Pleasant Grove Review | 1934-02-23 | Page 3 | Have Vision of Flying at 554 Miles an Hour

computed speed of GOO miles an hour or nearly SO per cent of the speed ot sou nd. HAVE VISION OF FLYING AT 554 MILES AN HOUR An airplane capable of flying 53-1 miles an hour, using existing engines, could be built today by applying known aerodynamic principles to its design and construction, according to John Stack of the national advisory committee for aeronautics. This is 131 miles an hour faster than the present speed record. What such a high-speed plane would be like is described by Mr. Stack in the first issue of the Journal of the Aeronautical Sciences, reprinted reprint-ed in the Literary Digest. It would differ only slightly in form from the transport planes used on transcontinental transconti-nental airways. The wings of the hypothetical plane would span 29.1 feet ; the fuselage fuse-lage would be 40 inches in diameter. The plane would have completely retractable re-tractable landing gear or would be catapulated like the early Wright, tlanes, and could land on its fuse lage. The engine and pilot would be completely enclosed, vision for the pilot being provided by windows or indirectly by mirrors. The wings would be centered on the fuselage. A model of this plane has been tested in wind-tunnels and bears out Mr. Stack's calculations. The plane ivould have a landing speed of 103 miles an hour a dangerous speed, but one which could perhaps be cut with proper auxiliary devices. The same kind of plane, equipped with .5,000 horse-power engines and new types of propellers, could fly at a