Show FUEL COST PROBLEM IS NEAR SOLUTION passenger carrying Carry lne may he be made profitable Clif chicago eago air transportation following the tremendous expansion pro gram grain of the year just closing to la cast ing about for sump some means of cutting down the heavy fuel bill and la Is looking to the development of the diesel engine to reduce operating costs costa to the point where increased passenger truffle does not pre present senj the problem of on an increasing deficit says david hodroff in the chicago news newa cheaper fuel in smaller quantities for an engine providing horse power equal to the present day ali cooled driven motors will en fincers point out oui do much to develop air transport A traffic manager of one of tile the air lines operating out of chicago when congratulated on afie increased travel over his particular cula r route produced figures to L show bow that a full load of pas pae bangers on any one of the ibe planes used I 1 on u that line represented a profit of only 22 to the company when the haul was co completed mple ted each plane every day la Is not cot tilled filled to its carrying capacity be further pointed out some flights as a conse quence showing a loss rather than a profit the problem of air transport his fits figures showed Is in the cost of operation of which a large part Is caused by charges for fuel gasoline prices high aviation gasoline costs the operators wholesale from 12 to 20 cents a gallon the prices varying with nearness to supply and facilities for handling in bulk from tank cars and on contracts made with competing den dealers As a result the average ship of 0 today flies files at a cost of something over 1 I 1 a mile to the operator some of tile the ships with the more powerful en gines will burn enough gasoline of the best quality to run the figures up to an hour these figures of course include all cost of operation such as hangars pilots and mechanics in overhaul departments with depreciation of equipment written in but the fuel bill outweighs all the abe other costs when one company made an expert mental flight last summer with two planes of the same manufacture one powered with a radial air cooled gasoline driven engine and the other with a new aviation diesel engine burning crude furnace oil air transport watched with interest fuel cost coat cut 75 per cent information gained from the corn com pany discloses that the new diesel had bud been given exhaustive tests during the summer and fall and that more than COO hours have been consumed in flights from which ditta data of inestimable value to the air industry has been gained the diesel type showed a weight reduction af f over 20 per cent over the gasoline driven motor and 83 per cent less in fuel volume Is required while there Is a 75 per cent saving in fuel cost because two big corporations are ila said id to own several diesel type engine patents while the engine has been developed to high perfection in the industrial du and marine field and new alloys boys now make possible a power plant of light construction yet capable of oil combustion under high pressure suen as the diesel the industry has great hopes for its ultimate general use in planes further block test experiments ibis winter are expected to prove whether the new diesels will stand up under high speeds for prolonged periods |