Evening star., 1935-12-22

joint operations by PanAmerican
Airways and Imperial Airways.
There also is a ell-founded report
current in Washington. as yet lacking
official confirmation. that Lufthansa.
the great German foreign cir trans
port service, has applied for reciprocal
rights in the North Atlantic and that
Air France, the equally powerful
French foreign air transport system,
is planning to send representatives to
Washington next month to negotiate
for French rights to exploit the rich
North Atlantic trade.
In the face of the rapidly develop
ing rivalry it is regarded as likely
that the State Department estimate
that regular transatlantic air trans
port service will not begin before 1887
may be entirely too conservative.
Although present types of ocean
transport flying boats are not ideal
types for the Atlantic service, lacking
size and load capacity for the long
jumps, ships OF types now in service
in the four competitive nations can
be pressed into service at once in an
emergency to establish service, it is
held in aviation circles.
Pan-American Airways now is fly
ing the Pacific with 25-ton Martin
clippers which, in pinch, could be
used across the Atlantic without wait
ing for the even larger Sikorsky and
Martin planes which are in process of
development. Great Britain has big,
four-engined flying boats which prob
ably could negotiate the Atlantic If
it came to a showdown in the race
for first place.
Lufthansa and Air France now are
maintaining fying boat service across
the South Atlantic between Africa
and South America and probably
could get into action in the North
Atlantic on comparatively short no
tire.
The great foreign air transport
lines Vt the United States, Great
Pritain, France and Germany. with
regulations 1or conservative, careful
development behind them, are un-
willing to undertake the North At
lantic passage until they have more
suitable equipment than has so far
been produced.
Should a real race develop, how
ever, there may be some pretty fast
action along what constitutes one OF
the richest potential air trade routes,
between Europe and the United States,
and the development of the next few
months will be well worth watching.
All members of the Anacostia Naval
Air Station crew, which participated
in the recent record-breaking fight
of Navy patrol flying boat from the
Panama Canal Zone to San Fran
cisco, establishing new world records
for airline distance and for broken
line distance, have received individual
Communications from the Secretary Of
the Navy.
The Communications, for their
achievement in the furthering Of
naval aviation" will become a part OF
the permanent Navy record of each
O4ICGA d1lO lAldAAs AAC &c" "o9 NO-A~-
| posed Of Lieut.. Comdr. Knefer Nc
Ginnis, executive officer at the Ana
costa station, commanding; Lieut.
James K. Averill, co-pilot and naviga-
tor; T P. Wilkinson, aviation chief
machinist's mate and naval aviation
pilot, who served as flight co-pilot
and mechanic; Aviation Chief Ma
chinist's Mate C. S. Bolka. mechanic,
and A. E. ]. Dionne and E. V. Sizer,
| radiomen.
Installation Of new robot gear
| shift" constant speed propeller and
! automatic carburetor control has been
completed on the entire feet of so
United Air Lines coast-to-coast trans
port planes. The resulting increase in
| efficiency, according to officials of the
| line, juStifies them in characterizing
| the installation as one of the most
/ important recent airplane inventions.
The mechanism, with a weight of
/ but four pounds, automatically adjusts
the angle of the airplane propeller
blades to the most efficient position
regardless of changes in flying con-
ditions and regulates engine speed to
a predetermined number of revolu-
tions per minute.
With the new installation, it was
explained, the twin -engined trans
ports can climb with full load to a
ceiling of II 300 feet on one engine
Added dependability, speed and econ
omy of operation result from use OF
the new devices, it is said. More eff
cient performance, not only during
take-offs and climbs, but also for
cruising and for landings is claimed
The new carburetors are provided with
automatic regulation of mixture to
suit changes of altitude and propeller
speed.
The fight phase of the largest single
aerial survey yet undertaken, cover
ing 22,000,000 acres in the watershed
of the Rio Grande River. has been
completed by Fairchild Aerial Surveys
on contract for the Soil Conservation
Service Of the Department Of Agricul-
ture.
The survey was made possible in
record time by the giant new l0-lens
camera, largest in the world, which was
especially developed for the Rio
Grande job. The flying was COM
pleted between the middle of July and
December and 9,400 separate photo
graphs were made. One of the COM
posite photographs made with the 10
lens camera covered $50 square miles.
The contract with the Soil Con-
servation Service called for radial
triangulation ground control, the