SECRET TESTS

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20729, 13 February 1939, Page 7

SECRET TESTS

FIGHTING AEROPLANE SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENTS BEST MILITARY MACHINE United Press Assn.—Elec. TeL Copyright) LOS ANGELES, Feb. 11 The United States Army Air Corps has announced Jhat successful secret tests have been made of a revolutionary single-seater twin-engined fighting > aeroplane. Major-General H. H. Arnold, Chief of the Air Corps admitted that the aeroplane flew at nearly 400 miles per • hour, and commented that it. probably < exceeded in performance any military , aeroplane in the world. < “This machine opens up new horizons of performance unattainable by \ nations banking solely on single en- ? gines,” said Major-General Arnold. | Army engineers, convinced that fight- ; ers are reaching the limits of their single engines, while multi-motored bombers are going on to higher speeds, have decided that twin-engin-ed fighters are the logical step. The Lockheed Aircraft Corporation has been secretly building this machine for 18 months. It is all-metal and streamlined, and the motors are mounted on the leading edge of each wing. Features include tricycle landing-gear, high-lift device for quick climbing, and sub-stratosphere flying equipment. It is revealed that the new areoplane struck a tree when attempting a landing at the New York Army aerodrome after almost a record flight from California, covering ithe 2400 miles in 7J hours. The impact ripped off the right wing, crushed the fuselage and bent the propellers. The pilot., Lieutenant Ben Kelsey, was slightly injured. The aeroplane is reported to have cost 80,000 dollars. SECRET AEROPLANE RECORD SPEED EXPECTED VISCOUNT NUFFIELD’S ASSISTANCE (By Telegraph.—Special from “ Martian**) LONDON, Feb. 12 Reynolds News says Viscount Nuffield is financing the construction of a secret aeroplane, which is expected to recapture the record for Britain, with a speed of 500 miles an hour. •"SE. AMERICAN AEROPLANES PURCHASES BY BRITAIN IMPORTATIONS BY FRANCE (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 The State Department reveals that Britain in January obtained export licences for the purchase of 4,000,000 dollars worth of military aeroplanes, chiefly for training and observation purposes. France imported frofn America 1,250,000 dollars worth of war materials in the same month.