Evening star., 1935-10-27

raplQly increasing uuulDciS oil Iidilo :
port and military airplanes for a
number of years. A great majority
of the modern airliners today are
equipped with automatic pilots.
The robot navigator is the Fair
child-K -Kruesi radio compass, the mill
tary model of which has been standard
in the Army Air Corps for some time.
This compass was used by the Bureau
of Air Commerce in series of DEM
onstrations on the West Coast, which
included controlled flights far out
into the Pacific, return flight being
directed with unfailing accuracy by
radio signals actuating the RADIO COM
pass mechanism.
The co-ordinating device, which
makes it possible for the radio COM
pass to hold the airplane on true
course by sending electrical impulses
to the gyropilot, is being DEVELOPED
by the Army Air Corps and Sperry
engineers. The efficacy of the robot
team has been demonstrated in eK-
perimental flights by Capt. Carl j.
Crane, Army Air Corps, in Martin
bombardment airplane. Outstanding
were flights over Long Island in
which the co-ordinated robots flew
the airplane directly to the WEAF
radio towers, to which the radio COM
pass had been tuned.
After flying so true course that
the airplane passed directly over the
center of the aerial, between the
broadcasting towers, the radio COM
pass needle Immediately reacted, sig
nails were sent to the gyropilot and
that accommodating robot swung the
big plane in a circle until it once
more headed back toward the towers.
Each time the plane few over the
towers the robots swung it around
again to head toward the towers
and the flight settled down into
series of large figure 8s. This was done
merely to demonstrate the perfect
team work of the two robots. In act
ual practice, the human pilot would
take over the controls upon arrival
at the destination and complete the
landing.
This means" said P. r. Bassett,
vice president of the Sperry Co.. who
made public details of the develop
ment as a part of the air navigation
week program, that the role of the
transport pilot is about to undergo
radical change. With two robots work.
ing for him. he becomes the captain
of the aircraft rather than a mere
helmsman and NAVIGATOR
Air transport schedules cover such
mileage that the human pilot needs
aid in performing the fatiguing duties
of high speed and long range flying.
Operations at increasingly higher alti-
flying more exhausting. With aircraft
increasing ip size, the pilots response
bility increases and assistance is es-
sential. He must be free to give
adequate attention to communication,
watching the weather and general
supervision of the ship-matters equal
in importance to the actual flying"
The radio compass. serving as the
robot navigator, is ''homing" device,
which enables the pilot to tune in on
any Government or commercial radio
broadcasting station at or near his
destination and, having done that, to
guide the plane through the thickest
weather or darkness by simply keeping
a small white indicator hand centered
at zero on dial. With the gyropilot
linked into this navigating device the
human pilot can take his hands off
the controls and rely upon the gyro-
pilot to keep the needle centered and
so keep the plane on course.
THE result" Mr.. Bassett explained,
is that the pilot of tomorrow will be
able to fly by his radio tuning knob.
In other words, he will take of, climb
to the desired cruising altitude and
tune in on the station at his destina-
ton. The signals may be from a
Government airways station. or they
be a program featuring Eddie Cantor.
Rudy Vallee or Boake Carter. No
matter in what direction the plane
may be headed at the instant the
pilot, by means of headphones, tunes
in the station. as he would a program
by his own fireside, the Fairchild
kruesi radio compass and the gyro-
pilot will at once head the plane onto
the desired course and hold it there"
Aerial headquarters for the General
Headquarters Air Force commanding