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Radio communication is assigned a more important role in aviation as each year passes. At the present time radio is used in every phase of naval aviation. Each year finds the operating personnel depending more and more on radio communication and consequently all airplanes are using their radio more hours each succeeding year than in the previous year. A Navy airplane without proper radio equipment, or with radio equipment that does not function properly, is of little practical value. Aircraft radio equipment must function properly if naval aircraft are to be used to the utmost of their capabilities and not be curtailed in their operations. Operation of aircraft over the ocean without adequate radio equipment is dangerous to life and property. Loss of communication on even one occasion may result in loss of life or in the loss of material worth many times the amount expended for all aircraft radio maintenance during the course of a year. The safety of personnel and airplanes, as well as the ability of the pilot to carry out his assigned mission, depends upon adequate radio communication, which in turn entails the supply of suitable radio equipment for the airplane and its proper maintenance.

It has become necessary to include in the 1939 estimates the following new items of supplies which are now required in the radio equipments of naval airplanes. Microphones, cords, fairleads, reels, and frequency indicators. The addition of microphones and cords has been necessitated by the inclusion of voice equipment and interphone provisions in all airplanes. Reels and fairleads have been procured in limited quantities in the past; but, with the advent of increased transmitter power, replacements are now required in a considerable quantity each year. This is due to unavoidable damage caused by the salt atmosphere in which naval airplanes must operate. Frequency indicators are used for placing aircraft transmitters and receivers on the proper frequency in the air, and are carried by all airplanes except the fighting type, which cannot shift frequency in the air. Fighting-type airplanes use the same type frequency indicators for setting their frequency on the ground. Frequency indicators are precision instruments and for this reason require considerable maintenance. Whenever the tactical situation requires the airplane to shift frequency, the only simple reliable method known today is to use a frequency indicator. The necessity for carrying and using frequency indicators has arisen from the increased employment of naval aircraft with different types of surface vessels, and with Coast Guard and Army Air Corps airplanes, in joint operations which require repeated shift of frequency. It is estimated that a total of 1,084 frequency indicators will be required for use during 1939.

Increased operating ranges of new aircraft have necessitated the use of higher powered radio equipment to give satisfactory communication. Also the growing complexity of aircraft operations has required an extension of frequency ranges and the addition of voice provision in the transmitters. While these requirements are necessary if naval aircraft are to be employed to the limit of their capacity with safety, nevertheless it costs more each year to maintain the complex, higher-powered radio equipment than the older types of radio equipment which were made obsolete by the longer range aircraft. In 1939 there will be in operation 1,012 of these

higher-powered, more complex radio sets, as compared with 636 in 1938, or an increase of 59.1 percent. This, together with the increased cost caused by more hours of operation, accounts for $31,60× of the requested increase of $55,516 for radio maintenance. All lowpowered sets will be replaced with medium-powered sets by the end of 1938, because of the increased range of the new airplanes over the older airplanes which they replace.

In 1939 there will be 112 more radio-equipped airplanes in operation than in 1938, or an increase of 8.6 percent, for which $23,908 is requested, using the 1938 appropriation as a base. This sum, plus the amount of $31,608 required for routine maintenance as explained above, makes a total increase of $55,516 requested for this purpose.

TWO-WAY RADIO EQUIPMENTS

This is a new item which was not included in the 1938 appropriation. The estimate for this item for 1939 is $98,784. The necessity for this equipment is explained in the following paragraphs.

Airplanes on administrative flights over the commercial airways must, in order to comply with the Department of Commerce regulations regarding two-way radio, be equipped in the future with both transmitters and receivers covering certain frequencies, where previously only a beacon receiver or no radio equipment was carried. This will enable the ferry schedule, training flights and all other administrative flights over the commercial airways to be carried out with greater safety, as well as insuring compliance with the Department of Commerce regulations. The past procedure of requiring an airplane to circle the field until the traffic permits the landing to be directed by the ground-control operation, by a control light or radio, will be improved upon through the ability of the pilot to contact the airport at a distance and control his approach so that a minimum hazard will result until the landing is safely completed.

The maintenance of two-way communication en route between airports will also materially contribute to the safety of such flights, as forced landings or other difficulties can be reported immediately. Navy frequency bands do not include those frequencies required by the Department of Commerce. This necessitates additional radio equipment, as modification of standard aircraft radio equipment is not practicable from a cost, weight, or engineering standpoint. It is estimated that a total of 42 two-way radio equipments for flying the commercial airways will be required for the fiscal year 1939. The unit cost of these equipments, including spares, is $2.352 each. based on 1937 purchases. The total cost of 42 equipments is $98.784. as shown in the above estimate.

RADIO INSTALLATION IN ARMY AND NAVY PLANES

Mr. UMSTEAD. Admiral, is there any similarity between the radio installations used in Army and Navy planes?

Admiral Cook. As to the instruments as a whole, yes, sir; but as to the frequencies on which they are designed to operate, they are entirely different and that is very readily understandable.

Army is assigned certain frequencies in the kilocycle band, and the Navy is required to have certain frequencies. In the beginning, as

each type developed its radio, it was less expensive to have it cover only its own band, which was done; but now, due to the advances in radio and the necessity for the Army and the Navy to be able to communicate with each other, we must have the ability to have our sets work on the Army frequencies as well as on the Navy frequencies, and, in addition, there is this very important feature: That the Department of Commerce rules now require every airplane which flies in certain bad weather conditions to have two-way radio, which imposes a third frequency on them; and that is one of the reasons for this radio increase.

Mr. UMSTEAD. Admiral, where you do use the same equipment, are the purchases consolidated?

Admiral Cook. There are no purchases consolidated, due to the fact that the specifications are so different. We have to have in cur specifications certain requirements against salt-water corrosion, and so forth, which the Army would not be willing to include, because it would make their cost so much higher. So there is no joint procurement.

MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION OF AIRCRAFT AND AIR STATIONS

Mr. UMSTEAD. We will take up next, maintenance and operation. Admiral Cook. This project covers the maintenance, repair, and operation of all aircraft afloat and ashore; the upkeep and operation of all air stations and fleet air bases, including the aircraft factory; the maintenance of air departments on board carriers and aviation units of other vessels, including maintenance and operation of catapults and arresting gears; and the procurement of all supplies, spare parts, and services not specifically provided for under other items of the appropriation. A summary showing the several subdivisions of this project is given below.

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OPERATION OF FLEET AIRCRAFT

The appropriation for operation of fleet aircraft for 1938 was $3,620,000, and the amount requested for 1939 is $4,140,000, or an increase of $520,000.

The estimate for operating fleet aircraft during the fiscal year 1939 has been prepared from data accumulated during 1937. During the year there has been a marked rise in the price of gasoline with particular reference to that procured on the west coast, where the great majority of fleet aircraft are operated. The price has gone from a little over 8 cents to a fraction less than 14 cents per gallon. Later contracts show still higher prices for the first half of 1938.

A number of new engines designed to use 100 octane gasoline, in order to obtain higher horsepower without a proportionate weight increase, will be in service in 1939. To meet this requirement a new fuel has been developed which, with the addition of not more than one-half cubic centimeter of tetraethyl lead per gallon, gives 87 octane gasoline which can be raised to 100 octane by using not more than three cubic centimeters. In sponsoring the development of this fuel the Army and Navy acted jointly and are buying the fuel under identical specifications. Extensive service tests of this virtually unleaded 87-octane gasoline, covering its exclusive use in all the Coco Solo based patrol planes, proved extremely gratifying. Increased engine reliability and consequent increased safety of operations immediately followed due to freedom from previously encountered corrosion, valve burning, untimely cylinder changes, and various related troubles.

The new gasoline is being used for all fleet aircraft based at Pearl Harbor and at Coco Solo throughout the fiscal year 1938. During 1939 it will be used for all fleet aircraft. This decision has been reached after due consideration of the fact that airplanes equipped with the new engines designed for 100-octane gasoline cannot operate unless this gasoline is available in locations where they must fuel; the fact that vessels of the fleet are equipped for carrying only one type of gasoline, which consequently has to be of the improved type; and the fact that greater safety of operations is obtained through its use. The delivered prices, based on contracts for the first half of the fiscal year 1938 of the new and the old fuels, are 18 cents and 15 cents per gallon, respectively. The price of 18 cents has been used in the accompanying table. The improved gasoline will not be used at shore stations except for the fueling of fleet aircraft.

The remainder of the increased cost of operating fleet aircraft in 1939 over that in 1938 is due solely to the increased number of operating airplanes and to the increased cost of miscellaneous materials. Prices have risen about 13 percent since 1938 estimates were prepared. Present prices were used in preparing the attached table.

The actual estimated cost of operating fleet aircraft during 1939 is $4,434,810. Budgetary limitations have necessitated reducing the amount requested to $4,140,000. Necessary action involving curtailment of operations or otherwise must be taken to remain within the amount allowed.

OUTFITS FOR NEW SQUADRONS

There was appropriated for this purpose in 1938 $119,000 and there is requested for 1939 $134,000, an increase of $15,000.

This estimate is to furnish the commissioning outfit for new squadrons which have not been previously provided for. The detail of the estimate is as follows:

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There was appropriated for this purpose in 1938 the sum of $7,100,000 and there is requested for 1939 the sum of $7,422,000, an increase of $322,000.

The unit cost of airplane overhaul has progressively increased from year to year. This has been caused by the following factors: (a) Increased cost of raw and fabricated materials, (b) greater complexity in new types of airplanes and engines, (c) increased use of civilian workmen.

An explanation of each of these factors follows hereafter in the order given above.

(a) The cost of raw and fabricated materials has already increased about 13 percent above that of the preceding year. In computing the unit material cost of the various overhauls, this fact has been taken into consideration. Such an increase is substantiated by the rise in prices paid for spare parts and materials purchased under recent contracts.

(b) The design of new models of airplanes and engines has forced the abandonment of simplicity in order to gain the high performance that is essential in military aircraft. It should therefore be pointed out that the various types of airplanes (VSB, VB, VT, VPB, etc.) have much greater complications than their earlier prototypes. A partial list of such improvements would include slots, diving and landing flaps, controllable-pitch and constant-speed propellers, retractable landing gear and tail wheels, sliding cockpit enclosures, larger engines of greater horsepower, metal-covered surfaces, automatic pilots, gyroscopic horizons, directional gyros, exhaust gas analyzers, carburetor air preheater equipment, etc. It should also be said that high speed and higher performance require stronger and heavier parts which, being larger, are more expensive to overhaul. (c) Another reason for the rise in unit overhaul cost for any given model of airplane is the gradual increase in the number of

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