Finding Position Of Missing Aircraft

Chronicle (Levin), 4 December 1948, Page 3

Finding Position Of Missing Aircraft

. WELLINGTON, Dec. 3. A .ileyice which he considers could be .uscd to : -indicate readily the~ position of a nussing, aic.craft has been devised by a Wellington man, Mr. W.- D. Bacon. The basis of the deviee is 'that it should consist of about'500 yards of thin steel wire or nylon cord housed in a eontainer. Tlie co.rd or wire would be attaclied to a brightly , colqured balloon aboflt 12'feet in rdiameter. Also in the coutainer would be a bottle of Jigliter than air gas to intlate the balloon. The coutainer would be placed in lugs near the tail of the plane so that. in the event of a sudden jolt the container would be thrown clear, whexeupan the bulloon w.ould be instantly inflated and the cord Or wire would "pay oiit. ' ' In addition the container would act as an anchor vvhile the. balloon lloated in the air. The size, colour and height of the balloon -would make it easily visible to searching aircraft, contends Mr. Bacon. Mr. Bacon has a second scheme,, a manual oue where the pilot controls the rtdease of the balloon and tlie same action would take place in this case. The deviee would operate on land and sea. In each case the container would be thrown clear of the aircraft avoiding any possibility of the deviee being burnt or caught nnder the plane. The manual control would be used in case of a foreed landing. Mr. Bacon thonglit that the deviee eould emit radio calls and possibly a light which would depend 011 the life of the battery. The suggestions were sent to the Aeting Prime Minister (hlr. Nash) who passed the information on to the Minister of Civil Aviation (Mr. Jones) who had the suggestions investigated by the Air Department technical oliicers. A letter Mr. Bacon received from Mr. Jones following investigations 'made at tlie Minister Js request stated that the idea was interesting but it was thought thal the invention required a number of fayourable factors which were unlikely to be present when the aircraft beeame iuvolved in a serious aceident. In reply to the manual control suggestion the letter stated that if the crew of an aircraft had suffieient warning of impending disaster to operate such. an indicating deviee it was thouglit there would be time to send an emergency wireless eall. Mr. Bacon replied to the Minister saying that there could be suffieient time for Ihe pilot to press a bntton but insufiicient time for him to operate the radio. The deviee would narrow down tlie need for a wide searcli. The Australian Righ Commissioner 's ollice, to .whom Mr. Bacon ;s plan also referred, thought it "a wonderful idea," and aslced him to write to the Minister of Civil Aviation in Australia ( Mr. Drakeford). Many ex-Air Force nHicers who were informed. of Mr. Bacon \s scheme thought it was praetieal and necessary.