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Show U. S. Park Service Acquires Autogiros WASHINGTON. The national park service Is taking a tip from the hummingbird, the stationary flier. Unlike that small but pugnacious species, park aviators will not fly sideways or backward, but they will hover over treetops, lakes, and streams by the use of two 225-horse-powcr autogiros which have been acquired through transfer from the war department. Under favorable conditions the machines are capable of maintaining stability at a virtual standstill over a chosen spot. Standard planes have been employed em-ployed from time to time for several years in national parks and allied recreational areas in fighting forest fires, finding lost persons, and transporting trans-porting medical supplies and food to Isolated stations. It was not until 1936, however, that forestry experts used an autoglro for forest spraying. In that year a successful pioneering experiment in distributing a wet spray over cankcrworm-lnfested trees was carried out at Morrlstown National Historical park. New Jersey. Jer-sey. Special Uses Also. Special uses are contemplated for the two transferred autogiros. They will scout out forest fires occurring In "blind spots" behind ridges where tower lookouts cannot see. and search for "slreper" fires that smoulder for several days before bursting suddenly Into a general conflagration con-flagration of serious proportions. A few minutes early In Die life of a fire, national park foresters point out, are worth many hours later. They can execute a 2Ml-foot takeoff take-off without wind. Tower Is supplied by a seven-rylliHier radial engine. The autogiros also will be employed em-ployed In scouting tree diseases, surveying sur-veying Insect Infestations, and taking tak-ing censuses of wildlife populations. The slow, low-Hying machines likewise like-wise are adapted specially to precision preci-sion In certain types of aerial pluv tograpliy, a fealure which will make them serviceable lo landscape architects, archi-tects, park planners nnd others who have the task of preparing genera! development programs for new recreational rec-reational areas. |