38 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLVII. No. 1202 



cil, for representation on the foreign com- 

 mittee sent abroad by the National Eesearch 

 Council to obtain detailed information on 

 scientific matters of importance in connection 

 with the war, and Dr. Joseph S. Ames, mem- 

 ber of this committee, was appointed such rep- 

 resentative. 



In order to further develop contact with 

 sources of information from abroad. Lieuten- 

 ant Colonel L. W. H. Eees, R. F. C, member 

 of the British commission, together with Major 

 Joseph Tulasne, Captain de Quiche, and Cap- 

 tain A. de La Grange, of the French Flying 

 Corps and members of the French commission, 

 were made associate members of the com- 

 mittee, and as such attended its meetings, con- 

 tributing valuable information and sugges- 

 tions regarding matters with which they were 

 especially familiar. 



Previous to the entrance of the United 

 States into the present war the committee had 

 undertaken a census of the production facili- 

 ties of manufacturers of aircraft and aero- 

 nautic engines, which information was made 

 available for use of the Aircraft Production 

 Board at the beginning of its work in April. 



In October, 1916, the committee took under 

 consideration the question of the selection of a 

 suitable site for the committee's proposed ex- 

 perimental laboratory. At the suggestion of 

 the War Department this committee inspected 

 several proposed sites and made recommenda- 

 tion to the War Department for the purchase 

 of one of them, which recommendation was ac- 

 cepted by the War Department and the site 

 was purchased. 



On this field the War Department has 

 allotted to the committee a space suited to the 

 erection of the committee's proposed research 

 laboratories. The committee has designed the 

 first building of the group contemplated and it 

 is now in the course of construction. 



The committee has cooperated with the Air- 

 craft Production Board in connection vsdth a 

 wide variety of problems relating to the design, 

 specifications, and tests of aircraft. The com- 

 mittee has now in hand a most important in- 

 vestigation on the use of steel for airplane 

 construction and is supervising the develop- 



ment of a design for construction in steel, to 

 be later subject to a program of tests intended 

 to show the possibilities of such type of con- 

 struction. 



In the field of power plant design and con- 

 struction for aircraft, the committee has co- 

 operated with the Bureau of Standards in the 

 design, construction, equipment and operation 

 of a large vacuum chamber engine testing 

 laboratory which is intended to reproduce the 

 conditions of aeronautic engines operating at 

 high altitudes. This equipment has been in- 

 stalled with special reference to the develop- 

 ment and improvement of the " Liberty " en- 

 gine and important investigations bearing on 

 this problem are now being carried forward. 

 The committee has also carried on a nmnber 

 of researches on the subject of radiator design 

 and proportion, carburetor design and adjust- 

 ment, ignition apparatus, and is continuing its 

 study of the problem of an airplane engine 

 muffler. 



The committee has undertaken important 

 investigations relating to the development of 

 various instruments used in the navigation of 

 aircraft and in testing aircraft in free flight. 

 In particular there has been developed an im- 

 proved form of geographic position indicator 

 which will be of special value in connection 

 with certain free flight tests under considera- 

 tion. 



Regarding the subject of aircraft communi- 

 cations the committee has cooperated in the 

 development of a generator for wireless send- 

 ing from airplanes and intended to satisfy the 

 requirements of the Army and Navy. In- 

 vestigations are still being carried on regard- 

 ing means for detecting hostile airplanes be- 

 fore they are visible or before they can be 

 heard by the imaided ear. 



On March 8, 191Y, the committee took under 

 consideration the development of methods for 

 mapping from airplanes which should be rapid, 

 economical, and sufficiently accurate for avia- 

 tion purposes. Allotments were made for de- 

 veloping a new type of airplane mapping 

 camera and gratifying progress has been made 

 in the development of such an instrument. 



