Evening star., 1933-07-02

tors. current being furnished by a
gasoline driven generator mounted in
the mast. Enough power is provided
to exert a maximum pull of $4,000
pounds on the mooring line at a speed
Of 400 feet per minute.
In addition to aiding the airship to
take of under adverse conditions, the
mast also enables mooring of the ship
under the best conditions when gusty
winds are encountered and gives more
safety in the takeSoff under gusty con-
ditions. It also permits the accommo-
dation of airships of various sizes.
The Macon. flown to Lakehurst q
week ago following its acceptance by
the Navy, probably will be taken to
Sunnyvale early in the Fall.
Radio Precision Obtained.
Such precision has been obtained in
the radio system developed by the De-
partment of Commerce AeronauticS
Branch for blind landings that an air.
plane pilot a mile from the source of
the runway-localizing beam can detect
an error of as little as 80 feet in his
position.
This means that on the great New
ark Airport, where the system has been
installed for practical test purposes. q
pilot approaching the end of the 1000
foot runway, which Is 500 feet wide,
can put his wheels down with mechan-
ical perfection, time after time, within
band only 80 feet wide at the center
OF 500 feet Of runway, with 235 feet
| OF safe runway space to either side.
The blind landing system. in other
| words, has been developed to a point
Of refinement far in excess of that re-
quired for actual safe operation. Hun
dreds Of landings have been made by
pilots flying in a hooded cockpit at
Newark and at College Park Airport,
Md, where the development work on
the system was carried on.
Because of obstruction in the ap-
planned bv the Bureau of Standards,
which collaborated with the aeronau-
tics branch in conducting the devel-
opment work, ''it was found necessary
to provide a very precise and sharp
runway-localiZing course. The trans
mitting and receiving equipments were
so adjusted that, at S miles from
the beacon, q deviation from the course
Of approximately 200 feet could readily
be detected, while at a distance of /
mile deviation Of 20 feet was easily
discernible'
Landing Path Fixed.
The actual path Of the beacon course
cally over long interval, it was ex-
planned. and was found to be fixed, re-
gardless of weather conditions and
ground conductivity.
Obstruction in the approach at Col
lege Park also necessitated close con-
,, troll Of the landing path to keep the
a1rplane out OF danger. It was neces-
sary to clear house chimney, approx
mately 1,500 feet from the edge of the
field, by about 8 feet. The neces-
sary fixed landing path necessary to
clear the chimney within this narrow
margin was obtained before the device
was approved for its service trials at
Newark, though nothing like this de-
gree of accuracy is required there or
would be required at any of the first
rate airports.
Not only has far greater accuracy
been obtained than is required for alb
solute safety, but the possibility of
variations due to interference or to
changes in broadcast amplification due
to deterioration of tubes and other Dor
tions of the equipment has been re-
duced to a point where it Is negligible
for practical purposes, according to the
Government experts in charge of the
work.
The results at Newark, where the
landing path remained entirely con-
slant for the past two months under
wide variety of weather conditions,
confirms the foregoing data particu-
larly since not even minor adjust
ment Of the landing beam transmitter
or of the landing beam receiving sets
on the two test airplanes was re-
quired," the Bureau of Standards an
nounced.