Evening star., 1933-07-19
BRITISH AVIATOR
PLANS ]. S..F[|GHT
Plane Fitted With Device
Making Its Behavior Like
Homing Pigeon.
Ey Radio to The Star.

BY Radio to The Star.
LONDON. July 19-John Grierson,
British aviator. is shortly leaving Eng
land in an attempt to fly by the Green
land route to New York in an airplane
fitted with a device which allows it to
behave very much like homing pigeon.
The significance of the Arctic air
route to America in relation to plans
for r.gular Atlantic air services is
shown by the attention paid it by
British. American. Italian and German
expeditions in turn. GrierSon's plan is
intended TO prove the possibility of
flight over the Arctic course with the
AID of directional wireless even if there
is bad visibility or if erratic compasses
threaten to make navigation difficult.
Makes Test Flight.
In order to test the cooperation Of
brOadcaSting stations as wireless aiming
points GrierSon left near Hull today on
a flight of 600 miles to Bremerhaven
without the aid of compass. His
mOtorplane. with a float undercarriage,
is equipped with wireless "homing"
device which indicates any deviation
from the line between the starting
point and the wireless station which
is being received fer directional pur-
poses. In this case. Grierson was 'hCm-
ing on the Warsaw station.
Having tried this method in an area
of comparatively small magnetic inter
ference, GrierSon hopes to use it on
every stage of his trans Atlantic jour-
ney to Resolution. Landon Strait. On
the main journey from Scapa Flow he
will, if necessary. fly on to the Thor
shawn Wireless Station in order to cross
the Faro Islands, and will then use the
Reyk iavik Station in order to make
for Iceland
The stations at AngmakSalik. Godt-
haab and Resolution Island are in
tended to serve him for subsequent
stations. though this cannot be guar
anteed with certainty. When Comdr.
Won Gronau made similar flight he
found the range of his wireless set at
height of 10000 feet over Greenland
was only so miles.
In Magnetic Area.
For the success of his experiment
Grierson will need a range of at least
$50 miles on that stage and more than
300 miles on his longest stage. On
this part of the flight the directional
wireless should prove of the greatest
value, since 1t is in an area wherein the
magnetic pole may exert the greatest
and least predictable Influence on the
compass needle. 1t is also a section
of the flight most liable to fogS and
other forms of bad visibility. If it
should prove possible to check the
direction on these sections by wireless
then a skilled pilot could contemplate
operation along this route in weather
which at present would make it
hazardous
The length of this route from Eng
land to New York is 4500 miles and
it is therefore longer than the most
direct route. Its advantage lies in the
fact that it can be divided into 600
mile stages for commercial purposes.
and this would allow an airplane to
carry much more freight than could
be taken with the arges had of gaSo-
line needed for the longer sea crossing
The "homing" device which Grierson
uses is marconi direction finder. It
consists of loop aerial fitted within
the wings in addition to a trailing aerial
ordinarily used for aircraft wireless
The instrument has three-way switch
which is normally kept in the central
position. So long as the airplane is
headed toward a transmitting station
no signals are heard in the head re-
ceivers. Any deviation from the set
course will produce sounds in the re-
ceivers whereupon the pilot by turning
IiiC S"itSii W VI AciG Vail NC
termine his position relative to the
course.
May Check Rectitude.
Having steered back to his course, the
pilot may check its rectitude by test
ing signals with the switch in the right
and left positions until either position
gives him signals equal in strength.
Before todav'S fight, GrierSon had
made journey in his airplane from
London to Teignmouth. "homing" in
that case on the coastal beacon at Start
Point. The nominal range of that
transmitter is hundred miles, but the
signals were clearly heard in the air
plane at the city Of Reading. $50 miles
away
The projected fight TO New York will
be the first of its kind to use the wire
less direction throughout the whole
course Grierson hopes to be able to
start from Scapa Flow at the end Of
this month or early in August. His
Moth airplane "Rouge-et-Noir.' newly
fitted with floats, has been flown By
him for 800 hours and visited 26 coun-
tries He used it to make his record
light airplane fight from India to Eng
lanG.
Copyright. 1898. by North American News
paper Alliance, 1nc.D
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