"Appleton, Victor - Tom Swift Jr 10 - And His Ultrasonic Cycloplane" - читать интересную книгу автора (Appleton Victor)

"What about the burglar alarm?" Tom asked.
"We checked that," the plain-clothes man reported. "Turned out someone
had disconnected it from the inside-probably earlier in the evening, while the
place was full of people. Then, after the museum was cleared and locked up for
the night, he broke in through a high rear window."
"Any clues from the M.O.?" Tom asked.
"The M.O.?" put in Dr. Gorde, peering through his gold-rimmed pince-nez
with a puzzled expression.
"The crook's modus operandi, or method of operation," the chief explained.
"Yes, Tom, as a matter o-f fact, everything points to a well-known second-story
man called Jake the Cat. Here-"
He leafed open a large rogues' gallery album on his desk, shoved it toward
Tom, and pointed to two "mug shots"-front and side views-of a lean-faced, dark-
haired man about thirty years old.
"That's the guy I'm talking about. He's been in and out of the penitentiary in
half a dozen states for similar crimes. He specializes in thefts from public
buildings and always kills the alarm first."
"But why on earth would a criminal of his type steal such an exquisite art
object?" Dr. Gorde demanded.
12 ULTRASONIC CYCLOPLANE
"Art objects bring plenty of dough, don't they?" said Sergeant Camp, the
plain-clothes man.
"Surely not in this case," the curator insisted. "Why, the statue must be
known throughout the country by now, from all the news stories about it! Where
could the thief dispose of it?"
"I agree with Dr. Gorde," Tom said. "No fence will handle stolen goods unless
he can resell them at a profit. And I doubt if any private collector would dare to
buy such an easily recognized item."
"Hmmm." Chief Slater frowned and stroked his chin. "What's the angle then,
Tom? Did Jake bungle this time?"
"Not necessarily. That statue is made of a very rare metal. If this Jake melted
it down, it could never be recognized, but its industrial research value would still
be worth thousands of dollars!"
"We'll contact the FBI and put out a dragnet for him," the chief promised.
The next morning Tom was hard at work on his cycloplane in one of the
Enterprises hangars. Bud was with him.
"What's that box you're installing, skipper? Some kind of electronic gear?"
"It's a cybertron, Bud," the young inventor replied. "You've heard of
cybernetics, the science of thinking machines? Well, this is a cybertron."
Bud looked baffled. "You mean that gadget does the thinking for the plane?
Oh, I get it! Must be some kind of automatic pilot!"
JAKE .THE CAT 13
"Right," said Tom. "A very advanced type of automatic pilot."
As Bud climbed up into the cockpit beside him, the young inventor explained
how the cybertron, and gyrostabilizer, controlled by servo-mechanisms, would
regulate the speed, course, and altitude of the cycloplane in flight. In addition, it
would also beam out a radar-type signal to detect any obstacles in the plane's
path.
"If an echo bounces back," Tom went on, "the cybertron automatically figures
out what has to be done, and instantly alters the plane's course to avoid a crash."