Tokyo to Los Angeles

The Graf Zeppelin, stately in the Pacific sky, traveled last week from Tokyo to Los Angeles, 6,118 mi. in 75 1/2 hrs. Celebration banquets and drinks at Tokyo gave Commander Hugo Eckener indigestion all the way over the sea. Because storms were ahead of them, most of the 60 passengers revised their wills. The dirigible rode out the storms comfortably. She tried to pass over Seattle. But winds made that excursion impracticable. To San Francisco she went directly, sidling through the Golden Gate on a cross wind near sunset; then to Los Angeles where she hovered until dawn. The remaining leg of her globe-trot, to Lakehurst, N. J., seemed commonplace after man's first flight across the whole vast, empty Pacific Ocean.

It was a noteworthy week for dirigible accomplishments beside the Graf Zeppelin's flight.

The Los Angeles, oldest of dirigibles (five years), made repeatedly successful tests over New Jersey and New York carrying a plane slung from a trapeze under the hull. The plane would detach itself, fly about, return to the trapeze. The dirigibles which Goodyear-Zeppelin Corp. is preparing to build for the Navy at Akron will be fitted not only to carry planes similarly but also to haul them into her hull. Values of the procedure are: in war, dirigibles might carry swift planes to scenes of action; after sortie the planes could return to the mother ship for fuel, ammunition, sleep for the pilot. In commerce similar refueling possibilities might be valuable. Planes could make ground deliveries from the airship, later catching up with her in her flight, bringing up passengers, mail.

At Detroit. The world's first all-metal dirigible, built stubbier than a Zeppelin, was successfully tried out for the first time. Built experimentally for the Navy by Aircraft Development Co. (subsidiary of Detroit Aircraft Corp.) after designs of Ralph Hazlett Upson, onetime Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. sausage balloon and blimp designer, the all-metal dirigible has a skin of aleled (duralumin core with surface coating of pure aluminum).

In discussion was a California-Hawaii line served by two dirigibles which Goodyear-Zeppelin might construct after delivering their two Navy ships.