Evening star., 1937-01-31
Transcontnenta Planes Develop Ways Run With Coce Reg.
acknowledgements of National Advisory Committee,
and Army and Navy Branches.

known in radio parlance. Installations
have been made at Newark and Pitts.
burgh, but the airlines have so far
been hesitant about equipping their
planes for reception other than in one
or two instances for testing purposes.
This is an example of how new meth.
DDS and findings often wait for &C.
ceptance. 1t is not always possible to
get unanimity of opinion in the in
dustry. Most of the line, will adopt
improvements that have demonstrated
their value as rapidly as their finances
allow. A few are slower-more con.
servative.
Other advanced radio equipment,
tests of blind-landing methods, study
of devices for the elimination of rain
and snow static, study of oxygen
feeding" in high-altitude flying, the
improved radio teletype for greater
efficiency in sending ground mes
sages-these are among the many
experiments Air Commerce Is making.
The airlines themselves are not ale
together dependent on outside sources
for their progress. Practically all the
larger lines have well established fly.
ing laboratories Of their own with
necessary ground facilities. They are
in position to "try 1t on the dog
in other words, they take their labora-
tory results up in a real plane to
see. how they work out in practice.
Pan-American spent several years Of
research and made hundreds of test
flights before a. Clipper was "off the
step" for far Pacific isles with pas.
sengers aboard. The new Douglas
DC4-which recently saw. on the in.
vestigation trip to the battle 'front.'"
growing In wood and paper out in
Culver City, represents the pooled
finances and flight experience Of our
five largest transport companies. Yet
so difficult have been some of the
problems to be solved that it Is tak-
ing a year longer than was originally
planned, and the first ship of the line
in 1888 will have cost very cool
million dollars. It will be worth both
the time and the money, however, be.
cause incorporated in it will be de.
velopments Of such importance to
commercial transport that they are at
present jealousy guarded secrets.
limited AIRLINES is setting q
rapid pace for others to follow,
xvSk t-1;,
periments, their invention of precision
instruments for the checking OF planes
and instruments and now their oxy-
gen-starvation studies in high-alti.
tude flying. Their pilots are regu.
larly making practice landings at
Oakland, Oreg., along special curved
beam, with hands and feet of the
controls and only the automatic pilot
in charge. Perfect two-point landings
result, and the human pilot merely
takes over by applying the brakes
after the wheels have touched tho
ground.
United has also Just announced tho
transfer Of one of its twin-engined
airliners for permanent use as q ''fiy-
ing laboratory" Immediate projects
to be carried forward in this ship will
be the testing of new kind Of "turbo-
alternator" an auxiliary electric.
power system, planned to provide lilo.
volt alternating current on passenger
planes for better lighting, for cooking
equipment, radios, dictaphones and
other similar gadgets; q plane-to-
ground radio telephone system that
can be used by passengers. and fur
ther work with instrument landings.
Other airlines will also be allowed to
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