Air Wonder Stories, August 1929 — page 22: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Pe PETS, Te Bey ae | ; 3 116 AIR WONDER STORIES suddenly, thé blue streaks vomiting from underneath her rear aileron laterals and elevating aerofoils, van-_ ished. From out of horizontal chambers constructed “along the sides of the craft's body just below a long line of cabin windows, there appeared gradually, two wide stabilizing aerofoils, spreading like the wings of an eagle, that-floated the ship to a graceful landing. I expected to feel a tremendous quake surge. through the building as the craft landed, but there was not the slightest quiver. A Pleasant Meeting NTERESTED in this new type of ship, I dashed out of my apartment and in a minute I was-stand- ing on the landing beside it. Over the nose of the ship I noticed for the first time the controlling com- partment enclosed entirely behind thick, transparently rigid asbestos’ gelatin, the new form of glass that I had read could withstand the terrific heat caused: by the great friction through the atmosphere, - This great craft I thought certainly needed that protection! Hadn’t it come into view and landed from a distance of probably more than twenty-five miles in the space of a minute? I doubted, as I scanned the ship admur- ingly, that twenty-five miles; per minute was all this great air-cruiser was capable of doing! As I strode along the ship toward the narrowing tail, my nostrils dilated under a force of some strange gaseous.substance. A thin. wisp of vapor seemed to be issuing from a spot underneath the aileron laterals. Fourteen tubes in all protruded from under the laterals——in a diamond shape formation. They. were thick and powerful-looking and-glowed with a peculiar blue luminosity that, even at the distance where I stood, seemed. to burn my skin sharply. Truly, there were the vents from which issued the propulsion: explosions! Internal combustion engines with outlet manifolds ex- tending to the tubes under the laterals, with the centri- fugal force of a rocket, gave this great ship its astounding speed, True, the combustion of gaseous substances to cause the “rocket” propulsion force was not entirely new. It had been: evolved in 1927 by a German, and utilized for the first time to propel an old time racing car. I remembered. seeing the historic machine in the Inter- national Museum for Mechanical and Scientific Expan- sion over in New York. But what I saw now was truly a- great piece of work, the result, no doubt: of years and years of steady reseatch and experi- mentation. really awed me was the absolute secrecy that the government used in preparing this leviathan of the air for service. Now, it was doubt- lessly upon its maiden voyage or trial cruise out-of the big station at Kitty Hawk. Now the world was going to really learn something about modern aviation ! In comparison with this tremendous craft, our com- mercial ships seemed like-mere pigmies in longitu- dinal surface and velocity. This craft, I speculated, would be capable of outdistancing with little effort, even the fastest of our tiny. sport model racing planes of the humming bird principle. I was. studying intently the under-carriage of the great ship, lost in absorbing the construction of the unusual claw-like grips, which, tightly clamped, ap- parently by suction, to the floor of the landing, held the ship. firmly, Suddenly I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I jumped nervously. ““Come on, Mr. Holdon-and I'll show you. something worth looking at!” I heard a laughing voice. I was surprised at the mention of tny name for I had kept close to my-apartment and my amusing television since T had left New York for a summer vacation itt Denver. I turned and found myself staring into the bright young face of Lieutenant Bob Allison, son of my. life- long: friend and benefactor, Senator Allison. “Bob!” I cried happily, for I was very glad to see the smiling features before me. “What——how, on eatth— what are you doing here? Your dad talked with me only this morning and he told me that you were stationed at Kitty Hawk. Of course he must haye been mistaken for you couldn’t be two places at once. Tell me about yourself, Bob. What do you think of this contraption of the United States Air Forces? Quite a ship, eh?” = “You bet, Mr. Holdon!” he replied eagerly. “She's a real boat. Dad was right too, for I am stationed at Kitty Hawk. I left there just exactly an hour and twenty minutes ago and here I am at Denver.” “You—y-o-u-what?” T stared at him incredulously, “Why sure, Mr, Holdon, T left Kitty Hawk at 2:20 this afternoon——in this ship, the U. S. A. F, Annihilator, and-it is just 3:45 now. Surprised, aren't you? You ought to be, riding around in old‘tubs that can’t do better than 550: miles per hour. Why, Mr. Holdon, this craft here can do sixteen hundred ele per hour without effort, Imagine Colonel. Lindbergh doing the Atlantic in 36 hoursin1926! I don't envy him that flight-after.a cruise in the Anmiilaforl? I laughed softly at his references to dear old who had performed such a wonderful feat in ‘the old days. But of-a certainty, our heroes of to-day were. ining new glories almost daily. Take -Lieutenant- Colonel Brockenridge, for instance. He succeeded several years ago in an attempt to fly around the entire™ ” globe without a single stop and when he reached the— starting point his plane was functioning with such a hat. fectness that he continued around a second time. was a wonderful-feat for the advancement of aviation but of course it did not hold the dangers that con- fronted Lindbergh, considering the development of air- Seals since his historical flight in “The Spirit of St 1118,” t “My lord, Bob, you young bloods will get yourselves killed yet!” I groaned, holding his steady: hand in my nervous grip. “Why all the secrecy about this wonder- ful Annihilator? It will revolutionize all aviation!” ee 3 “4 “Well, you see, Mr. Holdon, the government does zZ not want to be caught again unprepared as it was fifty years ago when the Eastern Powers swooped down on us. With this ship and five thousand others. like it we have the supremacy of the air at last. By that supremacy we can force the entire world to maintain perfect harmony in peace and no more will they attempt to add rich old Uncle Samuel to their long lists of a * 2 conquests. To gain superiority over anything absolute — secrecy must be practiced. Of course, the government gave the public an insight into the construction of the craft, but so far-as mechanical principles are concerned, only a few have been thus far permitted to know them. I don’t think it will revolutionize the aviation ‘industry to any great extent, in view of the fact that the govern- ment will not permit ships of this to be con- structed: for public use. At least not for the present,” Something About Joan frie & A ND you came here in the Annihilator, Bob? I'll bet your father will havea fit at you taking such chances.” I said. = comi chookszcom