Evening star., 1946-08-07

window screens today to safeguard
against another three-story fall
such as the one in which Lenore
caromed off an awning, struck So
year-old woman and landed in a
baby carriage beside a 3-week old
infant
She's up and around today, thank
goodness" said IGNORES mother,
Mrs. Sol Gittleman. L guess we
were very, very lucky"
Alness commanded the drone units
which flew drones through both
atomic clouds at Bikini and which
conducted Operation Remote.
Gen. Richardson estimated 10
years might be required fully to de-
velop the guided-missiles project.
1t is all predicated on our funds,
etc, to carry on the program. We
need supersonic wind tunnels and
other such facilities as we'll as guild
ed missiles. It's also up to the sci
entiSts
We're very interested, also" he
pointed out, in the fact that if we
can do it. so can other countries.
We also must plan defense against
guided-missiles warfare"
That is one of his objectives at the
Hamilton Field conference today:
the 4th Air Force is charged with
defending the coast against guided
missiles.
Gen. Richardson added I'VE don't
consider Operation Remote worth
Dragging about. 1t was just the
starting point. Instead of a Bit
travelling $500 miles in Is hours, we
expect to develop missiles that will
travel several thousand miles per
hour. Instead of control as close as
so miles, we expect control to be
exercised several hundred or several
thousand miles away. Conversely,
any country could strike any terri
tory we have"
Mothers" Were Close.
On yesterdays drone mission, the
mothers operated as close as 200
feet to the babes" and as far away
as 3 miles. Col. AlneSs' unit has
operated drones from Is or more
miles and Gen. Richardson said they
had been directed from so miles
Only current limit is that of radar
vision - theoretically about 100
miles, although that has not been
tested.
Safety was the No. order for
Operation Remote. Col. Alness' final
instruction was IF you can't pass
control to- the spare mother, junk
the thing" if over the ocean.
If drone had got out of control
over California, fighter planes were
to have been called to shoot it down
over uninhabited Topatopa Noun
tains. Otherwise, the drone, on
automatic pilot, would have flown
until it developed mechanical trou-
BILE or ran out of gasoline, with the
possibility of crash into city.
The operation was without fan
fare. Only Lyman Field personnel
and a general and an admiral who
chanced to visit the base saw the
takeotf from Hilo Only Gen. Rich
ardson, Brig. Gen. Roger M. Ramey,
commander of a task group in the
Bikini atom tests and of the 58th
Bombardment wing, and Muroc
Field personnel saw the landings.
Planes Avoided Los Angeles.
The drone mission could have
been widely heralded and the
babes" flown over Los Angeles, but
supersafety regulations forbade such
plan. The Air Forces were taking
no chance of mishap and possible
death or destruction in city.
One drone, that which made the
flight In Is hours and one minute,
dropped l00-pound practice smoke
bomb of Santa Rosa Island off
Southern California. The other, un-
able to find hole in the thick cum
| ulous clouds which covered the Pa
ciflc at 5000 feet altitude all the
way, landed with its missile rather
than chance dropping it on an un-
seen vessel
The fight was termed a thorough
test OF controlled missiles. The
drones took off in a light shower
and were taken to flying altitude,
1000 feet, through the heavy clouds.
They faced headwinds and cross
winds. They few through showers,
strong sunshine, moonlight, clouds,
haze and directly into the rising
sun. BY remote control, their fuel
supply was changed from wing to
bombay tanks. The bomb-drop-
ping drone's bomb-bay doors were
opened, the missile was released and
the doors were closed by radar con-
troll from. the mother.
The first drone to arrive at Muroc
was landed perfectly-exactly down
la long, black line on Muroc Dry
Lakes dry bed-despite aerial tur-
bulence which bounced 1t all around
the landing circle and a crosswin6
which suddenly whipped up from 10
to 80 miles.
! 1t. Col. Richard A. Campbell,
Vidalia. La, pilot OF the faster
! drone's spare mother and who pi-
loted mother control Bit on
each of the Bikini atom tests, in
voluntarily exclaimed perfect" as
the babe landed and sped straight
down the runway.
The same drone released its bomb
on perhaps only 80 seconds notice,
as Col. Campbell suddenly found a
hole in the clouds and ordered the
drop. You've got to drop it now