Air Wonder Stories, December 1929 — page 83: what you’re looking at

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

2 HIS department is open to readers who wish to have answered quea- Toss on Aviation. As far as space will permit, of general intercst to our. readers will be answered here, -And where possible illustrations--will be used to- anawer~ the questions, Queries all questions deemed should be brief and_not more than three should be put in any letter, Address-all communications to the Editor. Why. Not a Motor Under the Wings? Biitor, Aviation Forsm: T-have read your Ate Wonnen Stortes of September, and would like to know why the idea of Lowell: H.- Morrow in his “Air Terror” BE teving the motor under the wings, isnot 118 FRED BOLTE, Detroit, Mich. (A ‘great tiany. ideasthat are finefrom a general’ scientific. standpoint: do not work: tech- Mically, The business of the scientist—is— to outline general laws of nature and to indicate a possible application for them, It is the job of the engineer to design and actually build the machine, and to weigh its advantages and Gisndvantases in practice, As wo sce ft the ides of , Morrow might be — scientifically feasible; but from.s technical or Suginesting standpoint we believo that. the stability: addec to a plane wonld be offuet:by. the grent loss in wer, The analogy of a plane with a- bird somewhat fallacious, for a bird’s power plant fs in the muscles of its wings. A plane must have the power plant to economy, driving the ropeller directly, low. the propeller must, m screwing the plane through ‘the air, throw backward great gusts of -air, If the power plant,°and- therefore the sproveller: were -built under the: body thé propeller would “be thrust: ing back toward the bodyof the plane. great volumes ‘of air and. therefore increasing greatly the “parasitic” resistanceof the plane. If the wer. plant were lociated—below the body, then he platie would have to: be bullt upon stilts. This is indicated in the accompanying illustra- tions, —Editor.) What is Neutronium? Editor, Aviation Forum: Tn varions articles that you have written and the story, ‘Where Gravity. Ends,” you have spoken of. Neutronium as the benoviest substance known, I would be very grateful .to-you for any. information that-you cold give me con- ferning this substance and proof of its existence, . NORMAN MENSORTAN, Redwood City, Calif. (Neutronium. is not known to be an actual substance in éxistence, It- ia a possible. sub- stance that-will come into existence” under cor: tain: conditions, =It bas long been récognized that eventhe most dense of our-elements-are relatively porous substances, Between) the elec- trons end seven jbetheen: ames. Hee st capty spa jousands_o! 28 er in volume than thie bits of material, Now it is: believed and calculnted that, if the-empty. spaces between the atoma could he filled: with substance, then 2 \material-which would’ weigh 16,000,000 posns per cubic -inch- would result This ‘hypo etical substance is known as nettronium. It- would be-20--heavy that. the: earth’s ' crast could_ not support it. As yet no such substance bas been made-—Editor.) Why Not the Jupiter Invisible? Editor, Avigtiow Forum: I have’ just. finished reading the current issue of Arm Wonver Stouts, I class stories as follows: 1, “The Robot Master.” (evonnesteresctr boars onze The-upper illustra: tion shows that-by pitting a motor en- tirely under: the fuselage it. would necessitate raising the plane- higher off the ground and atthe same time mike an ever-pres+ ent-danger -of the propeller. snapping off while landing or taking ~ off. ‘pms rrmnevigcortiibanzoenetanngseree The lower illustra- tion shows the in- créased — resistance caused by “having the motors jist 1m- der the fuselage. aruneapeeentceeysussnganianenieeeact . “The Ark of. the Covenant.” . “The Invisible Raiders” (more of Mr, Repp’s stories, please). . “Through. the: Air Tunnel.” > “Around the. World in 24 Howrs,” » “The. Sky Maniac.” (Mr. —Juve's _ stories can't get me interested at: alls) _ In “The Invisible Raiders” the -professor’s infra-red télevision outfit was. very ‘good; but. if the raiders’ invisibility was neutralized while landing-on the Jupiter, why-was not the Jupiter made invisible? “Please explain BILLIE FINCH West Palm-Beach, Fla. , (An explanation must he made in the -ques- tion ‘asked “here, on the matter of invisibility. here ig no absolute invisibility: « An object that-exists can be seen; but it-may not be seen by tis. Therefore, to our eyes-it is invisible. row, in’ the -story, the raiders’ invisibility was neutralized-by. the professor's equipment: and to those using the equipment they were no_longer invisible, y other persons, however, the raiders. could not be seen, The-invisibility of the raiders would: hove ab- solutely no- effect on the- Jupiter, one. way or another, However, if the raiders: hud turned their invisibility apparatus on the Jupiter then it—might have heen-a: different story, We hope this clears up the quéstioni—Bditor;) 561 AUP wn Higher Altitudes by Gear Shift Editor, Aviation Forum: Is-% possible; by.-adding-a gear shift. (and can_a-gear shift -be made light-enough?) to raise a plane- higher by. speeding the “‘prop” faster than the engine “in higher altitudes:- and ~\the consequent thinner air? If the difficulty is in arranging the genr. shaft. or its weight, would it be likely:-to lift: the plane toa ciently greater height? Tf-not, why not? : The ideal arrangement for serials is: One serial er issue, and no serial “unless exceptionally to run-in thrée issues, In- four isaues, never, y JERRY NOONAN, c/o Apache (What is proposed. here ‘might -be scientifically feasible; al Bane it isto be donbted that it is technically. possible or “that it-will solve the problem that confronts altitude seekers, There 18 pe pray Rae of the ‘is chute of tered at tudes is obtat a sacieaeat Breet sect ae the es air, we might be obtained by speeding up the propeller, but-there- are-.several_ disadvantages; Rha first ig that propellers. are already operated at high speeds, and it is! to be doubted whether they ean~atand: the increase: in speed necessary -to epee fhe ade Ae ee The second point that what necegsa! is to obtain more. instantaneous traction on the air, instead of merely speeding. it up. ~ In. other words, by adding more — propellers, smore— sir would be cut at the same time and thus give a-greatet lifting effect. But the greats prob: lem--that-confronts the designers is,-that of obtaining more power from. the eagines at high altitudes; the rarefaction of the-air does not provide oxygen. in--sufficient. quantities for the e. — Superchargers -have been resorted to, 50° far. they have- been—fairly- successful; these pump in air faster-and thns make up. for the deficiency mm the—atmosphere. But— Mr, Noonaw must. not~ think that by speeding up the «propeller he -will obtain. more power; he will merely. divide the power between a greater number’ of revolutions, ~ “Irom: a - theoretical standpoint, however, -his-idea {s —very._ inter- esting and we should liké- to sce Mr. Noonan develop it. further.— Editor.) The. Rocket in a Vacuum Editor, Aviation Forum: Would ‘you please enlighten me concerning the maving of an object throngh a vacuum’ by rocket. propulsion is How can an object: be guided in a_apace void of atmospheres’ in interstellar space? What are-the plausible means of interstellar trayel? Thanking you, I remain one of your most enthusiastic readers, BILL ROSE, Venice,-Calif, (Tf two.-men were out in space and= they were to flex their arms, place palma together and then push against ‘each other they. would both move, and in ‘opposite. directions: - The movement “would be caused ~by~ their’ musetlar action in-¢reating-a force that.pushed - against both ‘at once, je. name: thing talkes place in a rocket, --The gases-resulting from the explosion of the rocktts haye a great tendency to expand fas the gases in-any cylinder], “This tendency constitutes & force; und when the gases expand and rash out-of the exhaust the force of this movement pushes the rocket in the opposite di- rection to the exhausted gases, Noi. just as the motion-of the two men did not depend on the em bate “so the motion of a rocket does not depend on it, And‘in a viewum where the resistance to motion is teduced= to almost nil the -rocket glevaloges ite greatest power. The “guiding” of. the rocket can be: done by having tybes-set at all angles in the craft, Thus if one-wishes to-go to the right a rocket on the left -Is-shot, and-vice versa. If one:'wishes fo backward=a rocket: on the front: ia “shot off, ¢-control is—perfect. The mont plausible means. of interplanetary {not interstellar] travel developed to far is the rocket machiné, -.A~-gravity nullifying craft, however, would almost entirely solve=the probe lem of flight. “The Shot Tato Infinity” in the Fall Sctuwce Wownek Quanrerty ia a story of: interplanetary flight based on the rocket machine,—Bdttor,) (Continued on page 564) —_— ae vi