Evening star., 1932-02-07

been established by Aeronautical Radio.
These are the Northern transcontin-
entail, Middle transcontinental, South
ern transcontinental, Eastern, all with
feeders, and the Southern interna-
t1onal, extending through Latin Am
erica and into South America, with
link to Mexico City.
In addition to service supplied the
established transports, itinerant or taxi
planes flying the airWays also are
privileged to use the facilities. Twenty
four hour service is available and con-
slant watches are maintained On the
calling and distress frequencies."
Under the ALLEGATION shift ordered
by the Federal Radio Commission, the
band ranging from 1900 to l,700 kllo-
cycles heretofore assigned for aviation
use, but which were not suited to long
range communication Of the type often
found necessary, have been exchanged
for the band from 1850 to 1850 kilo-
cycles, heretofore assigned to expert
mental television stations. In addi-
ton, certain wave lengths previously
used for police work are reserved for
aviation. With these frequencies 1t has
been made possible to push the full
aeronautical radio plan to completion
Private Planes Increase.
The number Of privately owned air
planes in the United States has In
creased much more rapidly during the
past six months than the total of planes
engaged in air transport operations,
according to the semi-annual figures of
the Department Of Commerce Aero
nautics Branch. The report also
shows continued gains In the number
of licensed pilots and a loss, for the
first time, in the number Of licensed
mechanics.
Private ownership Is held responsible
for the great increase in the number
OF unlicensed American airplanes. While
the number Of licensed planes, which
includes all those engaged in air trans
port and commercial activity, increased
only from 1853 on July to 1858 on
January /, the number of unlicensed
aircraft increase from 2,777 to 1927.
The relatively large increase in the
number Of unlicensed planes is held to
be due TO two primary facts: First,
that there are number Of private
owners In the Northern States who
have stored their planes for the Win
ter and allowed the licenses to expire,
and second, that some aircraft have
not been maintained in proper condt-
tion to meet the departments license
requirements.
The report shows that on January
there were in the United States 1879
licensed aircraft pilots as compared
with 1928 on July /. The number of
licensed mechanics decreased from
9,238 TO 9016 during the six months;
evidence Of hard times in the aviation
industry.
Of the Nations 1873 licensed pilots
-
mechanics five are women.
Old Pilot-New Sensation.
Dropping through a cloud 44O0 feet
thick in a French autogiro provided
new sort of aeronautical sensation for
Lucien Bourdin, noted French test
pilot, who had thought aviation he'd
nothing new for him In the way of
sensations. The trip is described in a
letter from Bourdin TO Juan de Ia
Cierve, autogiro inventor. who recently
paid his first visit to the National Capt.
tai.
Il was at about 1000 feet altitude"
Bourdn related land waS amusing
myself by coming down vertically,
facing wind, lust above the aerOdrome,
when I noticed directly under myself an
enormous cloud. which I would have
| Immediately avoided had I been flying
an airplane.
Il asked myself. What happens If
one enters a cloud with the autogiro IN
vertical descent?' I kept nv machine
gliding always dead slow, the engine
absolutely throttled back. the air speed
indicator showing less than 30 miles
per hour. and when the altimeter
showed 5000 feet I entered the cloud,
felt one or two slight bumps, and then
that awful pea soup surrounded me.
MY air speed indicator still showed less
than 80 miles per hour; my altimeter
dropped with splendid regularity.
did not move the controls in the least
and felt absolutely perfectly happy.
After five or six minutes I still saw
no sign of the earth; my altimeter
showed about 500 feet. and I asked
myself, Where am going to find my
self and in what pOsition?'
The pea soup eYaporated and thor
oughly disappeared end the ground be-
came visible again; the machine was
on a perfectly even keel; my air speed
indicator still showed less than 30 miles
per hour. I had made absolutely no
movement at all Where was I? Still
facing the same direction but about
half a mile to the back Of the point
over which I had started my descent
had in all probability descended
| backward in relation to the ground,
since l was facing the wind"