Evening star., 1941-06-12
Navy Building GIiders
Capable Of Carrying
Troops or Cargo
House Committee Told
Work Is Experimental;
Soaring Truining Urged
By ALFRED TOOMBS.

The Navy is constructing expert
mental gliders capable of carrying
troops or cargo, it was revealed to-
day in testimony before the House
Naval Affairs Committee.
The revelation was made during
testimony at hearing on gliders
by Comdr. Ralph S. Barnaby, as
sistant chief engineer Cairplanes'
Naval Aircraft Factory, Philadel-
phia. Comdr. Barnaby is the Navy S
outstanding authority on gliding
and had been testifying concern
ing experiments in training Navy
flyers as glider pilots.
A committee member asked him
if he was not now in charge OF
constructing gliders and he replied
Yes, sir, I am now in charge OF
constructing two types of gliders,
capable of carrying troops or
cargo
Can you tell us anything about
these gliders?" asked Representa-
tive Mas, Republican, of Mime
sofa.
"One is a seaplane-" he replied
Just a minute. commander. Is
this project confidential?" asked
Representative Mas.
Yes. sir, it is" he replied.
Work Is Experimental.
Mr.. Mas then decided to pursue
the inquiry no further, after ascer-
tanning that Marine Corps officer
was acting as observer of Comdr
Barnaby's glider project, which the
officer indicated was on small scale
and of an experimental nature
Earlier Comdr. Barnaby had told the
committee that troop-carrying glid-
ers would be particularly valuable
to the Marine Corps "as an expedi-
tionary tool"
Comdr. Barnaby became glider
pilot in 1929, receiving instruction ir
this country under German flyers
He testified that he had applied fol
leave at that time to 60 to Germany
to study glider flying but had beer
turned down. He later made 8
glider flight from the dirigible Lo'
Angeles and in 1888 helped to es.
tablish glider course at the Nava
Air Training Station at Pensacola
Fla.
In 1884 and 1885, he testified, thu
Navy trained a few air cadets a!
glider pilots before allowing then
to undertake course in power fly.
ing. After one year, however, thu
experiment ceased In response Il
an inquiry as to whether the tria
had been fair, he replied that HI
did not think it had been and be-
lieved that it should be carried OF
over a longer period of time.
Urge Glider Training for Pilots.
Both Comdr. Barnaby and Col
Edward S. Evans, Detroit manu-
facturer and gliding enthusiast, Wit
preceded him on the stand, salt
they believed that glider trainin,
represented an excellent method fo
eliminating unfit pilots early il
training.
Col. Evans, who is known as tn
father of gliding" said that Ger
many and Russia were far aheat
of the United States in the use o
gliders and the training of pilot
for these motorleSS craft.
Col. Evans said that it woul
be possible for the United State
to transport 100000 troops from
New York to San Francisco in
few hours in gliders with no NOR
than 1000 bombers.
He said that reports reachin
him indicated that German plane
towed gliders over Crete at speed
up to ITS miles an hour and tina
gliders were being built that coul
carry 20 or 80 men easily.
He recommended that youth or
ganizations, such Government agen
cies as the National Youth Ad
miniStration, schools and college
throughout the country be en-
couraged to form soaring clubs an
classes as quickly as possible. A
this time, Col. Evans said, he di,
not believe there were more thai
500 glider pilots in the Unite'
States.