Evening star., 1937-01-01
NEW DEVICES AID
IN PLANE SAFETY
Improved Radio and De.
Icing Equipment Now on
Hand, Vidal Says.

Improvements in aeronautical radio
equipment which will eliminate much
of the mechanical hazard of bad
weather flying, and which probably
would have saved at least one Of the
recently lost airliners, are already At
hand. and there are definite hopes
for other improvements which will
eliminate other sources Of danger. ac-
cording to Eugene L. Vidal, director
OF air commerce, Commerce Depart
ment.
Interviewed on his return to Wash.
inston from q five-day flight during
which airways radio aids were studied
with the aid Of the new Bureau Of
Air Commerce flying laboratory"
Vidal said great radio progress has
been made during recent months and
that weather proof aircraft radio now
Is available.
One major airline already has in
stalled the new radio and de-icing
equipment and has gone through the
recent bad weather without mechani-
cal dif1culty although other lines not
so equipped have suffered. in some
cases tragically, 1t was pointed out.
New Aircraft Antenna.
Most important Of the new equip
ment Is q new type Of aircraft an
tenna which remains free of snow
and rain static. At least one OF the
recent crashes has been blamed upon
loss Of radio receiving due to such
static. Second is radio direction
finder equipment, which permits the
exact location of storm blinded air.
craft. OF almost as great importance
are the de-icing devices which keep
ice out of carburetors. OF propellers,
the leading edges OF wings and con-
troll surfaces
Asked to explain the recent air-
plane crashes which have shocked the
Nation, Vidal said that it obviously
is impossible for him to discuss them
in detail while they are under in
vestigation by the Bureau of Air
Commerce. of which he Is head.
Il can tell you, however" he said,
that no two of them are alike. There
is no one cause behind them"
This would indicate that the fault
has not been with ground aids to air
navigation, but that in most of the
cases the fault was within the airplane.
In one case it was the icing Of radio
antenna, creating static which pre-
vented the receipt Of radio range sig
mails, it was indicated. Commerce De-
partment officials are inclined to be-
lieve that at least two Of the recent
major crashes were due to pilot errors.
The belief Of air commerce ofiicials
that part Of the responsibility of
providing "weather-proof" equipment
is on the shoulders of the airlines
rather than on the Federal Gov
ernment is expressed both by Vidal
and by Col. John M. johnson, As
sistant Secretary of Commerce.
Co-Operation Promised.
Col. johnson, just before Vidals re-
turn to Washington, promised the
utmost cooperation Of the Bureau OF
Air Commerce in eliminating the
causes of the recent airline crashes.
At the same time he notified the Ma
tion's airline operators that those who
had not already done so should make
constant efforts to improve their own
radio equipment, both ground and
plane; expedite installation of ap-
proved de-icing equipment, take i'm
mediate steps to give all pilots and
co-pilots a thorough course on the
Link trainer and increase the facili-
ties for instrument training. The
Link trainer is a miniature airplane
mounted on a fixed base in which
all types Of instrument flying" may
be performed under the eyes Of in.
structors.
The Bureau Of Air Commerce will
seek from Congress at once an addi-
tional $10,000,0 900 with which to in
crease and modernize aids to air navi-
CATION along the Federal airways. 1t
also will confer before January IS
with airline representatives, the Army,
Navy. Coast Guard and National Ad-
visory Committee for Aeronautics in
a study of all recent airline accidents
with view to improvement of exist
ing conditions and prevention of ac-
cidents due to the same causes in the
future.