Evening star., 1947-10-09
Air Force May Install
Plane e-Guiding Brain
On Super. Transports
BY W. H. Shippen, Jr.


ARMY ALL-WEATHER FLYING
CENTER, Wilmington, Ohio, Oct.
9.-The electronic brain" which
enabled a C-54 Skymaster to
think it's way to England and
back probably will be installed soon
In one of the worlds most advanced
transport types.
Experts who completed the sue
cessful 8,000-mile round trip here
yesterday afternoon are convinced
that an automatic flight around
the world is a step forward in the
development of navigational aids
which take heavy load off the
pilots and leave them free to make
decisions with bearing on safety
The air forces all-Weather CEN
ter is scheduled to receive in few
months a new, high-altitude Boeing
transport which probably will be
fitted with the mechanical brain"
to pilot it on long-range hops across
oceans and continents. Experts here
already are talking of card or tape
which can be punched before takeoff
and fed through machine which
automatically operates the airplane
and sets it on any desired course &C
cording to prearranged sequence.
May Be Used in Jet Planes.
While Col. James M. Gillespie, who
commanded the C-54 on it's history
making fight, would discuss only the
~f io01
brain" to noncombat flying, it was
known that experts here and at
nearby Wright Field are studying
the problem of automatic controls
for fast takeoffs and landings in new
jet fighters and bombers.
If the device proves successful in
the new Boeing C-97 Strato-
freigher, it probably would be found
useful in the huge new B-36 bombers
now coming off the line at Consoli-
dated's plant in Fort Worth, Tex
Pilots of these multi-motored giants
carry a heavy load of detail which
could be relieved, it was said, by
automatic procedures.
+ Col. Gillespie told the press after
his C-54 made a perfect-landing
here yesterday afternoon without
human hand at the controls that
he was convinced the electronic
brain" will be a major safety fac
tor in future commercial operations
of airplanes which are constantly
growing more powerful and COM
plicated.
mo Trouble" on Flight.
They had virtually no trouble
with the automatic gadgets, Col
Gillespie said, although they en-
countered three weather fronts over
the Atlantic between Lyneham
England, and their first stop at
Stephensville, Newfoundland. Rain
and icing conditions were encoun-
tered yesterday after the automatic
takeoff from Stephensville, but the
pilotless aircraft broke out of the
clouds after several hours and
homed with accuracy on preselected
radio stations along the route to
Wilmington.
The automatic flight to England
gave Wing Comdr. F. r. Jeffs of the
Royal Air Force, who lives at 1922
Newark street NV, Washington
the first sight of his native land in
two years.
| The commander said he thought
the C-54 was a bit off the beam
when it began to orbit over an area
familiar to him in years past, ano
| one which he knew contained ne
airport when he last saw England
When the planes automatic pilot
however, picked up the localizel
and glide path beams from the
Eground and began to descend
through the clouds, Comdr. Jeffs
was relieved to see a great new air.
| port below him.
Fight Civil War Again.
While the crew of 10 pilots ane
| technicians were busy watching
dials and taking notes, ready at ar
instant's notice to take over manua
controls If the brain" showed sign!
of malfunctioning, they still hae
time for occasional card games, nap.
anu SlSlltSeelllS.
/ One popular sport on board, az
the big plane droned across the
Atlantic was to fight the Civil Wal
all over again" preoccupation Of
the Americans which rather puz-
zled the RAF observer.
The plane was officially named
the Robert E. Lee, a designation
painted on the nose just above 6
Confederate flag. On the Other
side of the nose was the ancient
flag of the Lone Star State Of
Texas. in honor OF the State te
which Col. Gillespie will retire
when his Army career is over.
The red-headed Slow-s spoken test
pilot, Capt. Thomas J. Wells, hails
from Selma, Ala, and Orlando
Fla. On the night before the take
off for England two weeks ago
the four-engined Skymaster hac
been groomed to shining point
of perfection.
Grants Name Painted on Plane.
Some time during the night, how
ever. Yankee spy must have slipped
through the security guard. At any
rate, the next morning the South
erners we're shocked and amazed tt
see their plane splashed with huge
bright yellow inscription which said
L"Gen. Grant and Sherman
Toow
There was a great rush at the