The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1936-04-17
Foe LANDING
PERIL May BE
ELIMINATED
New Equipment Designed
To Bridge Gap Between
Beam, Ground Lights

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, Apr. II.
(UP).-A blind landing expert.
mcnt, designed to revolutionizc
flying and bring to air travel the
safety that air-brakes gave to the
railroads and lighthouses brought
to navigation, nears completion at
Municipal airport.
The project. if successful, will
take weather dangers out of fly
ing, uullify aviation's baneful
phrase Ceiling zero" and permit
planes to land in the most adj
verse weather conditions.
Effects on the industry are UNI
limited, government officials be-
lieve. Department of Commerce
officials indicated it might be the
factor that would take aviation a
long step forward. Installation
of equipment virtually has been
completed and actual tests will
be started within few weeks,
Bennett H. Griffin, aeronautical
expert. of the Department of Com
mercc, reported.
ALL AIDS MERGED
Griffin, veteran flier, who in
July, 1882, accompanied Jimmy
Mattcrn on his unsuccessful at
tempt to fly around the world,
explained that the project essen
TALLY would consist of all ingcn-
iouS system of ground lighting
and radio beams. Pilots already
"ride" radio beams from port to
port, but poor visibility sometimes
prevents landing at their destina-
ton.
The pilot, flying on a radio
range station beam, knows when
he reaches the home field because
he enters leone of silence" The
new equipment is designed to deal
with landing rather than the prob
lem of direction. e..
Two radio stations arc estab-
lished on line with the approach
runway. One station is located
| 500 feet outside the airport
boundary, and the other is 900
feet farther out.
BEAMS CORRECT ERRORS
These stations send out nOn-di-
rectional horizontal and vertical
radio beams. A flier coming into
the "cone of silence" tunes for
the inner station horizontal beam,
which puts his radio compass at
zero. If he is flying out of line
with it, the needle will swing
either TO the right or left.
AS the plane flies over this sta
ton the vertical beam flashes a
red light on the instrument board.
This indicates the exact position.
The pilot then tunes in the outer
station and flies over it before
turning in for landing. Sd.
After passing over the outer
station for the second time, he
again re-checks his compass and
starts to throttle down. Upon
reaching the inner station the
planes altitude should be approx
mately $50 to 200 feet.
DESCENT SIGNAL FLASHES
When the inner stations verti-
cal beam flashes red light, the
pilot starts his glide and at 100
feet is expected to be able to sec
the outer approach lights which
lead to the runway.
The runway is marked with
hush-type lights which the tlier
should be able to follow down and
make a normal landing. He can
use the lights and make a semi
blind landing or continue to use
only the planes instruments.
First experiments with the
scheme were conducted by the
Army in 1928, Griffin said. Later
the system was tried on a small
scale at Newark, n. j.
The experiment was shifted to
the Municipal airport here when
excessive traffic at the New Jer-
sey field prevented proper expert
If successful, the plan will be
installed Immediately at the st.
Louis, Kansas City, Chicago, Pitts
burgh, and Cleveland airports,
Griffin said.