Evening star., 1948-04-12
sRefuelinf in FIisht' Doubted


Farther and Faster am convinced that the
ceeded only by the rapidity with which new
wishful fantasies are created BY the politicians
propagandists and statesmen Of the Air Force
and aviation industry.
Air Secretary Symington's overnight "de-
velopment" Of 50 new technique for refueling
in flight" Is but transparent attempt to dis
credit the Congressional Air Policy Boards
statement that 1000 miles Is the maximum ef-
fcctiye bombing radius Of existing Air Force
planes The new technique exists solely on
paper, which Is long way from an effective
application under combat conditions
What new development, for example, per-
mts the bomber and the tanker to locate each
other In the vast reaches OF the air over the
trackless ocean or the frozen Arctic wastes? By
what magic will they refuel, If there are clouds
or turbulent weather at the limited attitudes
where refueling is practicable? How can vul-
nerabe tanker planes approach enemy terri
tory?
And what of costs? For 2,O0O-mile bomber
to make 4,000-mle trip it must be refueled
both going and returning, at point halfway
to the target. Thus for each bomber we viii
have TO provide two large tanker planes. The
entire operation will consume four times as
perhaps 100 tons 10000 gallons) for each
bonoer used. For each bomber airfield, two
additional large and expensive tanker air.
fields will have to be built and provided with
defenses. And each bomber will require two
bomber crews and two or four tanker crews,
since the flights will be 20 to 40 hours long
All this to support a combat effort which even
Mr.. Symington admits Gf 1t proves practicable)
will be ''limited and indecisive"
Equally ridiculous is the Air Force-approved
announcement of an 5000 horsepower Jet air
craft engine" which will enable let planes ito
travel at their extraordinary speed and still
enjoy the range of our best but considerably
slower propeller-driven planes"
The scientific facts are these: Propeller
driven planes attain long range by virtue of
emctent operation at low cruising speeds At
these low speeds drag and skin friction are
minimized. And the conventional aircraft
engine is at its most efficient in converting
fuel into power at these same low speeds.
Jet engines, on the contrary, are frightfully
inefficient at low speeds. At 200 miles an hour
Jet engine puts out about one-third as much
horsepower as it puts out at 500 miles an hour
per gallon OF fuel consumed. In Jet you can
take your choice: Waste fuel in the engine at
low speeds or waste fuel in friction and drag
tives no magic escapes.
Aeronautical engineers have computed that
the maximum attainable effective bombing
radius Of propeller-driven plane will be
about $500 miles, and of Jet plane about
1900 miles, when it becomes possible to in
corporate into production airplanes all re-
finements which theoretically are attainable.
After As years OF aviation we have attained
1000 OF the $500 figures, but in the newer let
held the Air Forces huge new multi-jet bomb
ers have an announced combat radius of only
300 miles. II this new engine when produced
brings even so per cent increase in range
1t will still offer no competition in range to
such plane as the present B-29
Such uncritical acceptance of wishful prop
aganda claims as The Stars editorial incorpo-
rated can only set back Secretary Forrestal's
efforts to build the realistic and balanced mill
tary forces required to meet our military needs
OF the foreseeable future.
GLOBE GIRDLER.
DIR. Rutland DeniesiUse of tPaupers'
rothe Editor of The Star: 1<tR 5Saa
My attention has been called to letters pub
lished in your paper of Wednesday, April T.,
in which the writers berate the Health Omcer
because, allegedly, he applied the term
"paupers' to the patients at Freedmen's Hos
pital who have thus far refused to be trans
ferred from that institution to the District
controlled Glenn Dale Sanatorium
wish to state for the record that did
not use that term. More than 80 years of ad-
ministrative service in the care of the sick
have amply conditioned me not to use any
derogatory terms with regard to patients who
must accept service at public expense. 1t is
unJustifled. In the case of tuberculosis 1t Is
doubly so because 1t Is well known that pa
tients who unfortunately have contracted
tuberculosis are subject, because Of the long
drawn out illness, to undue burden Of expense
which, rarely, the patient or his family can
carry. To apply such term to tuberculous
patients, therefore, would make no sense At
the same time, wish to state that believe
the refusal of the 10 patients at Freedmen,s
Hospital to be transferred to Glenn Dale to be
most i'll advised and uniustified.
However for the benefit of the specific pa
tients in question: as well as all patients who
must accept medical care at the expense Of
public service, shall appreciate 1t If you will
print this correction of the statement which
you apparently carried with regard to the ap-
plication of the word "pauper" to this cate
CORY Of patients.
GEORGE C. RUTLAND, ND,
Health Ofhcer.
Editors note: The letters to which DR..
Rutland takes exception were based on = news
story in The Star. Dan E. O'Connell, Star
reporter who obtained the interview with DR..
Ruhland says that the health officer did use
the word 'paupers" in reference to the pa
tients In printing DR.. Ruhland's denial, The
Star does not wish to imply any doubt as to
the correctness of Mr.. OConnell's report.
Yorktown Bridge Location
To the Editor Of The Star:
We note with interest . picture Of the
proposed yorktown bridge in The Star for
April 8.
Your readers should know more about this
proposed bridge. They should know that the
people Of Virginia, particularly the womens
clubs and other civic groups have fought the