although previously there had been grounds for complaint on this score. As an early example of the Contest Committee's work the minimum speed of airplanes entering the Pulitzer Cup race in 1923 was fixed at 175 miles an hour at a special meeting. Furthermore, the distance and pylon arrangements of the course were fixed at a total length of 200 kilometers, with four laps around a 50-kilometer equilateral triangle, using two pylons at the turns instead of one to assure a wide turn.

NATIONAL AIR RACES AT DETROIT. One of the most important and significant air meets ever held in the United States was the National Air

Races in Detroit in October. The various contests resulted in bringing to the United States five world's speed records, while an equally sig nificant fact was that some 200 airplanes were flown to or at the competition. By these machines 292,372 miles were flown over the courses and cross-country from many parts of the United States without delay or mishap. The five

record. Out of 11 entrants who finished, the first four places were won by Curtiss racers, the winner being Lieut. R. L. Maughan, United States Air Service, in Army Curtiss racer No. 2, who accomplished the 160 mile course at an average speed of 205.8 miles per hour. The secend place was won by Lieutenant Maitland, U. S. A., whose speed for the entire course was at the rate of 198.8 miles per hour, and the third place by Lieut. H. J. Brow, U. S. N., with 193.8.

Each of the four Curtiss racers exceeded the previous world's record, and especially that made in 1921 in the same competition when the Curtiss Navy racer achieved first place at a winning speed of 177 miles. The competition was remarkably successful as there were no injuries to any of the pilots, 11 of whom finished. Several machines dropped out of the race on account of engine or other troubles.

A summary for the first three airplanes to finish follows:

records won included the 50, 100, 150, 200 kilometer and straight-away records. While American aviators and aëronautical engineers naturally were pleased at this national triumph yet the record for safety was none the less welcome and they referred with satisfaction to this achievement in practical safe. ty when competitive conditions tended toward increased hazard.. It seemed to be demonstrat ed that American built and operated airplanes are not only the fastest but are equally reliable thus warranting recognition as com

This compe

CURTISS MARINE TROPHY RACE. tition for seaplanes over a course of 160 miles formed of eight 20 mile laps with three landings took place on October 8th, in connection with the Detroit Aviation Meet. Eight seaplanes started and two finished. The winner, Lieut. A. W. Gorton, U. S. N., in a T R-1 ship plane, making an average of 112.6 miles an hour. The second place was won by Lieut. H. A. Elliott, U. S. N., in a standard Vought observation seaplane with an average speed of 108.7 miles an hour. A summary follows:

mon carriers of passengers

and goods. At this meet 121 Army Air Service machines were flown to Detroit from nearly every army flying field in the United States. Eleven planes were flown by the Navy Bureau of Aëronautics, from various air stations in the East, while 12 U. S. Air Mail planes, one from each of the prin cipal controls on the trans-continental air mail route proceeded to Detroit for the meet, after which they were flown back to their home airports, as were the other visitors. Twenty-eight of the visiting machines were civilian, in which 70 passengers traveled on the round trip flight to the races.

THE PULITZER TROPHY RACE. The Pulitzer Trophy Race, October 14, was the most important feature of the airmeet at Detroit, resulting as it did in the breaking of the world's speed

The

LIBERTY ENGINE BUILDERS TROPHY RACE. Liberty Engine Builders' Trophy was contested for on October 13th, by six entrants over a triangular course of 257.7 miles, extending over Lake St. Clair. First place was taken by Lieut. T. J. Koenig, U. S. Air Service, flying at an average speed of 128.8 miles an hour. Koenig's plane, it is interesting to state, was the one used by Lieut. John A. Macready in establishing a world's altitude record of 37,800 feet above McCook Field at Dayton, Ohio, on Sept. 19, 1921.

Lieut. Follett Bradley of Chanute Field, Rantoul, Ill., captured second place in a De Haviland observation plane, which he flew at an average speed of 126.5 miles per hour, while Lieut. W. R. Carter in a similar machine was third with an average speed of 118.1 miles. Summaries follow:

Lieutenant Cummings was third in a Martin bomber similar to Austin's.

The John L. Mitchell Trophy Competition was established by Brig. Gen. William Mitchell, U. S. A., in memory of his brother John L. Mitchell who was killed in France. It was flown over a course of four laps of 50 kilometers (31.068 miles) each, a total of 124.274 miles and carried with it a cash prize of $250. All of the entrants were Air Service officers flying in Thomas-Morse MB-3 planes with Wright motors. As shown in this accompanying summary it was won by Lieut. D. F. Stace whose time was 50 minutes, 25.73 seconds.

The Detroit Aviation Country Club Trophy Race for light commercial planes on October 12th, was won by Lieut. Harold R. Harris, one of the two army entrants, in the "Honeymoon Express," equipped with a 400-horse power Liberty motor. An average speed of 135 miles an hour was made in this event. C. S. Jones in a Curtiss Oriole, who averaged 110 miles an hour, was second. A summary is given herewith:

DEUTSCH DE LA MUERTHE TROPHY RACE. This annual competition was held at Etampes, France, Sept. 30th, over a course of 300 kilometers, with five competitors, three French, one Italian, and one British. It was won by a French entrant, Fernand Lasnes, who in a modified Nieuport 1920 monoplane with Hispano 320 horse power engine covered 300 kilometers at an average speed per hour of 189 kilometers, 404 meters. His time for the first 200 kilometers was 41:27 1-5 seconds, and for the whole course of 300 kil ometers it was 62:11 4-5 seconds.

The other competitors including Sadi Lecointe were forced or ruled out. Brack papa, the Italrecord, made a mistake of some fifty meters in ian flier who for a time held the world speed crossing the starting line and was disqualified. His speed exceeded that of the 1921 winner and came within a few seconds of Lasnes. It was not until he had finished his course that he knew that he was not in the competition. Herbert James, the English competitor, had to give up during the first lap, owing to a misfortune with his map.

In connection with this competition Sadi Lecointe, the speed record-holder, at a private trial, covered 100 kilometers at an average speed of 213.75 miles per hour but this record later was supplanted by General Mitchell in the United States.

The previous speed record for an airplane, 205.223 miles per hour, had been made by Sadi Lecointe, Sept. 26, 1921. Lecointe used a 300horse power motor.

WORLD'S SPEED RECORD. On October 16, Lieut. R. L. Maughan at Mt. Clemens, Michigan, covered a one-kilometer course in an airplane at a rate of 248.5 miles an hour. This marked a world's record although unofficial. The flight, however, was accomplished during a government official test of speed planes and was electrically timed, so that it met the usual requirements for a record. Lieutenant Maughan flew in the same plane that won the Pulitzer trophy race a few days previously. On the following day, October 17, Brig. Gen. William Mitchell, U. S. A., made a world's speed record over a measured course of 224.05 miles an hour, using the same plane that was employed by Lieutenant Maughan in the Pulitzer race. This record made under official conditions supplanted that of Sadi Lecointe already referred to and that established earlier in the year by the Italian aviator, Lieutenant Brackpapa. In a biplane with an engine of 700 horse power he flew four times around the track at Mirafiori, near Turin, twice against and twice with the wind, and the average speed of the four circuits was about 220 miles an hour. WORLD'S ENDURANCE RECORD. On October 1, at San Diego, California, the Fokker monoplane, U. S. A. transport T-2, piloted by Lieuts. John A. Macready and O. G. Kelly of the United States Army Air Service, who later were to make a long distance record in the same machine, remained in the air 35 hours and 18 minutes, thus constituting a world's record. DISTANCE FLIGHT RECORD. A non-stop flight of 2060 miles, making a world's record for distance, was made November third and fourth, 1922, by Lieuts. John A. Macready and Oakley G. Kelly, United States Army Air Service pilots, who flew from San Diego, California, to Indianapolis, Indiana, where a forced landing was made at Fort Benjamin Harrison, on account of a cracked water jacket developing on the engine. The machine used was the United States Army T-2, a monoplane, which was one of two commercial passenger planes built by A. Fokker at Amsterdam. This type had been developed as an eight passenger machine for use on the air lines in Holland and Russia, being known in Europe as the F-4, and giving excellent service wherever it was employed.

ALTITUDE WITH PASSENGERS. Another record of the year was made by Lieut. Leigh Wade, U. S. A., Test Pilot Air Service, on August first, when accompanied by Captain A. W. Stevens, aerial photographer, and Sergt. Roy Laugham, at McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio. He made an altitude record of 23,350 feet with two passengers. This was accomplished in a Martin bomber, and the trip up took one hour and 50 minutes, while the downward journey occupied 23 minutes.

PARACHUTE FALL RECORD. Another record coming to the United States during the year was that of distance in dropping with a para

chute. Capt. A. W. Stevens, U. S. Army Air. Service in June made an official record by dropping 24,206 feet on McCook Field.

NOTABLE FLIGHTS. One of the most notable flights of the year was made by Lieut. James H. Doolittle, U. S. Army Air Service, who flew on September 5 from the Atlantic Coast to the Pacific, landing at Rockwell Field with an actual flying time of 21 hours and 20 minutes, or an elapsed time of 22 hours and 35 minutes, as he made a stop of one hour and 15 minutes at Kelly Field, Texas, to replenish fuel. The plane used was a DH4-B, somewhat changed and improved for this special flight.

FLIGHT FROM PORTUGAL TO BRAZIL. On March 30th, Capts. Sacadura and Coutinho, two Portu guese aviators, left Lisbon in an attempted flight to Rio de Janeiro by way of the Canary Islands. Various mishaps attended this effort, in the course of which three hydroplanes were used up, but on June 17th, Rio de Janeiro was successfully reached. The greatest enthusiasm was manifested in both Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro and the inhabitants of the latter city presented the two officers with a purse of 10,000 pounds. These Portuguese aviators proposed to repeat the trip and placed an order in Italy for a triple motor Savoia seaplane capable of flying 3000 miles without a landing.

NEW YORK TO BRAZIL. A notable long distance flight was that made in a seaplane by Lieut. Walter Hinton, one of the pilots of the N C-4 the first aircraft to cross the Atlantic, on the plane Sampaio Correia, from New York to Rio de Janeiro. Lieutenant Hinton, accompanied by Dr. E. P. Martin of Brazil and John Wilhausen, left New York on August 17 in the seaplane SC-11, with an 800 hp motor. He flew down the Coast, stopping at various points and then proceeded from West Palm Beach to Nassau, whence he continued his trip through the Islands of the West Indies, and on December 14 arrived at Maranhao, Brazil, a total distance of 4838 miles which consumed 5479 minutes of actual flying time.

Near

ATTEMPTED AROUND-THE-WORLD FLIGHT. Lack of fortune attended the attempt at an Aroundthe-World flight by Maj. W. T. Blake, a British aviator who was accompanied by Capt. Norman MacMillan and Captain Malins. They left Croyden, England, May 24 in a 3-seater D H-9 airplane and by rapid stages reached Calcutta, India, where Major Blake was forced to undergo an operation for appendicitis. Accordingly Captains MacMillan and Malins proceeded in a Fairly twin float seaplane which was to be used for the flight to Vancouver, Canada. Chittagong and over the Bay of Bengal the craft was wrecked and the aviators were saved by a passing ship. It was impossible to secure another seaplane in India or to wait until one could be sent from India so the trip was abandoned, as it was not deemed prudent to fly over the Northern Pacific later than early September on account of the heavy fogs. However more than 7000 miles were covered and no striking difficulties were encountered. Arrangements had been made to have planes and supplies at different points and elaborate preparations were set on foot.

GLIDERS AND SOARING FLIGHT. During the year 1922 increased interest in gliders and soaring flight was manifested not only in Germany. where notable records had been made in the

previous year, but also in other countries, and substantial advances were scored. This field of flying in a heavier than air machine without a motor had been rather neglected since the early experiments of the Wright brothers and their predecessors, but it aroused considerable interest in Germany after the war among students of aviation who desired to test various theories and to develop experimentally devices that had bearing on the supporting surfaces of aeroplanes. In addition there was an element of sport involved, inasmuch as flying without a motor possessed a distinct fascination.

The glider was arranged so that it would take off from some elevation and would move forward and downward, the ratio of the progressive motion to the fall of course measure the efficiency of the plane. On the other hand, for soaring flight there was necessary a wind which would carry the plane aloft and maintain it for a greater or less period of time just as in the case of a bird.

In 1920 the first notable flight soaring competition was held in the Rhön valley, and various planes were entered by various German enthusiasts. This was won by a machine designed and piloted by Klemperer of the Aerodynamic Laboratory of the Aachen Technical Institute. This machine made a two and a half minute stop flight, covering a distance of 6000 feet. In 1921, at the second Rhön competition more than 40 machines were entered of various types, some of which were able to achieve flights of five minutes duration and longer, and to cover distances of between 10,000 and 13,000 feet. It was possible for these machines to round curves as well as to move in closed circles. Klemperer, on August 30, flew from Wasserkupfe to Gersfeld in 13 minutes, rising to a height of about 300 feet and remaining in the air at that height after making a ten minute straight flight.

This accomplishment might be compared with the three minutes in the air of Orville Wright, but it was only a step and straightway flights of from 15 to 21 minutes duration were made. Later, on September 5, 1921, Hanover made a plane flight of 15 minutes, 40 seconds, in which it indicated a straight line distance of 4% miles between the starting and landing points. These gliders and sail planes, it may be said in passing, closely resembled ordinary planes without motors and were supplied with control devices so that they could rise or descend at will as well as be directed.

The most notable achievement of the German glider competition of 1922 which was held in the Rhön Valley at Gersfeld near Wiesbaden, was the accomplishment of the aviator H. P. Hentzen in the single deck glider "Greif," who remained aloft two hours and ten minutes, on August 19. On August 24 the same aviator was able to increase the duration of flight to 3 hours and 7 minutes, and rise to a height of 1000 feet. Much of this German air experiment work was carried out in valleys where it was possible to study the air currents and have certain definite wind.

The German sailplane which made the world's record for a glider was designed by George H. Madelung, a German who had been connected with airplane design in Germany, since 1914. In 1921 he came to America, joining the engi neer staff of the Glenn L. Martin Company of

Cleveland, O.. and was active in the development of the various types of airplanes for that organization.

Not only in Germany but in France interest was manifested in gliders and an international competition was held at Clermont-Ferrand in the course of which the well known French aviator, Bossoutout flew two minutes and 51 seconds in a Farman monoplane. This competition was attended by E. T. Allen of Chicago, who had entered the glider constructed by himself, and two other students of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Later in the year in England the world's duration record for sailplanes or gliders was made at Itford Hill, near Lewes, on October 21, 1922, in the London Daily Mail competition by M. Maneyrolle, who in a Peyret tandem monoplane of French construction remained aloft, three hours and 21 minutes, beating the record of the German, Hentzen, who previously had achieved three hours and seven minutes in the air. This competition carried with it a prize of one thousand pounds. It is worthy of record that this glider resembled closely the design of the steam driven "Aërodrome" of S. P. Langley, developed in 1896 in the United States.

In the Daily Mail competition another world's record for a glider with one passenger was made also on October 21, by a Fokker sailplane piloted by G. R. Olley at New Haven, England. This record was 49 minutes in the air and supplanted a previous record of 13 minutes made by A. G. Fokker, at Gersfeld, Germany, on August 27.

In the United States the first successful gliding contest since the Wright epoch-making experiments in 1903, were made at Ipswich, Massachusetts, June 12, by three students of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: E. T. Allen of Chicago, Harry C. Karcher of Mansfield, Ohio, and Otto C. Kappen of Mamaroneck, New York. Mr. Karcher was the principal designer of an improved glider which was constructed under the general direction of Mr. Karcher, while Mr. Allen was the pilot. In the trials attempted on June 12th, the machine made flights from a 50-foot elevation with some success, but it was decided to re-design it and it was taken to France to participate in the International Gliding Contest at Clermont-Ferrand. It was much lighter than the German machines, but exhibited a number of interesting features.

a

In the United States also, Glenn H. Curtiss and others were interested in the development of gliders and sailplanes. Curtiss carried on number of experiments where special forms of gliding planes were towed behind a high-speed motor boat, and their behavior under different conditions was carefully observed. The National Aëronautic Association, late in the year, appointed a sub-committee to investigate and report on the glider contest, the chairman of which was Orville Wright, who nineteen years previously had made the first flight in a mechanically propelled, heavier than air, machine. It was quite appropriate that Mr. Wright should head this committee as the development of the airplane came largely as the result of many experiments with gliding flights carried on by his brother and himself. Other members of the committee were Dr. George W. Lewis, executive secretary of the National Advisory Committee of

Aeronautics, Prof. E. P. Warren and E. T. Allen of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and B. Russell Shaw of the contest committee of the National Aëronautics Association.

HELICOPTER. In the course of the year further experiments and trials were made of a helicopter originally designed by Emil Berliner, the well-known inventor and after his death developed by his son, Henry Berliner. Officers of the United States Army Air Service who were present at the trial of one of these Berliner machines expressed the opinion that there had been developed at least the fundamental basis of a helicopter that would rise straight from the ground to any distance required and then fly away in a fashion similar to an ordinary airplane. In trials held during the year on three separate occasions the Berliner helicopter was able to raise itself seven feet straight up from the ground and remain there motionless, going neither forward nor backward. upward nor downward. Furthermore in a flight around the track at College Point, Md.. Mr. Berliner demonstrated that forward motion was possible from the same source of power that gave the machine its upward lift. He believed that by employing a more powerful engine and with a few minor alterations in the craft, without any change in its fundamental principles. there would be developed a machine that would revolutionize flying and in particular make it possible for heavier than air craft to alight on roofs and other small open spaces without the slightest danger to the passengers or crew of the craft.

The Berliner helicopter which had a body similar to that of an airplane was driven, both forward and upward, by one motor. There were however three propellers, two for the upward motion and one for the forward motion. While the new helicopter was in an experimental state, yet in the opinion of officers of the American Air Service it was superior to similar machines. In France considerable interest attached to the helicopter invented by M. Pescara, and constructed by the French Technical Section of Aviation. In this helicopter vertical motion was produced by the rotation of two wings in a horizontal position, which can be adjusted around a vertical axis so as to act as a propeller. For horizontal translation there is provided a small propeller. Pescara's first machine had a spread of the planes of 8 meters, but a second one, which he had designed was to measure only 6 meters in the spread of its planes. DIRIGIBLES. During the year there was rather more discussion and study of large dirigibles, than actual construction. Various German engineers visited America and other countries in reference to the organization and development of air routes operated by such machines. Germany was still forbidden, by the rules drawn up at the conclusion of the war, to build large airships, though it was reported that the Zeppelin works were engaged in making a new airship for the United States Air Service which was to take the place of the R-38. Further more, American interests sought to obtain full German rights to build airships elsewhere, and it was not impossible that within the near future cooperation would be secured between American capitalists and German builders leading to the development of such aircraft.

U. S. NAVY DIRIGIBLE Z R 1. During the year

the U. S. Navy dirigible Z R 1, which was under construction at Lakehurst, N. J., was the subject of investigation by a technical committee, composed of Henry Goldmark, New York, chairman, and W. W. Pagon, Baltimore, secretary, both civil engineers, and Prof. William Hovgaard, Boston, Dr. L. B. Tuckerman, Bureau of Standards, and Dr. M. M. Munk, of the National Advisory Committee for Aëronautics. This airship, it will be recalled, from the description in the YEAR BOOK for 1921 was in many respects similar in design to the British dirigible R 38 (American number Z R 2), which met with disaster while flying over the Humber River, England, August 24, 1921. In a preliminary statement issued later in the year, this committee stated that the design of the airship was satisfactory and all available information on the subject had been applied with good judgment. Furthermore it was stated that the quality of materials used and the methods of construction were satisfactory, that the strength of individual parts had been demonstrated by tests; and that the vessel was stronger than the R 38. The committee also referred to the fact that the reasons for the failure of the latter had not been definitely established by the British report. On the other hand it was stated that the design of the Z R 1 contained careful provision for possible causes of failure other than struc-. tural weakness.

A UNITED STATES SEMI-RIGID DIRIGIBLE. During the year the first semi-rigid dirigible to be built in the United States, and the largest in the world was being designed at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Akron, O., with the assistance of Umberto Nobile, the Italian aëronautical engineer and the managing director of the Italian Aircraft factory near Rome. It had a gas bag 300 feet long, with a capacity of 750,000 cubic feet, and was designed to develop a speed of 70 miles an hour. It would have a cruising radius of more than 4000 miles, and was to be used as an airplane carrier, being able to take up and release airplanes while flying at full speed. There was a metal keel from which the power cars and navigating cars would be suspended. This airship may be compared with the Z R-1 which is 600 feet in length, and has a total gas capacity of 2,250,000 cubic feet.

HELIUM PRODUCTION. The disasters attending dirigible balloons during the year caused attention to be directed to the helium production plant at Fort Worth, Texas, which had been established as a war measure and which was able to produce this gas on a large scale. From July 1, to Nov. 30, 1921, 1.841,000 cubic feet of helium had been produced before operations were suspended and the plant remained in an inactive state throughout the remainder of the fiscal year for lack of funds. It was demonstrated, however, that when the plant was operated to full capacity it was capable of extracting helium in amounts equal to or greater than the designed production. Helium to the amount of 250,000 cubic feet was shipped to Hampton Roads for experimental use with airships, and upon completion of these first flights the helium was recompressed into the standard cylinders with but a slight loss. With such a supply of helium available it was argued that all dirigibles should be inflated with it rather than with the inflammable hydrogen gas. Reduced appropriations and inability to operate the plant to