A Nine-Engine Seaplane

The Navy is quietly constructing at Philadelphia the largest flying boat yet attempted. The great interest of this boat is not in its size, however, but in the power plant system. Nine Liberty motors are used, in three power plant " eggs "--in each of which three motors drive a single propeller through a common shaft. Any motor that fails can be disconnected by suitable clutches, and there is ample room for its repair by the mechanicians on board. The stoppage of one, two, or even three motors will not necessitate a landing.

Refuelling in the Air

Lawrence Sperry, airplane constructor, flying at Garden City, L. I., last week performed a " stunt " which would appear to be only of cinema interest, but which may have a real technical significance.

Piloting the Messenger, a tiny single seater plane of 60 horsepower, above whose top wing a long pole was fixed, Sperry established contact in the air several times with a 12-foot rope ladder suspended from a much larger airplane, a Liberty-motored De Havilland.

Army Air Service authorities are of the opinion that this method of establishing contact may, after development, enable airplanes to be refuelled in flight just as a locomotive can pick up water while going at full speed.