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The program was initiated by the Sperry Gyroscope Company of Brooklyn, New York, and the necessary equipment to accomplish the objectives were inventions of Mr. Elmer Sperry and his son, Lawrence. All development and testing of the devices was carried on at the Sperry Aircraft Corporation at Farmingdale where Simon was assigned to this project. Basically, the automatic pilot, devised to fly and strike as an aerial torpedo, was designed around a horizontal and longitudinal gyro, a separate asimuth gyro, and three distinct groups of vacuum mechanisms with a vacuum pump and generator. The functional development of these units was carried on in several stages using Standard E-1, English Avro, and Sperry Messenger airplanes. Three Sperry Messenger Aerial Torpedos were delivered to McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio, for U. S. Army experiments. In 1924 two Avro airplanes were rebuilt and equipped with the Sperry Aerial Torpedo equipment, sold to the British Government and delivered to the Royal Aircraft Establishment and Experimental Station at Farnborough, England. After the death of Lawrence Sperry, Simon was assigned to complete the testing and instruction of Royal Air Force pilots in the operation and handling of these Aerial Torpedo units. The following tests were required by the British Government before formal acceptance and delivery of these units could be made.

1. Aerial Torpedo to take off automatic with Simon and a British Pilot and fly 60 miles to a prescribed target and make photographs of same.
2. Fly two Aerial Torpedos, one after the other, both automatic and photograph a prescribed target.
3. Fly one Aerial Torpedo 90 miles by radio signals only from a British Bristol plane operated by a Royal Air Force pilot, carrying Simon who was to send signals to the Aerial Torpedo keeping it under control and guiding it to a prescribed target.

Simon completed these tests satisfactorily and the two Avro-Sperry Aerial

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