Telephony, November 23, 1918, page 17:
American-Developed Radio Telephone Success in Airplanes
Squadrons of American airplanes fighting in France were maneuvered under vocal orders transmitted by radio telephone. News of the successful development of this device, hitherto a military secret, was allowed to become public last week by John D. Ryan, director of aircraft production.
W. C. Potter of the equipment division of the bureau said:
"For some months it has been possible in our offices in Washington to hear the planes flying miles over the city, talking to each other and to the ground as they worked out and perfected the telephone device."
The fact that radio telephones were a regular part of American aerial equipment has only been permitted to become known since the capture of a German order to aerial squadrons, demanding that an American plane with wireless telephone equipment be shot down and brought to the rear for examination.
According to the statement of Mr. Ryan, the device was put into practical service some weeks ago and its advantages proved in actual air combat.
By means of the radio telephone, it was possible for a ground observer to talk to pilots in the air miles away. Commanders of aero squadrons could voice warnings to all their pilots as to the movements of enemy aircraft, and squadron formations of all sorts could be maintained in the air as easily as infantry units on the ground. The wireless telephone messages could be delivered at a distance of several miles.
"There are some details concerning it which we cannot discuss yet," said Mr. Ryan. "I have, myself, standing on the ground, given orders to a squadron flying in the air and watched them maneuver according to instructions. The transmission of the voice is clear enough to be heard distinctly over the noise of the airplane motor."