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

- "a WI Mig Will 11O O1d
it'll the governments, under widely
ton with sound-detecting equipment
which, it is said, can locate raiding air
craft within a cone having a spread o.
only Z degrees. The unit is mounted or
a gas-electric truck chassis and the
light may be moved by remote control
The Air Corps notes as startling
departure from ordinary engineering
practice" the delivery to the Navy of g
Berltner-Joyce experimental observation
plane, which Is more than 100 pounds
under contract weight and ii miles pei
hour faster than contract speed
Radio Is Affected.
One Of the peculiarities air transport
pilots must contend with in maintain
ing radio communication with GROUND
stations is the phenomenon known as
skip distance" Very often pilots viii
be unable to establish communication
with the nearest station along the air.
way, but will be able to talk freely with
stations much farther away.
The major transport lines, which now
require their pilots to maintain constant
communication with ground contro
points, are forced to resort to round
about means of overcoming skip dis
lance" The ground stations are To-
Gated at intervals averaging about 25t
miles along the anyways Ordinarily the
pilot VIII maintain communication with
the next station ahead.
Occasionally, however. when that
Grant phenomenon, skip distance
manifests itself, the close-in station,
cannot catch the voice of the pilot
Then other, more distant stations, moi
| similarly affected, are called upon tc
serve as sort of middle man" and tc
relay the pilots messages to his next
station and to send back to him the
latest weather reports, collected fol
him at the station toward which he is
heading, but with which he cannot COM
municate
Two OF the peculiar results of the as
yet little understood phenomenon are
explained in reports received here. The
voice OF a pilot Of a night airmail-
| passenger plane flying between New
York and Chicago was heard clearly
at Fort Worth, Tex, 1000 miles away
when the ground station operator at
Chicago could not hear him. Another
pilot flying over Redding, Calf, was
heard at Des MoineS, Iowa, some 900
miles away, when his voice could not
be heard by the dispatcher at Oakland,
300 miles distant
Skip distance" is but one of the
vagaries the air transport lines are
having to overcome in developing thor
oughly reliable short-wave radio tele-
phonic service between the transport
planes and the ground control points.
Despite the handicaps, however. radio
communication has been developed to
point where the air liners are able
to maintain virtually unbroken contact
with some ground point along their
route and to obtain instantly informa-
ton concerning weather and other con-
ditions necessary to safe operation.
Searching Mules.
Crissy Field, Air Corps flying post on
| the Pacific Coast, has been taking to
sea in the recent heavy California
rains, according to reports to the War
Department The result has been some
of the fanciest mule wrangling, with
an aeronautical flavor, in all the his
tory of Army aviation.
| Crissy Field began washing away in
the rains after the field drainage pipes
collapsed. Mules and mule-wrangling
doughboys from nearby post were
called in to help the Air Corps hold
its field together. The mules duties
however, were not confined to hauling
scrapers and earth. They have been
somewhat deplorable scale.
Curious as to whether mule would
sink or swim, if participating in land
ing party, the soldiers have been trying
them out by boosting said mules off the
dock" 1t is reported in the communica-
lions received at Air Corps headquarters
here.
THE foot soldiers from up on the hill
have evidently been watching the All
Corps mechanics swinging props"
Airplane engines are primed and,
in the absence of mechanical starters
started by swinging the propeller BY
hand.
In every instance" the report con-
tinued, "the mule was reluctant to take
part in the experiment, SO one OF the
attending chaperons would grasp the
old iug-heads tail firmly and swing II
clockwise. If there was no evidence o.
starting, the said manipulation woulc
then swing the tail vigorously counter.
clockwise. BY this time the vactim was
fed up with the whole performance anc
took the path of least resistance-a NOSE
dive There were instances where q
little printing would doubtless have beer
extremely useful but apparently ne
printing equipment had been developed
The mules apparently lived up tt
VIZ AOliOCSb NAPCILdlIDllo VI lIlC 0OUSll-
boys in demonstrating their sea-goine
qualities. Hurled off the dock, the
mules would swim nonchalantly ashore
and explore Crissy Field for grass, tax.
ing advantage of the wide reaches Of
the landing field to make themselves
very hard to catch
Mules" observed the compiler of the
report. are like lot of people-they
are always wanting to be where they
amt. After lingering longingly in the
vain home that couple of mules would
start an interesting diversion by goins
to sea. this amanuensis returned to the
inner sanctum to Illuminate on why is E
mule anyway
Air Corps Officers Shifted.
number Of changes of station af.
fecting Army Air Corps officers on duty
in the National Capital are provided II
orders just announced.
Among the officers ordered to thu
Army Industrial College here for thu
1928 course are Maj. w. r. Weaver
and Lieut.. Julian B. Haddon of the of.
fee OF the chief of the Army Air Corps
Maj. Lawrence S. Churchill, Langley
Field, Va; Maj. r. M. Jones and Lieut.
A. w. Martenstein, Wright Field, Day
ton, Ohio and Maj. S. w. FITZGERALD
Army War College
Maj G. E. Brewer, commanding of.
flcer at Selfridge Field, Mich, home o.
the famous lst Pursuit Group, ha.
been ordered to the Philippines, as ha.
Maj. Douglas B. Motherhood, former
Air Corps finance officer, on duty here
who has just completed course at thu
Air Corps Tactical School, Montgomery
Ala.
Lieut.. Cecil E. Archer, Office of thu
chief Of the Air Corps, is ordered Il
Rockwell Field, Calf for duty.
Among the officers ordered to the
Command and General staff School
Fort Leavenworth, Kans., for the 1882.
"a course are Majs. Harvey s. Burwell
Oliver P. Echols and DeloS C. Emmons
all of whom have served in the Capita
during the past few years. Capt Elmel
z. Adler, until recently on duty in tbs
Office of the chief of the Air Corps