SITTING IN A BLAZING AEROPLANE

Evening Star, Issue 21748, 16 June 1934, Page 5

SITTING IN A BLAZING AEROPLANE

Major Van de Rolleghem, of the Belgian Army, is expecting to perfect a wonderfully efficient fireproof preparation of asbestos. . Plates of asbestos are soaked in three chemical baths and then baked at high temperatures. To demonstrate its value some documents were put into two boxes made of the new material, aud these were plunged into a blazing fire for a quarter of an hour. The papers received no injury whatever. A miniature monoplane was also covered with this preparation aud then soaked in petrol and set alight. The flames burned themselves but without any injury to the plane. To shoiv his confidence the major sat for ten minutes in the pilot’s seat with the plane blazing all round him. The temperature in the cabin never rose above 74deg. Finally the major held a plate of the substance in his hand while he directed the flame of an oxy-hydrogen blowpipe till the temperature on the side of the, flame rose to 3,ooodeg. The major has been a flying officer, and therefore know? the necessity of making planes fireproof.