motloned Il
me TO take more photographs 1 had T.
point to the dial which registered onl'
about 300 pounds left in the oxygel
tank. About 20 minutes later, when w
reached the ground, we found to ou
surprise that, on comparing the oxygel
tanks. Lieut.. Goodrich had used abou
a third of his supply of oxygen, Will
mine was nearly gone. This was N
doubt due to the fact that / consumed
mine at a faster rate because OF m
moving about, lifting the heavy camera
opening windows, etc.
while in the air I felt a burnin
sensation in my stomach, due probabl
to a very light breakfast and no lunch
and l had a severe headache for som
hours after landing. But we suffere
no serious i'll effects from the expert
ence. cold as it was, and are well please'
with the results Of our first eXperlmen
In high altitude photography.
Fast Jap Plane RumOred.
Reports Of the development by japan
of pursuit plane capable OF maxi
mum speed of $50 miles per hour, which
would make it the fastest military plan'
in the world, have been received
through unofficial channels at Arm.
Air Corps headquarters here. ARM
officers here, however. are frank.
skeptical of the truth Of the reports.
Tt is reported" the Air Corps an
nounced in its engineering notes, tina
the Japanese have an all-metal mono
plane fighter capable or $50 Eailes pc
hour 1t is said to be powered with 6
600-hOrSepoWer Water-Cooled engine
The consensus of opinion is that thu
performance estimate is optimistic"
American pursuit planes To-Day ar
attaining maximum specs OF approx
mately 200 miles per hour, while Grea
Britain has developed interceptol
fighters which are said to be capable o
speeds Of 235 miles per hour.
More credence is given by the All
Corps to reports Of a new high-powe
anti-aircraft searchlight in Grea
Britain. The light is unique both il
power and arrangement. 1t is rateC
at 5000 100000 candlepower and, il
addition, Is capable or throwing |
"gridded," or croSs-sectioned, beam
Speed. altitude and direction of fligh
OF an airplane may be accuratel
determined as it flies through the grid
ded beam.
The beam can be changed instantl
into a concentrated shaft of light ant
used in the ordinary manner 70
gunnery purposes If the aircraft spin
~ dives oiit nf the concentrated hear