Evening star., 1936-09-20

panu the line so
that it will be flying $500 miles a day
over 5000 miles of airways. The new
S-43, he told Pratt & Whitney off,
cials, will be used for experimental
flights to London, Amsterdam, Stock
holm and other European cities prior
to establishment of regular schedules
serving these cities and making con-
nections with all major European air.
lines.
The Norwegian SAB Is powered with
two geared Hornet engines, giving
top speed of nearly 200 miles per hour,
it is claimed. 1t is equipped for Is
passengers and has special heating
and ventilating system.
Balchen has been flying since 1919
and was a member Of the Amundsea
and Mobile expeditions in the Arctic.
accompanied Ellsworth on hiss first
trans-Antarctic flight and few with
Admiral Richard E. Byrd over the
South Pole. He also was a pilot OIL
Byrds transatlantic flight in 1927
and spent several months flying over
the difficult Hudson Bay territory on
surveying mission for the Canadian
government.
A QUARTER of a century ago, on
September IT, 1911, the first air
plane flight across the United States
began. On that day Calbraith Perry
Rodgers took of from New York,
California bound, in a Wright biplane.
Fifty days later he reached the Pa
cific Ocean at Long Beach, Calf,
bearing the scars of many mishaps,
in an airplane so completely rebuilt
that it was said to contain nothing
of the original except drip pan and
vertical fin.
Two other pilots who had under
at about the same time in competition
with Rodgers for 1000 prize, were
forced to abandon the attempt.
Rodgers himself was unable to COM
plete the trip before the time limit on
the prize award expired.
Rodgers first crash came the sec
ond day out. Taking of from Mid
dletown, N. Y, he lost control in q
gust and crashed into a tree. The
airplane had to be rebuilt. Despite
this and many other mishaps, he
struggled on. On the last lap he was
badly injured, about mid-November,
in crash at Compton, Calf, and it
was not until December 10 that he
reached his goal, two months after
the expiration of the prize award.
pLASTICS, modern products Of the
chemical laboratory, are making
great contribution to aviation de-
sign and construction. Plastics range
from substitutes for glass to substi-
tutes for hard rubber and other ma
terials. Compass cases, parts Of
many flying instruments, instrument
panels, radio units, insulating ma
terials, accessories and trimmings are
plastics.
Because of its extremely light
weight, great strength and durability,
plastics have added much to the safety
and economy Of flying" according to
E. F. Lougee, sponsoring the first an
nual modern plastics competition in
New York.
One of the plastics is transparent
and non-shatterable glass substitute
used in passenger airplaneS for cock
pit and cabin windows and in mill
tary aircraft for gun cockpit floor and
overhead openings. The aeronautical
demand for this material is so great
that the aviation industry now is con-
Stunning every pound Of the product
that can be produced for the present.
CONSTRUCTION Of runways and
~ improvements to the landing field
are in progress at the Naval Air Sta
ton, Cape May, N. j. This air sta
ton, relic of World War coastal pa
troll days, now is used by the Coast
Guard and as training base for
Naval Reserve units.
The Cape May station for several
years has been used for the Summer
training cruises of VN-6R and VO-
3MR, local Navy and Marine Corps
aviation reserve units which are based
at the Anacostia Naval Air Station.
Warning that. as a result of the
construction work. the landing field
has been closed until further notice
has been issued by the Navy Hydro
graphic once in q memorandum for
all aviators.