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Aviation History
1929
1929 - 1170.PDF
FUGHf. JUNX 6, 1929 and maintained by the Lighthouse Division of the Depart-ment. Additional radio beacon stations will soon be in opera- tion on the Chicago-Cleveland Division of the transcontinentalairway so that airmen can be guided by radio over the entire distance from New York to Chicago. The radio beam along the Eastern Division is broadcast bytransmitters known as equi-signal beacons. The principle upon which these transmitters work is the employment oftwo cross loops, each radiating a characteristic signal. These signals interlock and form another signal along the bisectorof the planes of the loops, and when this signal is heard by the pilot in flight he knows he is following his designatedcourse. For example, the pilot hears a dot and a dash and he knowshe is on the left of the course. He swings over and hears a dash and a dot and knows by that that he is on the rightof the course. He turns back to the left a little and when the dots and dashes blend into one dash he knows he isfollowing the correct path of the airway. Because the loop transmitters are used instead of theconventional type of vertical antenna system is the reason given by experts why the beacon radio waves can be con-centrated in one direction along the course. The power generally used in transmission is 500 watts. Weather reports are transmitted to the pilot throughmeans of the voice transmitters from the ground stations to the 'plane. A different type of transmitting apparatus,tuned to a higher wave-length, is used for this voice trans- mission, which has been the subject of much intensive studyand experimentation. Ordinarily, the pilot is given hourly weather reports, but in event of a severe weather changeahead of him the radio beacon can be interrupted as a signal for him to tune to a higher wave-length to receive voice trans-mission. This he can easily do by switching a remote tuning control in the cockpit which adjusts the receiving set placedin a small compartment just to the rear of his seat. The vertical mast antenna is attached to the fuselage about mid-way to the tail surfaces. Other equipment consists of ear- phones, a volume control on the instrument board andbatteries. Either code or voice is transmitted one way—from theground to the 'plane—at present, but a device is being per- fected by which two-way communication will be possible.All N.A.T. ships will eventually be equipped with this improvement. In thick weather the pilot can determine the proximity ofan airport where a beacon is located by the narrowing path of the radio beam. The radio beam, like a beam of light,spreads sometimes to the width of two or more miles near the end of its effective path. Conversely, it converges nearer itsorigin. Thus the pilot can tell when nearing a port by the intensity of the signals and the narrowing of the effectivepath of the beam. Further aid in locating a field in thick weather is given by what is known as a marker beacon whichsends a strong signal that can be heard through the course signal and informs the pilot that he is above the field. Thisadditional to the signal system is expected to be in general use soon. Between two airports equipped with the directional appa-ratus the pilot follows the course indicated by the one he has W. L. Smith, the veteran pilot, and Superintendent of the Eastern Division of N.A.T. air lines, who made a successful test of the directional, or radio beacon appa- ratus, during which he flew in dense fog and rain, in spite of which he was at all times in close touch with the airport, and landed safely. just left for about half the distance to the next, then thebeacon located at the field toward which he is headed becomes effective and he follows its converging beam through hisreceiving set to his destination. It is planned to have these directional beacons located at200-mile intervals over all lines, and thus take advantage of this new device to overcome any delay now caused by adverseweather conditions. Severe tests to which the directional and voice transmission apparatus has been subjected byNational Air Transport pilots have proven their value and reliability as an aid to aerial navigation under all weatherconditions. Private Owner M.P. " - CAPT. H. H. BALFOUR, the private owner pilot, wasreturned for Thanet as Conservative member during the General Election. World Tourists VISCOUNT AND VISCOUNTESS DE SIBOUR (daughter of Mr. Gordon Selfridge) arrived at San Francisco, on June 4, from Shanghai on board the S.S. President, their Gipsy-Moth being carried as ordinary luggage. They intend to start flying to New York by easy stages, afterwards returning to London, where they began their world trip in September, Cross-Channel Air Routes DIRECT air connections between London and nearly100 Continental centres are shown in the new summer time- table of the cross-Channel air routes which came into opera-tion last week-end. There are three services a day between London and Berlin, the journey by air taking only 7 hours asagainst 21 hours by surface transport. A special fast service between London, Brussels and Cologne is provided byImperial Airways connection at Cologne with all parts of Central Europe, and it is now possible by leaving London at9 a.m. on this service to reach places so far away as Vienna before dusk. No fewer than eight services a day are nowscheduled in each direction between London and Paris. Aircraft and Ships' MailsAN attempt to pick up mails from the Leviathan, which has sailed from Southampton for New York, will be madeby aeroplanes on the other side of the Atlantic, states 1 he Times. R.A.F. Rifle Meeting t THE R.A.F. Rifle Association's ninth annual meeting began at Bisley on June 3. There are 12 challenge cups to be won, and about 250 competitors to shoot for them with rifle, automatic pistol and revolver. An Airport for Halifax, N.S. " -"-'.'rr::- THE project to establish an airport at Halifax, Nova Scotia, at an initial cost of $150,000 was approved by trie tax-payers in plebiscite by a majority of 1,587—2,643 ' >• and 1,056 against. New Director of Organisation, R.A.F.IT was announced in the London Gazette of June 4 that. -ir Commodore Frederick William Bow-Hill had been appoinr-dDirector of Organisation and Staff Duties, at the -^ Ministry, in succession to Air Vice-Marshal Sir Ivo Luc:asBeresford Vesey, who is returning to Army Duty—and wno holds the rank of Major-General in the Army. 460
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