Evening star., 1934-05-24
5|)D-M|[E PLANE
SPEED IS STUDIED
Great Strides in Aviation
Seen After Langley
Field Conference.
d BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON,
Aviation Editor, The Star.


LANGLEY FIELD, Hampton, Va.
May 24.-ReSultS of the greatest Of
.nine-year series of annual con-
ferences among aeronautical research
experts of the Federal Government
and leading representatives of Amer
lean aviation, held here yesterday at
the Langley Memorial Laboratories
of the National Advisory Committee
for Aeronautics, are under study to-
day as basis for what may prove
progress in the science of flying since
the World War.
The Nations air leaders, encour-
aged by evidences of the united sup
port of those at the head of every
branch of American aeronautical ac-
tivity. are inclined to believe that a
new period of scientific progress in
mans conquest of the air is at hand.
They hope. on the strength of the
gains demonstrated here at yeSter-
days conference to dwarf in coming
months even the notable progress of
the past l8 months, held to be greater
than that of the previous l6 years.
Americans Take Leadership.
During the past year and a half
American transport airplanes have
moved into a position of undisputed
world leadership, as is witnessed by
numerous orders from foreign coun-
tries Which will place American air.
craft in service on many of the i'm
portant sirlmes of Europe and South
America, It was pointed out.
Through improved streamlining. due
in large. measure to the research
work of the past three years by the
National Advisory Committee at its
Langley Field laboratories. American
transport planes today are carrying
identical or greater loads at twice the
speed on less horsepower than two
years ago.
Even greater gains, however. are
expected to result from work now in
progress here and that to be under
taken during the coming year as a
result of Yesterdays conference. To-
days research is directed toward
problems of flight at speeds of up to
500 miles per hour, double that of
speeds now attained by the most SEN
sational of the new transport planes
of the past few months.
I expect that today'S new air.
planes, though they represent greater
gains in less than two years than we
achieved during the whole period
since the close of the war, will be OBJ
solete before the close of four years"
said one of the air transport company
chiefs, present here.
Wind Tunnel Built.
A new vertical high pressure wind
tunnel now nearing completion at
Langley Field soon will permit the
actual testing of wing airfoils at
speeds in excess of 500 miles per
hour. Experiments in three phases
of aviation engine development now
in progress here indicate that power
plants are at hand which will make
possible attainment of vastly in
creased, speeds without increase in
weight Problems of wing -futter due
to the terrific forces encountered in
cleaving the air at speeds of 500
miles per hour or more are being at
cess in another branch of the labora-
tories. Hitherto unknown effects of
high speed air flow about landing
gears, engine nacelles, wing roots and
other portions of airplanes productive
OF turbulence and great air resistance
are being solved by research work
demonstrated here yesterday.
Flying boat hulIs, seaplane floats
and even autogiros are being prepared
for the vastly increased speeds of the
future. Radically different types of
hulls for flying boats and motor boats
were shown here as the products of
long experimental work in the 1000
foot lngh-Speed seaplane channel here.
Barriers in the way of autogiro prog
ress are being cleared and definite as
surance is given that these flying
windnlills'' are capable of speeds up
to 165 miles per hour, with engines
of not more than 300 horsepower and
that speeds of more than 200 miles
per hour are in prospect for craft of
this type
New Devices Shown.
Airplanes equipped with blowers to
suck air out of their wings and break
up troublesome turbulance along the
upper surface of the wing by suction
through slots strategically placed in
the wing surface are foreseen in the
immediate future as a result of an
other series of experiments now reach
ing the f1ight-test stage at Langley
Field. Such devices are needed to i'm
prove the characteristics of wings as
speeds increase. The crying need for
a greater spread in wing efficiency
over increased speed ranges found its
answer here in demonstrations of new
flaps, slots, spoilers" and other de-