Evening star., 1948-08-29

Patuxent Naval Air Station in
Maryland to Natal, Brazil.
The Caroline Mars has the same
200-foot wings and double-decked
hulls OF four others on regular
i passenger-cargo-mail runs between
San Francisco and Honolulu. The
difference lies in the four new
3,000-horsepower engines which add
/ to the ships weight, range, speed
/ and general performance.
| Comdr. Lang whose home is In
/ Mapleton, Mimi, figures his Caro-
! line could tote some 80 tons oil
cargo twice daily on the Berlin
air lift should the need arise. land
/ ing on lakes in the American zone
and the British sector of Berlin.
He feels his ship can be loaded and
unloaded as fast as any competing
land planes.
Could Carry Tanks, Trucks.
Cargo matches amidShips are big
enough to admit light tanks or
heavy trucks, and freight can be
lifted abroad on an electric crane
with fiVe-ton capacity which run out
On double tracks under each high
wing. The hatch tops are at truck
level to expedite loading from dock
Or lighters.
Withdrawal of many Air Force
and Navy four -engined Douglas
transports from the Pacific to the
Atlantic because of the Berlin
blockade has placed extra duty on
the Mars type of aircraft, it was
said. Helping to supply the Pa
cific fleet while backstopping for
the boys who carry food and fuel
to Berlin keeps the Mars squadron
busy, but Comdr. Lang seems to
feel his ship could do its best work
where pressure on Uncle Sans ali
transport is heaviest. At any rate,
he was interested in knowing if
the ice on the lakes in the Berlin
area will be SO thick this winter
ship like the Caroline wont be able
to crack through and make its own
landing channels.
The commander has served In
flying boats for almost 20 years.
and believes they are here to stay
Virtually all of us who flew with
him for the "a hours are inclined
to agree.
Only one of the big new .ngines
got little rough. and it marred
the harmony for less than half an
hour. ,
Thl5 Vas an off-beat in q minor
key and soon was remeoied while
the show continued as programmed .
Can Fly on Two Engines.
The flying boat men are confident |
their planes can land Oh emergency
in heavy seas and remain afoat. !
The flight plan for this trip took
into account that more than half
the gasoline load would be expended /
before reaching the continent.
With the load thus cut down, the
ship could fly on two engines, if /,
necessary, and land in eight feet OF
water or more with less tnan a mile
run at places Like Sacramento River,
Lake Tahoe. Calf: Pyramid Lake. |
Nevada; Great Salt Lake, Path
finGer Reservoir in Wyoming. OF the
North Platte or Mississippi Rivers .
before arriving in the Great Lake. !
Despite the Safety-first flight
plan, the Caroline Mars buzzed the .
Chicago water front at 500 feet or
so. The commander, however, was
careful to keep sufficient lake water
under him and steer away from the .
downtown towers, including one .
raised by newspaper publisher
well known here.
The main purpose Of the flight
was TO collect satisfies on extreme
range and fuel consumption of the
flying boat on her inaugural flight.
Record Topped by 373 Miles. /
Another was to promote publicity
for the Naval Air Reserves, and
you can't do that as one Navy pub
lie information officer pointed out,
by tanning the flags on top of news
paper towers.
While the old distance record for
flying boats was bettered by 373
miles. the mileage was far short OF
the mark set for the longest nom
stop flight for land planes. This
is 1925 miles from Perth, Aus
tralia, to Columbus. Ohio. That
is beyond the Mars maximum range
of 6,750 miles
Comdr. Lang said the plane could
carry 300 to $50 men on a short
haul.
The new addition to the Navy's
sky fleet will be christened in the :
lagoon tomorrow by Mrs. Fred w.
Laster of Downers Grove, III. Her
son. Fred, was sailor who was
killed while trying to carry
wounded Marine to safety on Oki-
naWa.
1t will be formally called the Car
oline Mars because all Mars-type ,
planes are named for Pacific Island
groups.
The Mars will be inspected by !
visitors to the Cook County Fair
and others at it's berth near the
lake shore. 1t will remain here
until August 81. Then it will be
flown to Patuxent, Md, and later /
to Honolulu.
A mechanical harvester for sea-
fc hairr et,L;nl -,