Evening star., 1933-05-14
AIDS
AVIATION ADVANCE
Progress Marked Since COL
.oneI Made Noted Trip Six
Years Ago.
BY TERRELL DE LAPP.

Six years ago lanky fair-haired
pilot cooked a weather eye at the North
Atlantic He had in mind plan which
the public then regarded as valiant
form of suicide-a nonstop fight from
New York to Paris. But he made it.
Col. Charles A. Lindbergh Skyrocketed
into world fame on that hop, completed
May 81, 1927. Since then most OF his
career has blaZed in public print.
His name has been; used to advan-
tage in connection with all aviation.
He gets $4,000 year as technical ad-
wiser for an airline.
But there Is an important phase OF
his many activities which has been
overlooked - his contributions to
the advancement of the present Ameri-
can system of commercial air trans
portation, one that leads the world.
Landing Gear Changed.
When he ordered a plane for his
personal use, following his marriage,
Col Lindbergh wanted the craft to be
the last word in speed and safety.
While at the Lockheed aircraft fac
tory he suggested to eng g4neers that the
big ships speed could be increased by
signing landing gear-wheelS and
braces-that could be folded up during
flight
The only plane in the Nation at thai
time having such dev-ce was the
little Eagle Rock bullet monoplane.
Aircraft manufacturers had not
realized that retractable landing gear
could be successfully installed on
large commercial plane.
But the colonel's suggestion went
into the blueprint stage. and was DEM
onstrated later in the first retractable
unit devised for heavy-plane use.
In the last two years the Llndbergh
idea has spread throughout the air
plane world
This years modern passenger trans
ports are coming out Of factories with
landing wheels that fold into their
wings like a ducks feet.
Wind resistance is cut down, the
planes are faster and resultantly
cheaper to operate. Travel times are
being slashed, bills are lower.
And Col Lindbergh. among flying
men and engineers, receives much CT
the credit.
His idea of installing a sliding hatch
on his open cockpit ship, turning an
airplane into veritable convertible
coupe, also is being expressed in new
1ight-plane designs.
former President, the colonel also takes
a keen interest in radio for aircraft.
Radio communication means added
safety to the airman and his pas
sengers.
Col Lindbergh is quietly at work
tackling problems for safety and speed
increases. He asks no credit for these
endeavors. but he gets it from those
who know him best-the airmen.
Spinning Included in Stunts.
Spinning an airplane may be fun for
a few pilots. but it evidently has no at
traction for the flyers who have been
attempting to comply with new private
license requirements announced by the
Department of Commerce, Aeronautlcs
branch.
The department ordered that right
and left precision spins-intentionally
stalling plane into spin and making
it recover at the same compass point
from which it started twisting-were to
be included in the sportsman pilots bag
of maneuvers.
The result was a flood of protests
from flyers and instructors that
the primary object of a flyer is to know
how to prevent spin rather than get
into one.
So a modification of the new rules
now is announced by Col. Clarence M.
Young, Assistant Secretary OF Com
merce for Aeronautics.
The 10000 private pilots in the Ma
ton will show inspectors that they can