Evening star., 1946-10-13
III. S. Pilots Prepare for Attempt
lon Brituin,s S 676 M.P.H. Record
BY w. H. Shippen, Jr.
Aviation Editor OF The starr

. revival Of the hotly-competitive
spirit, like that behind the old
Schneider Trophy races, will stiln-
ulate research and produce practical
similar to those tested
for the automobile industry on the
speed track at Indianapolis.
Records Changed Hands.
In trying to get the Jump on the
British, who gave us an equal start
during the war by sharing their
of jet propulsion units,
Army and industry technicians
several new lessons this
week by the trial and error method
Speed records had changed hands
several times in matter of weeks
The laurels came to this side OF
the Atlantic when new Republic
Thunderjet P-84 beat the Meteor's
top speed Of 606 miles an hour only
to be beaten by the Meteor with q
new maximum Of GIG miles.
A few days later the Thunderjei
was clocked at an unofflcial speed
more than five miles above the
Meteor's best, and q "souped up
Lockheed Shooting Star P-S0 was
groomed to make a stab at an ever
higher mark. The two American
contenders were to make the try
over q course measured with pre-
cision instruments and timed By
superspeed cameras and radar.
The new Thunderjet was 9
stripped down stock model, while
the Shooting Star, a development
from an older design now In guam.
tity production for the AAF. hat
been specially modified and stream
lined. Both models were to use
water injection, a temporary "shot
in the arm device understood te
have been employed by the British
Two Engines Damaged.
The booster injection, however
damaged two new General Electric
engines In test runs of the Thunder
jet. and a minor landing accident
put the Shooting Star out Of the
temporarily.
In addition, the weather inter-
fered. Ideal temperature for the
critical speed runs Is 30 degrees. Coo
weather increases the danger for
planes speeding more than soc
miles an hour.
Another weather factor is the
possibility OF a rain squall which
can roughen the tough varnish or
the racers enough to slow them
down Is miles an hour.
The manufacturers, however. are
not disposed to wait for q change
of the seasons. Both Lockheed AND
Republic are pushing plans for the
competition, always mindful that
new models are coming up both
here and abroad.
All but Bells supersonic mode
are still cloaked In security. A speed
above 610 miles an hour win bt
acceptable to the Army for thu
first power-assisted glide Of thu
rocket model.
Army technicians figure that about
II or 10 months of testing will bt
required to push the experimental
plane up to 1000 miles an hour
Lockheed engineers estimate 1t will
take twice that long to produce 9
plane which can take of, n1arieuyel
and land at supersonic speeds by
any one but supermaf.
While speed is of great importance
the Materiel Command plans to uss
this huge natural landing area with
Its 7-mile runways as q preliminary
flight test base for many types o1
new airplanes-giant flying wing
Northrop bombers, huge cargo trans
ports and the like.
There Is room here to maneuvel
freely In almost any direction. TEST
pilots can concentrate on their In
struments while skimming on or just
over the surface without fear o1
OF q runway or crashing.
Building Program Planned.
Also, the surrounding desert offers
q large measure Of security from
outside observation. Developments
here were a top secret during the
war, and Muroc was off limits to al
but authorized personnel.
The Materiel Command has ap-
proved a building program to pro-
vide individual shop and hangar
space for contractors and suitable
housing for military and civilian
and their families. A 10
year development program contem.
plates q community Of up to 3,00t
persons.
The stable desert climate offers
good flying weather throughout the
year. Occasional rains only serve to
harden a surface leveled by the
wind and baked by the sun.
Oddly enough. too, Muroc is a
place where nlirages sometimes
flicker on the horizon, rejecting
as strange as the invisible
sonic wall Of the sky.