344 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1961 



Actual blind landings had been attempted with dragging weights 

 and with long tail skids. These either gave an indication upon touch- 

 ing the ground or were rigged to actuate the aircraft control. Addi- 

 tional background information was available, but the material outlined 

 above was fairly representative. 



The first important expenditure made by the Full Flight Labora- 

 tory was for two modern airplanes. One, a Consolidated NY-2 mili- 

 tary training plane mounting a J-5 engine, was to be used in the 

 instrument-landing experiments and to test instruments, equipment, 

 or devices that might be helpful in overcoming fog flying problems. 

 It had the large wings used by the Navy for pontoon seaplane training, 

 but mounted, in place of the pontoons, a specially reinforced landing 

 gear with long oleo action. As a training plane it had a very high 

 factor of safety, was extremely rugged, and was inherently stable 

 about all three axes. Special flying and landing wires permitted the 

 rigging in of additional dihedral. The acceptance test flight on this 

 airplane was made on November 3, 1928, at the factory near Buffalo, 

 and the airplane was flown to Mitchel Field the next day. It was 

 flown considerably in November and December and then delivered to 

 the Radio Frequency Laboratories in Boonton, N.J., to have voice 

 radio installed. It was at Boonton for 4 weeks this first time and 

 frequently thereafter. 



The second airplane was a Navy-type Vought Corsair 02U-1 mount- 

 ing a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine. It was to be used for cross- 

 country practice flying and was an excellent airplane for the purpose. 

 It was a fast, good-flying airplane, but not as rugged and stable as 

 the NY-2. The 02U-1 was delivered to the fund on November 21, 

 1928, and the first cross-country flight — to Boston, with Harry 

 Guggenheim as passenger — was made on the same day. 



The Army Air Corps made a hangar available at Mitchel Field 

 for the use of the Full Flight Laboratory. It was initially provided 

 for the safe airplane competition, another important contribution 

 to the fund. The Army also provided the full-time services of an 

 excellent mechanic to maintain the laboratory's aircraft. This was 

 Cpl. — later Sgt. — Jack Dalton. The continued excellent mechanical 

 condition of the two aircraft thereafter was largely the result of his 

 competence and devotion. 



Lt. — later Brig. Gen. — B. S. Kelsey was made available by the 

 Army Air Corps as flight assistant and safety pilot. When flights 

 were made under the hood it was necessary, in the interest of safety, 

 to have another pilot in the airplane to look out for other aircraft 

 and also to make sure that the pilot under the hood did not get into 

 difficulty because of possible instrument or equipment failure. 

 Lieutenant Kelsey, from the start, was a full-fledged member of the 



