Evening star., 1937-02-05
A|RMEN TO RULE
ON RADIO SYSTEM
Conferees Weigh Wave and
Equipment Aids to Avoid
Crashes.

With the spectre Of the series Of
Christmas air crashes hoverlng |
In the background, the national safety |
conference ut the Commerce Depart |
nnent today buckled down to the task
of working out q definite Federal and
private aviation program to increase |
the safety and efficiency OF American |
cir transportation.
Whether American aviation shall
abandon the established radio wave |
length In favor of new ultra high fire. |
ouencies less subject to static and |
interference; whether the radio range |
beacon system should be augmented |
or supplanted by radio compass or
directional ground equipment and
whether q number of other far-reach-
Ing changes proposed to the confer
ence shall be adopted was put up
squarely to the air transport leaders
present late yesterday.
Subjected to repeated criticism be-
cause Of alleged failure of aids to air
navigation in connection with recent
airline crashes, the Bureau of Air
Commerce called on the industry for
definite decisions on the course to be
followed In future development.
Beam System Defended.
Although many airline officials have
criticized the radio range beacon sys-
TEN which now Is the backbone Of
the Federal airways system, when they
we're confronted yesterday afternoon
with the suggestion that the system
- .ho pdopad ", fouor of 70 dio nm, .
passes aboard airplanes or radio direc-
tional stations on the ground, airline
pilots and executives came strongly
to the defense of the beam system.
They were asked by the Bureau Of
Air Commerce to agree among them
selves on = plan Of future develop
unent.
The Federal Communications Com
mission served notice on the airlines
that it is necessary to decide at once
whether the present 278-kilocycle wave
length for aviation use shall be sup
planted by ultra high frequency bands
in the neighborhood of $4,000 kilo-
cycles.
The question Of whether aircraft
radio installations shall be made sub
1ert to Federal-approved type certifi-
Gates similar to those required for
airline planes and engines also came
up before the conference.
To determine the attitude OF the
industry on these and other questions
which will shape the future OF air
transportation in this countrJ, the
conference late yesterday appointed
Q committee of six members to put .
program in shape for conference ac-
ton today. This committee Is meet
ing this morning to work out the
program.
Members Of Committee.
The committee is composed Of j. G.
Franklin, communications superin-
tendent, Transcontinental & Western
Air; H. M. Hucke, communications en-
gineer. United Air Lines; j. G. Flynn,
jr, communications superintendent,
American Airlines; David L. Behncke,
president of the -.ir Lie Pilots As
sociation; Dan c. McRae, communica-
tions superintendent, Eastern Air
Lines, and Jack Zimmerman, T. w. A.
pilot.
The Commerce Department served
notice 1t is preparing to require the
installation aboard all airline planes
Of radio antennae which will be free
from snow and rain static. Such
static is held responsible for one or
more Of the recent crashes.
It also was suggested by the Com
merce Department that the airlines
should pool their efforts in developing
not only shielded antennae but also
radio compasses for installation aboard
aircraft and radio "homing' devices.
Federal cooperation was pledged to
the extent Of funds available.
E. K. Jett, assistant chief engineer
OF the Communications Commission,
told the conference there is . real
shortage of frequencies and asked
whether the airlines are ready to give
up the 27s-kilocycle frequency in
favor Of the proposed ultra-high fire.
euencies.
Assistant Director OF Air Commerce
Rex Martin, in charge OF air naviga-
ton, asked whether it Is not true that
there has been interference on the
27S length which might have had
disastrous results" Jett replied that
this unquestionably Is true.
Tests Of New Bands Urged.
Franklin, member Of the new COM
n1ittee, declared the 278 band could
not be abandoned until the ultra-high-
frequencies have been given thorough
service tests and found suitable.
A special meeting of the Radio
Technical Committee, create as an
interairline radio research omit, was
called for Monday, following the con-
ference, to act on the proposed trans
fer to the new wave length, said to
be far less subject to static and other
interference than the present wave.
While the committee is fighting out
the problems on which it will report
later today, many Of the airline execu-
HvsS and communications experts
went to washington Airport to inspect
the new rain and snow static elimina-
ton equipment aboard T. w. A. air.
liner and to College Park Airport to
witness demonstrations of q new "air
track" homing device developed by the
Warrington Institute of Technology,
composed Of group of former Bureau
Of Standards radio experts.
Tomorrow the conference will hold
what II expected to be one Of the
most important aviation safety ses-
sions in the history Of commercial
aviation. Efforts will be made at this
session to agree upon . general pro-
gram to be followed in the immediate
OF air transport operation and regula-
ton.
Peru Buys Institute.