PLANE TO DO 650 M.P.H.

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 762, 7 September 1929, Page 11

PLANE TO DO 650 M.P.H.

GERMAN WILL GO FROM U.S. i TO BERLIN IN SIX HOURS ! Germany continues true to form in i that her aviation engineers each year present for public consideration something both new and startling which threatens, if it works out according to theory, entirely to revolutionise tlie problem of man’s flight through the air, says “The New York Times.” At the same moment, the lougheralded Dornior super-flying ship is undergoing its tests on Lake Constance, there comes an announcement of a new monoplane best described as a flying fish, which, if it performs the way its inventor claims, will make Zeppelins, dorniors, and in fact all other flying machines, complete backnumbers. Then a trip from Berlin to New York in five or six hours no longer will be a Utopian dream, for that indeed is the time limit placed upon such a trip by the inventor. Strange as this claim may sound, it carries considerable endorsement that must be taken seriously. For such a world-renowned scientific authority as Professor Albert Einstein, also Count Arco, the president of the Tole- ; funken Company, Tyhich builds the j world's greatest radio stations, and likewise prominent professors at the Berlin Prolytechnic Institute, all declare their belief that the inventor, whose name is Heinz Guenther Perl, has solved the problem of reaching the high altitude necessary to develop such a speed as practically would annihilate time and space. Herr Perl, although a German, is the youngest member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Berlin. He Is now only 21 years old. and was elected a member on his loth birthday, after having invented what is known as a table stove, many of which have been sold in the United States. Herr Perl's airplane. the patent [ script covering which has just been

j issued, according to his claims, will | develop a speed of 650 to 750 miles I an hour when flying at an altitude of j 40,000'feet. Repeated tests have been made at the Lindenburg Observatory, ] near Berlin, of sending small bal- ! loons equipped with instruments to j heights of So,ooo to 100,000 feet. The results show that the density of tlie air in the stratosphere, which begin at 40.000 feet, remains the same at any higher altitude, and that the temperature also remains the same. Therefore Herr Perl contends it is unnecessary to fly higher than 40,000 feet, but that, such an altitude must be maintained in order to fly through the stratosphere instead of atmosphere. Herr Perl gave “The New York Times’s” Berlin correspondent an exclusive interview, in which he reveals certain details of his invention. He declares it will be able to reach the ! desired altitude of 40,000 feet within an hour and 40 minutes after leaving the ground, mounting at an angle of 45 degrees in a line, instead of circling, as is now necessary in seeking a high altitude. The plane’s body, he says, is shaped like that of a Zeppelin, and is made entirely of duraliminium. Air Supply Arrangements One motor of 85-h.p. is installed ' j within the body, which is hermetically sealed against outward pressure. A ! turbine compressor, which sucks air ■ from without, automatically regulates , the atmospheric pressure, which is , constantly kept at 760 millimeters in ; any altitude. The air is drawn in over > the hot exhaust pipe to promote the t maintenance of an even temperature, and simultaneously increases the i capacity of the motor, which can be i throttled after reaching the maximum • i altitude in order to economise on : fuel. Another feature is that the wheels ; j and other starting gear which offer t j resistance are drawn within the fishI like body as soon as the plane leaves | the ground. The wings are shaped t j like the fins of a flying fish. Also, l ] there are small stabilising fins at the

■ tail. The plane's measurements are | so small that the inventor says he can 'start from any regular roadway with 11,200 ft of straight-way, can develop a I starting speed of 110 miles an hour. ! and can attain a speed of 310 miles j within 20 minutes. j At such speeds, Herr I’erl declares. I weather conditions can have no effect I upon the plane’s stability. The fact. that the starting gear can be drawn I into the body of the plane, he says, j will permit it to swim in an finerj geucy. Inasmuch as flying at such a great height would make it impossible properly to see tho course, tho | plant must be aided by radio direction, therefore by the aid i| its own ! receiving set it must keep in conj stant contact with the earth. 1 The plane's total length is only 22 ; feet, and its total weight I,ooolb. There is space for fuel, passengers, pilot, and a small amount of baggage. Herr Perl estimates that the cost of J the first machines will be 9,000 dolj lars, which he says can be reduced j considerably when he gets to mass I production. He says that on account ! of the small size of the motor, the total cost of fuel for the trip from j Berlin to New York need not exceed l ten dollars. After all these modest declarations of what, he expects his flying fish to accomplish, Herr Perl naively con- . eluded with the remark: —"My plane is not intended to establish a new , | world’s record, but is calculated on sound business principles. 1 expect [ it to be ready for the first flight i within four months, and hope person- ! ally to pilot it on the first trip to ’ ! New York..” • I Herr Perl is well known in Germany i j for several inventions, including a 1 security lock, which Is in general use. ; He made his first invention when he ; | was 11 years old, and he has since -! recorded six inventions in the Ger- , man Patent Office. The flying fish - j patent already has attracted such at- ! tention that Herr Perl has received . i several offers of hacking from men 2 j prominent in financial circles.