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Aviation History
1944
1944 - 1863.PDF
U.S. NAVAL AIRSHIPS " The ' K ' ships, successful as they have been, have re-emphasised the fact that with a medium-sized airship it is not possible to make full use of its powers of endurance." with mooring masts and sub-cloud cars, etc. The names of the late General Westover and the present General Kepner, should be remembered when mentioning the Army's efforts. Goodyear* s Contribution Another invaluable contribution to the airship cause was made by Goodyears under Mr. P. W. Litchfield, with Dr. K. Arnstein as the chief designer, and Karl Fickes as chief pilot. This firm, ever since the last war, has been develop ing non-rigids, and the present American K-class is the direct result of this enterprise. By January ist, 1942, the Goodyear fleet of non rigids had made 151,810 flights, flown for 92,965 hours, carried 405,526 passengers, and covered 4,183,470 miles, and not a single passenger even "scratched a finger" during all these operations. Good- years also played a considerable part in the development of mast mooring, and .by the time war broke out the airship Enterprise, based at Washington under Karl Lange and his clever team of pilots, had ridden out gales up to 70 miles per hour whilst so moored, without suf fering harm. Goodyears also practised heavy feke-offs, and it is now possible for airships to leave the ground with 1,200 lb. overload. The U.S. Navy itself, assisted by an Austrian pilot, began experiment ing in 1916 with the 150,000 cu. ft. A.I., which was not a very successful airship, but thanks to the good work of the British, French and Italian airships in anti-submarine work, the U.S. Navy did not give up, and in 1917 designed the B-class of 70,000 cu. ft., which corresponded more or less to our original S.S. of 1915. From then on, progress has been steady, each succeeding type of air ship having been an im provement on its pre decessor, so that by a natural process of evolution the present operational " K " and " M " classes of airships have arrived. As a result of all this, the U.S. Navy has the advantage of the combined experience of the Army and Goodyears, not forgetting that of Great Britain and France. M. Juil- liot, the French designer .of the famous Lebaudy semi rigid airships, also gave a hand by going to the U.S. in 1917 and assisting the Goodrich firm who were then build ing airships. Pilots were trained in Britain and France, and by 1918 British Zeros and Coastals, and French Astra, CM., and Zodiay airships were going out on patrols with U.S. captains y/charge. The French Naval airship station at Paimboeuf, near Brest, was eventually handed over to the Americans, who then had under their charge the T.2 Capitaine Coussin. The experience then gained proved that the airship, provided that it was not working under the direct threat of hostile aircraft, could perform valuable work as an escort of surface craft, for it was, and is, the only aircraft which has (i) the necessary range to accompany a convoy <Qr, if necessary, days on end; and (ii) the ability regulate its speed to of the ships it is rig. Under these circumstances, then, it is mure economical to use 'airships for this duty than the much faster heavier - than - air machine, which has to circle round, and so waste petrol, if it As not to leave far benind a convoy perhaps steam ing at only 10 knots. Aircraft are best em ployed on offensive patrol, scouring the seas around a convoy, whilst the job of the airship is to guard the convoy itself, and watch areas where U-boats are be lieved to Tiave sub merged. It should also be The L.I is a training type of 123,000 cu. ft. capacity.
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