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after it starts taxiing. If the tail almost touches the ground when it goes over bumps, it is loaded too tail heavy". This is an example of the attitude here towards loading. Pilots themselves have no idea of loading at all, except those pilots who are graduates of our school.

[[underlined]] Suggestion [[/underlined]]: At least one flight for each student should be made at or near full gross load (more than 50,000 pounds) with part of the load disposable in flight. The student should be required to load the airplane himself under the supervision of a competent flight engineer. For take-off the C.G. [[strikethrough]] period [[/strikethrough]] should be within prescribed limits. Shortly after take-off while at cruising altitude, shift a part of the load, such as passengers, aft, so that the C.G. will go beyond limits. Allow the pilot to fly the ship in this condition a few minutes, then shift the passengers to the nose compartment, so that the C.G. will go well forward of limits. While the C.G. is outside limits, it might be well to throttle one outboard engine.

3. [[underlined]] Engine Operation [[/underlined]]: There seems to be very little uniformity with regard to engine operation in cross-country flight. Each pilot has his own ideas. They vary from keeping air speed constant by reduction of power, as was done by the British, to the other extreme of setting the power as 31" and 2250 R.P.M. and leaving it there for the entire flight. In one report the pilot left his mixture control half way between automatic lean and idle cut-off positions during an entire African trip. By doing this, he was able to maintain a fuel consumption of approximately 185 gallons per hour. Fuel consumption was apparently the only factor he considered. He did not say what happened to his engines, but the flight was completed.

I have not been able to locate any cruising information as yet. I heard reference to engineers of the Consolidated Company who are expected in Washington shortly. The inference was that they will provide cruising data.

[[underlined]] Suggestion [[/underlined]]: Any cruising data which can be derived in Albuquerque should be carefully worked up and tabulated. Some data on this subject are in my "Hold" file in my desk.

4. [[underlined]] Mechanical Difficulties with B-24 [[/underlined]]: Almost every flight report which I read contained numerous instances of minor mechanical difficulties with B-24. Most of them were of the same types we have been experiencing in Albuquerque. Others were: