Air ( Currents
By FREDERICK GRAHAM
The day may not be far distant
when United States Army air
men will lie prone on their sto
machs instead of sitting bolt up
right as they go into aerial ac
tion. For, according, to the cur
rent issue of the Army and Navy
Journal, the United States has
been conducting experiments in
prone flying for some time.
The advantages of prone flying
are said to be many. For ex
ample, the size of the fuselage
can be cut flown, thus giving
greater speed and over-all per
formance, and wear and tear on
the crews will he materially cut.
According to the Army and Navy
Journal, the German Luftwaffe
has already developed such a
plane, and although it is still in
an experimental stage, it is said
to have been flown over Europe.
Except in high places in the
United States Government, lit
tle is known here about that new
German craft. It is known, how
ever, that it is Focke-Wulf fight
er plane and that the pilot and
two-man crew lie prone on their
stomachs from the time they
board the ship until they land.
The Army and Navy Journal
states that it is no secret that
the United States and Great Brit
ain have for some time been
carrying on experiments with
this revolutionary type of air
craft.
"Whether the tests conducted
here and in Great Britain have
been successful is not known,”
the Journal states, “but inform
ation seeping out of Britain
would indicate that the new Spit
fire has some remarkable im
provement —if not prone design
because it is contended that the |
performance of the new Sub
marine Spitfire equals that of the (
Focke-Wulf and the German j
Heinkel, which is aso adapted
to prone flying.
“While it is true that prone fly j
ing would tend to decrease the!
size of the cross-section of the
plane and thus provide for less
drag and air resistance, a big val
ue also lies in the fact that it
will decrease the “blackout” so
often encountered by combat pi
lots today. In all conventional
planes where the pilot sits up
right the centrifugal force is
virtually perpendicular with the
pilot’s body. Thus more readily
the blood drains from the pilot’s
head. In prone flying the centri
fugal force is almost horizontal
II Japan Takes
\ lariivostok Then
Alaska in Peri!
CHUNGKING. China, Jan. —
The newspaper Kung Pao pub
lished in Chungking urged that
Russia strike now at Japan be
fore the Japs are ready to at
tack Vladivostok.
“If Japan takes Vladivostok,
she may easily threaten Alaska
and consequently make the en
tire Pacific Ocean a veritable
Japanese lake.”
to the p lot’s body. This tends to
reduce 'blackouts’ in that the
pilot can in this position with
stand greater centrifugal force
and consequently increased
speed and tighter spirals. In dive
bombing it provides for delayed
'pull-outs’—that is. the p lot can
dive to a lower altitude, per
haps only a few hundred feet
above the target, before releas
ing his bombs and ‘pulling out.’ "
Mere Dive Humbert;
America’s largest factory for
the production of dive bombers
for the United States Navy, the
25-acre plant erected by Curtiss
Wright Corporation at Cn'umbu;.
Ohio, in only 147 days, was dedi
cated recently.
The largest a rcraft manufac
turing plant in the Middle West
and one of the nation’s mo9i
modern examples of high-speed,
mass production of naval air
craft, the new structure compris-1
es approximately 1,300,000 sq. ft.
of floor space and was erected at
a total cost of $14,0*00,000. ac
cording to G. W. Vaughan, presi-:
dent of Curtiss-Wright Corpora
tion. It possesses “b'ackout" fact
ilities and other features for use
in an emergency.
The two types of planes to be
produced here are the newly de-,
signed Curtiss Helldiver, SB2C-1
dive bomber — called the most
powerful dive bomber in the
world by Curtiss-Wright and
Navy’ engineers; and the newly
developed * Curtiss Seagull
S03C-1 scout observation—rated
as the fastest cruiser or battle-!
ship-based airplane ever produc
ed. I
The newr Columbus plant is the
second of three Curtiss-Wright
aircraft manufacturing units to
be rushed to completion since
the national emergency.
Buy Defense Bonds and Stamps
JAPANESE ATTACK NORTHERN LUZON
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Heavy Japanese land and air forces fought with Philippine de
fenders, with the battle line extending between Appari and Vi
gan, the U. S. Army headquarters said. A landing was affected j
at Appari, with the Japanes« admitting the loss of planes and
transports. Map shows proximity to Manila and protecting mill-1
tary bases.
I
i
GUNS THAT MAN CORREGIDOR
Top, member of a gun crfrw gets firing data. Bottom, one rf the
heavy mortars in emplacement on Corrcgklor Island, at entrance
to Manila Bay. These photographs were made before the out
break of the war with Japan by Paramount News.
Dont Annoy Your Neighbor By Borrowing His Paper
THE SMOKE-BEATE R—Smoke screen laid down h>- a
scout car near Chester, N. C., during mock battle between f<. iii
corps troops and the first army added spring to the legs of this
soldier, who seems anxious to get out of it.
RACES THROUCH ITS PACES IN ARMY TES T—Over an obstacle noses the experimental model of a tank de
stroyer demonstrated at Arlington, Va., for the army. It was then without armor plate or guns, is said to be able to bit 61 miles per hour.
IT’S A TIGHT SQUEEZE FOR UNCLE SAM —'Through pipes that were only one of several obstacles at the Fort
_Belvoir, Va„ endurance course scramble two engineers, to prove that their stamina measures up to Uncle Sam’s requirements.
they would read your ad Dollars Sent Away for Printing Never
TOO, IF IT APPEARED HERE {’ome Hack .. Let (Js Do \Wur Print"
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