Evening star., 1934-11-25
FLYING BY RADIO
COMES TO FRONT
Transcontinental Route to
Be Equipped for Blind
Landings.
FTER years of laboratory ant

FTER years of laboratory and
" flight experiments, blind fly
~ ing by means of radio navi-
4 \ gational aids has advanced to
the point where a tranSconti-
mental air route is to be equipped for
blind landings at airports.
Hardly realized by the non-techni-
cal observer is the remarkable con-
tribution that radio is making to avi-
alton. with its weather service, COM
munications facilities between pilot
and ground, network of wireless
pathways to guide flyers, and now the
blind-landing system by which a
pilot can make a gentle landing
without benefit of sight except for
the instrument board in the cockpit.
Recently adopted by the Bureau of
Air Commerce as the standard Sys-
TEN of blind landing, is the method
worked out by the Army Air Corps at
Langley Field, Va. Not only is the
use of a uniform system by both
military and commercial aviation an
advantage, but there is also the fact
that it can be learned easily in a
couple Of hours, even by pilot not
expert in instrument flying.
Kreusi Loop Compass.
To the Kreusi radio loop compass
goes much credit for the development
of blind landings. The way this re-
markable device works really Is sim
Pile, and a novel feature is that the
closer the pilot gets to the actual
blind landing, the easier is his task of
bringing the plane to soft" contact
with the ground.
Under the Air Corps system, two
small auto trucks are used on the
ground, each carrying a tiny broad
casting outfit. When the pilot, ap-
preaching an airport for blind land
ing reaches a predetermined point
where the first radio truck is located
a light flashes on the planes instru-
ment board. At this point the pilot
tunes on the frequency of the other
trucks transmitter and flies to it.
After several trips between these sta
tions he can establish the desired
into-the-wind course. Preparing for
the final approach, he drops to an
altitude of about 800 feet, as shown
on an altimeter, and passes over the
first station. When the light shows
he is over it, the pilot throttles the
engines and. holds the plane in a
power glide, passing over the second
station, closer to the field, at $50 feet.
Rate Of Descent.
Following directional gyro, he
watches flight instruments. descend
ing at rate justified by local condi-
tionS. At contact, throttles are closed,
brakes applied. and blind landing
has been made.
A few weeks ago air commerce off,
cials participated in demonstration
of blind landing on a flight from
Washington Airport to Langley Field.
Both the fixed radio beam, with which
many airways are equipped. and the
radio compass were used. The beam
is a radio path which the pilot fol-
lows between airports while the radio
loop compass indicates heading rather
than position; that is, it tells the
pilot not where he is but where he
wants to go.
Much of the outstanding work in
development of blindlanding proce-
dure has been accomplished by Capt
Albert Hegenberger, famous Army Air
Corps pilot, who devised the system
about two years ago at Wright Field.
Dayton, Ohio He acted as test pilot
during the early experiments, climax
ing his work with short solo flight
4to1,, l., -, -
"a spur-of-themoment flight with
out any special preparation. For his
scientific achievement he recently was
awarded a gold oak leaf for the Dis
tinguished Flying Cross which he had
received for his part in the first San
Francisco Hawaii flight.