Evening star., 1932-01-24

even 40 LQdL. he HAS bllt ldN4O bCoSOA
beams so well lined up there that III
virtually lands by them. One of the
beams is centered out over the clearest
approach area to the field. He flies in on
the northern beam, which is broadcast
I'D the center of the airway north ol
Atlanta until the radio marker beacon
tells him that he is over the field. Then
he flies on for a certain length OF time
determined by experience, turns into the
zone of the beam over the favorable ap-
proach area, cuts his motor when the
signals tell him he is on the center ol
the beam, and glides in for his landing
So effective is the system he has de-
vised with the aid of the beacons that
he goes into Atlanta without hesitation
even if the cloud ceiling" is down to
only a hundred feet. That is coming
pretty close to a true blind" landing.
Merrill has come to place such ren-
snce on the radio beacons that he Will
not fly through bad weather If his radio
outfit is not in working condition. With
the beacon, Merrill will fly through any
kind of weather, so long as the field at
his destination is not completely logged
in. If the ceiling is low along his route
he doesn't try to stay below the clouds,
hedge hopping" his way along. He
Just climbs up into the. thick OF 1t to
Whatever lCNCl pIONldCo IAlC lllOoO 4ofO4
able winds and flies, just as he would
in any other kind of weather, sitting
on the BEAM" comfortably relaxed In
the cockpit, keeping his ship in level
easy flight by the instruments with
which it is equipped.
All Alike to Him
The result, according to word brought
here by those who know and have talked
with Merrill lately, is that he hasn't
got any more nerves" when bad
weather comes on; that fog and clouds
don't worry him in the least, and that
he comes out of long spells Of bad
weather fresh and fit, while pilots who
stick to the old habits are nervous and
worn from the strain.
Merrill has been on the run out OF
Atlanta since the present coastal mall
service was organized in the Spring OF
1928. He is regarded as one of the
country's finest pilots. He also is known
among his fellow pilots as the keeper
of informal zoos" For some time
Merrill had a pet flying squirrel, which
accompanied him on all his trips. The
squirrel decamped one day. but admir-
ers more than made up for the def
cheney. Merrill received beasts of all
kinds from all along the line, including
a lion cub, which lived in the Eastern
Air Transport hangar at Richmond un-
til it became too large to be safe.
Among the other Eastern Transport
pilots who are taking full advantage OF
the Department of Commerce radio bea-
cons are Gene Brown, Larry Jameson
and Howard Stark, the latter regarded
as one of the country's leading authori-
ties on blind flying. Stark has been
putting all the pilots of the line through
blind flying courses and has been forced
to branch out and take in outsiders as
well.
They are agreed that the radio bea-
cons are Just about the greatest con-
tribution the Federal Government has
made TO aeronautical progress.
New Fighters Appear.
The Army and the Navy during the
past week showed the National Capital
their latest development in high-speed
combat planes of the fighter or pursuit
type. The planes were developed as a
part Of this country's reply to the Brit
ish claim Of superiority in combat plane
speed.
The Nays contribution to military
air progress is the Grumman two
scatter fighter, plan credited with a
top speed Of just under 200 miles per
hour with full military load, including
pilot and gunner, 120 gallons of fuel,
ammunition and complete equipment.
The Army introduced to the Capital
its new P-6D Curtiss pursuit plane at
the close of a record speed flight from
Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio: The
P-6D, flown at an altitude of $4,000
feet by Capt. Reuben c. Moffat, Army
Air Corps, made the run from Dayton
in Sc minutes at an average speed OF
266 miles per hour. Its normal top
speed is rated at Just in excess Of 200
miles per hour.
OF the two, the Grumman is the more
radical plane. It has retractable land
ing gear, the wheels drawing into re-
cesseS in the sides Of an unusually deep
fuselage. The cockpits are completely
ipclosed in sliding covers for normal
operation. The rear cover telescopes tc
free the flexible rear gun, the mounting
OF which is unique. The gunner re-
mains seated at all times in a highly
movable chair. The gun is mounted on
a horn fixed to the front edge of the
seat between the gunner's legs. Gun
and man are kept down out Of the ter
rife sLp-stream, which otherwise would
prohibit accurate shooting. The pilot
fires two fixed guns, synchronized tc
fire through the propeller blades anc
mounted in the fuselage. Those who
have flown it think it a pretty good
airplane.
Built for Altitude.
The P-6D is equipped for sustained
high-altitude flying, as Capt. Moffat
emphatically demonstrated in clipping
"a minutes from all previous speed rec
ords over the heavily Travelled Army
airway between Wright and Boiling
Fields. While the Grumman sticks tC
the air-cooled engine, a normal Wright
Cyclone, developing a maximum Of
about 575 horsepower, the new Curtis:
has a geared Conqueror, prestone cooled
and heavily supercharged, producing ar
output of neary TOO horsepower.
Capt. Moffat established the new
Dayton Washington speed record while
putting the P-6D through an engine
performance test. Moffat recently re.
ceived his promotion and returned x
Wright Field from tour of duty II
Hawaii.
Sticking the nose up the instant th'
wheels left the ground, Capt. Motfa
climbed until he had left the eartl
some rs 900 feet below. Up there h
saught 60 to 70 mile tail wind ant
came 10 washington III great HdSIe
putting his wheels down on Boiling
Field 86 minutes after they had spurnet
the landing area of Wright Field, 38'
miles away.
Though his flying time from take-of
to landing averaged 266 miles per hour
Capt. Moffat actually was making bet
ter time than that when he leveled OF
miles up, for he spent 20 minutes IL
climbing and lost at least full min
ute spiraling down to his landing owe
Boiling, though he dropped the nos
Just after crossing the Blue Ridge
when Washington began to come int
sight.
Capt. Moffat's plane, the latest o
the Hawks" is powered with a 700
horsepower preStcne cooled engin
driving geared three-bladed propeller
An exhaust-driven turbo gas super
charger is used to feed air at sea-leve