FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1910
1910 - 0083.PDF
JANUARY 29, 1910. of 3,000 ft., and of undertaking journeys of 50 to 100 miles with fair certainty, I think that as a mere matter of military precaution we shall be obliged to maintain a very considerable bevy of these vessels, and train large numbers of men to fly and fight them. Meanwhile, we cannot afford to neglect our dirigible balloons and the study of their improvement, so that until an aeroplane is evolved that will ascend to any height and travel over very long distances without descending We may still be able to enjoy the benefits of aerial strategical reconnaissance and offence at points far beyond reach of our navies and our armies. No Assistance to Artillery.—I wish to touch on two points, one of which must particularly interest an audience of gunners, and that is the question as to how far these new engines of war will assist the terrestrial artillery. I fear the answer is " Little, if at all." At present aerial observation, when used, has proved itself valuable in obtaining targets and in correction of fire, but this assistance is dependent on two essentials :— 1. The observing station must be fairly stationary. 2. It must be in immediate connection with the officer controlling the fire of the guns. Neither of these conditions is fulfilled by either the dirigible balloon or the aeroplane. Captive Balloons and Kites.—The second point is how the present captive balloons and kites will be affected. As an instrument of reconnaissance the use of the dirigible balloon or aeroplane will render the captive balloon unnecessary. I/TJGHT As an observatory for the observation of fire the captive balloon will be of use in the presence of an enemy's dirigibles, which I do not think can harm it. It will, however, be unable to keep the air in the presence of aeroplanes used with dash. The kites, however, are in a different category. They are at their best in winds in which a dirigible balloon is helpless, and in which an aeroplane may find it hard to manreuvre. Moreover, they are not easily destroyed by bullets, and an aero plane would hesitate to charge them for fear of being itself destroyed by the cable. They might possibly be set on fire, but their uncertain movements would very possibly make an aeroplane chary of coming sufficiently near them to ensure their destruction. They will, therefore, continue to be of value on windy days both for reconnaissance and for the observation of fire. Summary.—To sum up, I am strongly of opinion that the limited use of dirigible balloons and aeroplanes with an army may be of the utmost assistance to it for— 1. The collection of intelligence. 2. The moral result on the enemy. 3. The minor destruction of supplies, &c. 4. Assisting the G.O.C.-in-C. to control his troops in battle. Whilst an extended use of large numbers of these vessels may tend to make warfare more difficult, by the destruction of means of transport, whether on water or on land, and by damage to the factories which supply an army with food, clothing and ammunition, even when situated far in the enemy's country. The Los Angeles Meeting. ON Wednesday of last week M. Paulhan carried Lieut. Beck, of the U.S. Artillery, as a passenger on his Henry Farman, in order that experiments might be made in the dropping of dummy bombs. They were not altogether a success, for each of the " bombs " fell a good many feet wide of the 20 ft. square which formed the target. During these tests M. Paulhan's average altitude was 250 ft. Thursday was the concluding day of the meeting, and the events on the programme were a speed match between Curtiss and Paulhan and an endurance contest. The course for the former was 16 miles, and Curtiss easily proved to be the winner in 23 mins. 43^ sees., Paulhan's time being 25 mins. 5L sees. Curtiss retired in the endurance contest, and Paulhan completed the necessary 64 miles in ih. 49m. 40s. With regard to the prize-money, Paulhan appears to have won the larger share, his winnings being said to be 15,000 dollars, while Curtiss appears to have won only about a third of that sum. The New Naval Airship Hangar in course of construction by Messrs. Francis Morton at Barrow-in-Furness.- Messrs. Vickers, Sons and Maxim, the builders of the airship, hope to have their vessel ready for trials about the end of February. As already announced, the hangar is being built over Cavendish Dock, the largest single dock in the world. As this is not now in use, there is nothing to interfere with the tnals and manoeuvring over its surface- 79
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
