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[[left margin]] NEW YORK AMERICAN––A Paper for People Who Think––SUNDAY, APRIL 5, 1936 [[/left margin]]


10-M

Col. E. S. Gorrell Says:

U.S. Air Terminals Need Concentrated Network of Weather Report Stations

By KENT CURTIS
Second Lieutenant U. S. Army Reserves, Aviation Editor New York American.

[[Headshot Image]]
[[Caption]] KENT CURTIS [[/Caption]]

SINCE the Senate Investigating Committee, headed by New York's Senator Royal S. Copeland, began to delve into existing conditions of airways and their operation in this country, many views have been expressed concerning the efficiency of present aids to navigation and operating facilities.
Colonel E. S. Gorrell, president of the Air Transport Association of America, said in a recent letter to Senator Copeland that while a short time ago airway aids were ahead of flying equipment, today flying equipment of transportation companies has overtaken and surpassed many forms of airway aids. He said:
"We feel in the interests of safety that airway aids should be considerably expanded and improved without delay. But in order to secure and maintain safety, it is necessary that the industry be permitted to operate in the black."
Referring to the collection and dissemination of weather information, Col. Gorrell said: 
"There are four distinct improvements immediately necessary. They are:
"The installation of a concentrated network of weather reporting stations in the vicinity of air terminals. Instrument flying now brings modern airplanes accurately to destination. The problem is to anticipate the development of weather conditions to make possible safe landings or permit re-routing well in advance of any dangerous weather conditions at the terminal
"The installation o a complete off-line weather reporting system which will disclose the movement of weather before it actually arrives on an airway.
"Additional and more frequent weather reports along present airways.
"The Weather Bureau's system of utilizing airplanes for aerological flights is a splendid step forward but such information should be secured from numerous locations. This will require utilizing airports, airplanes, and pilots properly equipped to render this service 100 per cent of the time, regardless of atmospheric conditions."

* * *

Speaking of the attitude of the industry towards governmental personnel, Col. Gorrell said that technical personnel employed in connection with installation, maintenance and operation of airway aids should be employed and maintained strictly on a merit basis.
Since maintenance of aids to navigation, with the exception of weather reporting, falls within the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Air Commerce, Department of Commerce, a 12-page questionnaire was sent out to every pilot holding a transport license, about 7,000 in all. Returns came in from 1,152, with combined flying experience of more than 3,000,000 hours. These returns have just been made available in the current issue of the Air Commerce Bulletin.
Expressing satisfaction with the Federal Airways system in general, with the efficiency and dependability of the aids to air navigation and the competency of the men operating them, the pilots also frankly criticized some features and offered suggestions for improvements.
In view of the greatly increased use of radio during the past two years, satisfaction was expressed with a return of 85 per cent of those answering a question with regard to reliability of radio beams. These answers described the beams as better now than they were two years ago. Of the remainder, 11 per cent said they thought they were about the same and four per cent said they were worse.

* * *

An objection frequently expressed was to interruption of the directional signals for broadcasting weather reports. Those pilots making this objection wanted the weather broadcasts but preferred to have them under some arrangement that will not interfere with the directional signals.
Radio aids to air navigation were considered to be the most important of those maintained by the bureau by about 60 per cent of the pilots replying. Others named weather reporting, light facilities, intermediate landing fields, maps and map data and air markings of towns in the order listed.
Of the various types of radio aids, most of the pilots gave first place to radio range beacons which provide directional signals, ranking weather broadcasts to aircraft in flight as second and ground-to-plane communication third.
Thirty per cent said they favored the use of medium-powered radio range beacon stations located about 50 to 100 miles apart, while 28.9 per cent preferred the high powered beacons at 200-mile intervals.
Weather reporting stations were considered to be located at satisfactory intervals by 63 per cent, but 19 per cent saw need for additional ones. Some pilots reported that they had received inaccurate reports and others said they had difficulty in establishing contact with bureau ground stations. Some suggested a need for additional operators at ground stations, while others believed the trouble to be improper tuning of the ship's radio.
Rotating beacon lights were said to be properly located by 71 per cent. A number suggested that lines of lights be straightened out, with fields left off the direct line, where necessary, with the radio course coinciding with the line of lights.

* * *

Answers to a group of general questions proved of interest. Asked "Are intermediate fields necessary?" 85 per cent answered "Yes." Some pilots who fly large multi-engine ships expressed dissatisfaction and suggested large, highly developed fields from 100 to 200 miles apart.
Research programs now under way in the bureau were ranked in this order: Carburetor ice, propellor ice, rain and snow static, fog dissipation on runways, blind landing, approach lights, instrument approach.
To the question, "Do you believe stratosphere flying worthy of research?" 64 per cent gave affirmative answers and stated that they based their opinion on economy of operation and speed possible at great heights.