Akron's Worth

If the U. S. S. Akron should some day wrench apart like the Shenandoah, pound to earth like the R-IOI, crash like the Roma or vanish in a sea storm like the Dixmude, two menE. C. McDonald, a construction supervisor and W. B. Underwood, mechanic--were in a position last week to shout to the country: "I told you so!" They had charged that the great dirigible was structurally deficient. The House Naval Affairs Committee was investigating. If any disaster ever befell the Akron, the public, right or wrong, would hark back distrustfully to last week's hearings.

The inquiry, demanded by Navy-heckling Representative James V. McClintic of Oklahoma, was concerned with the fact that the Akron was 19,181 Ib. overweight and 3 m. p. h. underspeed, and with the McDonald-Underwood charges that her frame was loosely riveted and contained defective metal.

According to Rear Admiral William Adger Moffett, Chief of Naval Aeronautics, the Akron's overweight was largely due to extra strengthening "and doesn't materially affect performance." New propellers will bring her speed up to 72 knots. The Akron is "the best ship ever constructed," insisted the Admiral.* On the more spectacular charge of flimsy construction, Secretary E. C. Davidson of the International Association of Machinists testified that McDonald and Underwood, employes on the job. had brought him confidential information of faulty duralumin and Hundreds of loose rivets in certain sections of the Akron's framework. Secretary Davidson notified the Navy in confidence, he said, but shortly thereafter Goodyear-Zeppelin Corp. discharged both McDonald and Underwood, one of whom had to take refuge in his father's home in Tennessee "to protect himself."

Navy inspectors smothered the charges with denials. President Paul Weeks Litchfield of Goodyear-Zeppelin Corp. testified that Underwood had been discharged for stealing Navy plans, McDonald had been laid off with hundreds of others after the Akron was completed.

When discussion turned to the Akron's sister ZRS-5 now abuilding, a Navy proposal was revealed to sell the doughty old Los Angeles (which by treaty terms cannot be equipped for war) to Goodyear-Zeppelin, proceeds to be used for enlarging the ZRS-5 from 6,500,000 cu. ft. to 7,500,000 cu. ft. at a cost of about $400,000.

Crash Behavior

How should a flyer behave toward the Press when he crashes? Last week in a truck garden near College Park. Md., Clarence Marshall Young, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics, gave a practical answer to this question as an object lesson to the entire industry.

Col. Young and Pilot Marshall S. Boggs were testing experimental radio equipment in flight when their engine went dead at 500 ft. Unable to reach the field, Pilot Boggs set the plane down in rough ground where it nosed over, a wreck. He climbed out unhurt. Col. Young's legs were cut, bruised.

Witness of the crash was Col. Young's information chief, Frederick R. Neely. A shrewd publicity manager, he requested authority to notify newspapers of the accident to avert wild rumors, scare headlines. The Press came, saw, got answers to its questions, went away satisfied that the story was trivial. Result: news reports were brief. 98% accurate.

Returning to his desk an hour after the accident, Col. Young published his 1931 inventory of U. S. planes & pilots. Total number of aircraft, licensed and unlicensed, was 10,780 as against 9,818 in 1930. Licensed pilots rose from 15,280 to 17,739. Of these 532 are women, of whom 42 hold transport licenses. New York State continued to lead in aircraft (1,227), California in pilots (3,327).

* After the Akron's return from Pacific Fleet maneuvers this month her commanding officer, Lieut. Commander Charles Emery Rosendahl, will be assigned to sea duty. Commander Alger H. Dresel of the Los Angeles will succeed him.

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