Evening star., 1935-03-31

notifications at the Glenn L. N
One of the last great barriers in
the way Of regular ocean operations
between California and the Orient was
attacked in the Senate, when, during
the past week, Senator McAdoo Of
fered an amendment to the Treasury
Post Once appropriation bill. which
was adopted, providing $2,000,00O with
which to finance the carrying OF mail
across the Pacific by air. The amend
ment must be approved by the House
in conferences which will be in prog
reSS this week.
The Postmaster General now has
authority to call for bids for the trans
Pacific airmail service and lacks only
the funds for such a service.
I'VE have the opportunity now,"
Senator McAdoo explained, Ito enter
upon the greatest air conquest that
is open in the world: that Is, to estab-
lish an airline between the Pacific
Coast and the great empire of China.
going by way of Honolulu, Guam and
Manila to Canton, China.
THE purpose of the amendment is
to give the Postmaster General the
available means to carry out any con-
tract he may see fit to make with a
company which Is willing to under
take to transport the mails across
the Pacific upon such terms and con-
ditions as may be fixed in the call for
bids for that purpose"
New Planes Discussed.
Development of aircraft of types
suitable for use by the private flyer,
one of the major aims Of the present
Bureau of Air Commerce, will be the
subject of two lectures at the April
meeting of the Washington section of
the Society Of Automotive Engineers at
8 pm tomorrow in the University
Club, Fifteenth and streets.
Agnew E. Larsen, vice president and
chief engineer of the Autogiro Co. of
America, will describe the new auto
giro his company is producing for the
Bureau of Air Commerce. The craft
is to be equipped for driving on the
road between the home of the owner
and the airport or field from which
1t is to be flown. The rotor folds so
the ship may be stored as easily as an
automobile. Mr.. Larsen's talk will be
illustrated.
Walter r. Brownell, aeronautics
development engineer, Bureau OF Air
Commerce, will describe the new air
craft being developed for the bureau.
chief among them the new Hammond
plane, winner in the competition con-
Quoted by the bureau. He also will
tell of a new plane designed around a
standard automobile engine power
plant. Mr.. Brownell will use models
to illustrate his talk.
Autogiro Plans Explained.
Announcement of the awarding Of
the contract for the new autogiro was
made by the Bureau of Air Commerce
only a day or two ago, after the sub
iect of Mr.. Larsen's lecture had been
made public.
The new craft, the bureau an
nounced, Is to be a two-place cabin
type possessing several new features
intended to appeal to prospective pri-
vate owners. One of the principal
new features is the provision for road
travel, it was explained by Federal
oficials.
lone of the principal features of
the rotor plane type" it was explained
by John H. Geisse, chief of the aero
nautics development section Of the
bureau, "has always been its ability
to land and take off from small areas.
Fields more accessible than the air.
ports but not suitable for the opera
zf o;r IN, NV
cases, be used satisfactorily by the
rotor plane; but the lack OF trans
portation and airplane housing ia
cilities at such fields is, Of course, still
more pronounced than at the estab-
lished airports."
To overcome this obstacle the new
autogiro is designed for operation on
the highways This is to be accom-
plished by providing folding rotor
wings, which may be secured back
over the fuselage, and a clutch be-
tween the engine and the propeller so
that the propeller may be discon-
nected from the engine. A power
drive is arranged from engine to
wheels so that the rotor plane be-
comes practically an automobile 1or
ground operation.
"It should therefore" Geisse ex-
planned, "be quite possible to mouse
this rotor plane at home and drive II
to the nearest suitable field for take
off. or land on a field near ones
point of destination and then proceed
thereto over the highway"
The engine is to be placed in back
OF the pilot and passenger to afford
the greatest possible visibility, quiet
ness and comfort, it was explained.
The rotor will be of the direct-control
type, obviating the need for nxed
wings.
The pilot and passenger will sit side
by side and the space available Will
be equal to that provided In the
average coupe. An s5-horsepower
engine will be used.
sIn addition to the unusual features
already mentioned" Geisse said, the
design will take into consideration the
addition, possibly before the compile
tion of the contract, of the newly de-
veloped 'iump-off' facilities. This de-
velopment is expected to make posi-
BILE vertical ascent up to some pre-
determined height, such as possibly
25 feet. and will therefore still further
reduce the requirements Of a field
suitable for take of, as obstructions
around the field such as trees OF
buildings could be readily sur
mounted"
The autogiro is to be delivered to
the Bureau Of Air Commerce late In
the Summer.
Garrison Norton of the Home own
ers' Loan Corporation, who holds
private pilots license, has Just taken
delivery of a new Kreider- Reisner-2
atrplane and is going through an ad.
vanced flying course at the hands OF
Billie Payne and Charley Macatee. In
charge Of flight training at Washing
ton Airport.
Mr.. Norton Is going through the
course in instrument flying, radio
beam work and advanced navigation
He does no commercial flying ano