Evening star., 1934-05-06

SCIlCS Va AlOA1tAAAy NOAAAPSSA0A'S A~J
during all but three Winter m
day meet is intended to bring te
whole Atlantic seaboard.
Many Entries Expected.
Entries which had been received
for today's meet up to the time this
was written indicate that the affair
not only will bring together flyers
from most of the original 13 colonies,
but that it will be the largest air
meet ever held here and one Of the
largest meets for sportsmen flyers in
American aviation history.
The flying events on today's pro-
gram are not those which make for
! the great hazards and keen thrills
Of the great national meets Of pro-
fessional caliber but they are intended
to provide real sport for the contest
ants and most satisfactory enter
tainment for the spectators.
The airplanes entered today are
not high-powered special racers but
the elements of skill and judgment
will enter into their flying in today 8
events Just as it does into the greaest
Of the high-speed races of the ma
tional meets. The program will call
for the highest type Of amateur
flying.
Field Is Ready.
Historic College Park Airport has
been transformed for today's meet.
This airport, the first regular flying
| field in the world, the first home of
the Nations military flying service,
, and the scene of many of the most
important experiments of the Bureau
/ OF Standards and Department of
Commerce Aeronautics Branch re-
lating to air navigation aids, has
been in preparation for the past
,, month for Langley day.
Grandstands have been constructed
facing the field for about a third OF
! its length along the western boun-
| dairy. The stands extend from in
| front Of the center of number two
hangar southwark past the entrance
to the field. Free automobile parking
, spaces. from which all Of the flying
may be seen, have been set aside
north and south Of the stands. Loud
speakers will carry announcements
to all parts Of the areas set aside
for spectators. An extra parking
! area has been established at the
southeast corner of the field A great
deal of clearing and leveling work
has been accomplished. under the
management Of George Brinckerhoff
and j. Earl Steinhauer. Drift fences
have been obtained from the state of
Maryland to inclose the landing area
and keep of spectators, as is re-
quired by rigid Department of Com
merce regulations.
Established in 1909
Established as flying field In
1909. College Park Airport has been
IN use for flying purposes almost con-
tinuously since that time In 1912
! the air strength of the Army, con-
sisting of IL officers. 80 enlisted men
| and IL airplanes. was concentrated at
College Park. During that Summer
the Army established the rating OF
military aviator and the fedgling all
service was just beginning to try ou,
its wings. Only a year earlier Con-
gress had made its first appropriation
| OF $125 900. for the establishment OF
| military aviation. With q part OF
this fund the first aviation school was
established, In July, 1911, at COLLEGE
Park
The first Mckay Trophy competi-
ton was flown from College Park on
October 9, 1912, and was won by Lieut.
Henry H. Arnold. now a lieutenant
colonel in command of the Army Air
Corps. Western airmail zone. Although
the Army moved away from College
Park soon afterward, establishing
larger fields in Texas and at Other
points College Park has been in use
by the Government and commercial
aviation for 20 years. The first regu.
lar airway In the world, from College
Park to the grounds of the Army Wal
College, a distance of about 8 miles
was established by the Army about
1911 and was the scene of many early
"cross-country" flights.
Experimental Ground.
The Bureau of Standards and Com.
merce Department Aeronautics Branch
carried on virtually all Of their early
| experimental work on aviation radio
aids at College Park, especially on ra.
dio range beacons and radio aids Il
blind landing Of aircraft. Develop.
ment work on airport lighting anc
fog piercing lights also has been car.
ried on there.
Since College Park Airport's whole
history has been tied up with avia.
ton pioneering. 1t IL fitting that II
should be the scene of a meet which
in sense is a pioneer effort in the
increasing of activity in the field ol
private flying.
Vibration Gauge Developed.
Although very few of the thousand.
OF aircraft propellers In service fail ir
flight, accidents resulting from fail
ures of this character usually are Sc.
rious and science long has been seek
ing means of eliminating entirely thi.
type of trouble.
An airplane propeller, its tips travel
ing in some cases at the velocity Of 9
rifle bullet, is subject to terrific centri-
fugal forces and to vibrations which
weaken the metal Of which 1t is COM
posed.
The Bureau of Standards has just de.
signeo and constructed an indicator tc
| show the pilot Of an airplane when
large vibrations have been set up ir
the propeller and has submitted 1t sue.
cessfully to tests on propeller vibrat.
ing apparatus which Stimulates service
| conditions. The device now is beint
tested on an airplane. in cooperation
with the National Advisory Commit
tee for Aeronautics, at Langley Field
Va
The appearance Of the fractured
surface of propellers which have failed
in service indicates that the failures
are the result of stresses set up by
vibration, it was announced. This type
of failure is described as fatigue
failure.
1.-THE bureau has studied this mat.
ter" it was announced. "and, although
not definitely proved, its experts art
of the opinion that the failures are ir
most cases to be ascribed to the oc.
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