Evening star., 1937-02-15
.LONG-RANGEB BEAM
TO GUIDE EARHART
Most of World -GirdIing Trip
to Be Flown During
Night Hours.
gpec;al Dispatch to The Star.

Amelia Earhart and Capt, Harry
Manning take off across the Pacific
next month on the first phase of her
projected 27,O00-mile flight around
the world at the Equator, they plan
not only to avail themselves OF Capt.
Manning's skill as navigator and the
radio naWgational aids in the famous
airwoman's flying laboratory" but
also to utilize, as far as possible, the
long range radio direction finders
with which the Pan American Air
ways shepherds its regular weekly
round-trip flights between California
and the Orient The only other prl-
vate flyers who have taken advantage
of such facilities were Col. and Mrs.
Charles A. Lindbergh.
II intend asking Pan American to
stand watch on us during the time
that we are within range OF their
d. F.'s' and at such times as 1t Will
not interfere with their own air line
operations" Miss Earhart said yes
terday at her suite in the Barclay
Hotel, Lexington avenue and Forty
eighth street. Whatever bearing
they are able to give us should be a
valuable and reassuring check on the
results Capt. Manning gets by celestial
observations, dead reckoning, radio
cross bearings taken from the plane
on ships at sea and the 'homlng' In
dications of our own radio compass
Cooperation Assured.
She said she was certain the air
line would render any assistance 1t
could with its ID. F.'s" as 1t already
had "co-operated splendidly' in help
ing to obtain data about South
American flying fields and in promis-
ing the assistance of its radio and
other personnel in this area after
she had crossed India, Africa and
the South Atlantic. Her Wasp-mo-
tored Lockheed Electra monoplane
will follow Pan Americans Pacific
route only from California to Hawaii,
branching off there toward Rowland
Island, New Guinea and Australia,
but it is possible that the phenome-
nal range of the air lines ground
station direction finders will enable
them to follow the flying laboratory"
throughout the entire 7,000-mile flight
across the Pacific.
Pan-American officials claim an ef-
fective daylight range of 1900 miles
for their ID. F.'s" under the worst
static conditions ever encountered in
the tropics and say that at night
under favorable circumstances. they
have taken accurate bearings on their
planes across virtually the entire
breath of the Pacific. This, of course
involves the ability Of the plane tc
transmit a signal that will carry tc
the ground station. While Miss Ear
harts ship carries a radio set with
less range than the type used on
Pan-America's Clippers. her Pacific
hops will be made at night, and it
has demonstrated its effectiveness for
ct least 2,4o0 miles under these cir
cumstances.
Between Oakland and Honolulu Pan
Americans ID. F.s" monitor the
companys ships from both ends of
the 2,410-mile route, keeping them
always within few miles of their
plotted course The line, however,
does not depend completely on such
radio guidance; on board each Clipper
is an expert navigator taking the same
sort Of observations that Capt. Man.
ming will take and constantly COM
putting his own positions as a check
on the ID. F.'s."
1t is 1000 miles from Honolulu to
Rowland Island-a tiny spot of land
In the trackless Pacific-but, If Pan
Americans claims for its ID. F's" are
not exaggerated, a plane directed by
the Honolulu ground station of the
air line should be able to hit this OBJ
jective "on the nose" even without the
other navigational aids Miss Earhart
will have from Capt. Manning. In
addition, the Department of Com
rnerce, which during the last 10
months has been developing Rowland.
Island as an airport for use on a pos
eihle future flying route from Hawaii
to Australia. has a radio station on
which the ia aboratory" plane should
be able to home" for several hundred
miles.
Problem for Rest Of Trip.
From Howland to Lac, New Guinea,
Miss Earhart's next scheduled stop,
Is 2,550 miles, and the ability of Pan
Americans b F.s" in Honolulu,
Midway. Wake, Guam and the Philip
pines to take accurate bearings on
her plane is problematical.
1--WE aren't depending on such bear
ings to get us through" she said, "but
1t certainly would be interesting to
see what can be done over those dis
tances. Before we take of from Oak
land, I will work out q schedule with
the airline, provided they want to
keep track of us, whereby we will send
out the necessary signals at stated
intervals"
All this involves, SO far as the plane
Is concerned, is for the radio oper-
ator to hold down the key of his set
for 80 seconds or a minute, sending
out a continuous signal on which the
ID. F. is trained The ground sta
tion then informs the airplane by radio
the number of degrees it bears" from
the, ID. F." thus establishing "line
of position; if two D. F.'s" take bear
ings at the same time, definite posi-
ton FIX" is established by triangula-
ton.
Miss Earhart plans 10 leave next
week for Oakland to make final prep
arations for her world flight. She
may go to Washington tomorrow for