Rice airships, each carrying ten attack bombing planes and capable of ranging thousands of miles from their bases, might be employed effectively by the United States Navy, according to lighter- than-air-craft experts. One type, designed by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, pioneer builders, would have a capacity of 10,000,000 cubic feet of helium, the nonexplosive and nonburning gas of which America has the only large source of supply. It would have a top speed of 84 nautical miles per hour and a cruising speed of 50, more than twice the speed of surface aircraft carriers. This flying carrier would operate in conjunction with other units of the navy, including aircraft carriers, Immune, of course, to submarine attack, the airship would be expected to operate beyond the range of land-based enemy planes and at altitudes above the effective gun range of surface vessels. In case of attack, it would be able to take refuge in the clouds while its own planes streamed out to meet the enemy. It is known that planes can be launched and retrieved by airships because more than 3,000 such operations were made with the airships Akron and Macon a few years back. Launching is accomplished by lowering the plane, attached to a sort of trapeze bar by means of a hook, through a trapdoor. Then, with the plane’s motor or motors roaring the pilot releases the hook and the plane drops away. Upon its return to the “mother ship,” the plane attaches itself to the trapeze bar by means of the hook as the two fly at virtually equal speeds. Then the plane is drawn into the airship.