The new era., 1909-12-02

Army officers already conerat,,at,nv tbemse,vea
.t I e. .s aerop'ane squad was organized at the
ootse. OF the armys experiments this most important
branch OF aeronautics The outcome ia e,ro tn ha 4,
contrast to the history of American military baooninR
wherein there were nnumerabe disappoiptments Par.
uculary was this the during the Spanish
war when the department sought to get resns with
s. Danoons IN the hands Of men who had had no op-
portuny to specialize in this line Of work The
newlyorganized aeroplane detachment on the other
nand win grow up in military aeroplane work from
s hcept'on What Is more these of the sky
eentrfes have acquired experience of the most vauah
knd In establishing Uncle first aviation field It
Is not meant OF that soldiers had much hand
IN clearing the field blasting sumps or erecting the
shed that shelters 100000 craft but
tney did almost everything else setting
IN order not forgetting the transportation army
aeroplane No by wagon from previous resting place
at Fort Myer Va dozen miles The insight thus
gained into the how of such things be well nigh in
valuable since it will make it possible squad
around the country to lay aviation
needed by the army.
While. has been explained the new aeroplane de.
tachment is entirely separate and distinct
loon squad its brief history is linked many points
with that of the older branch aeronaucal dyt
sion Some of the of the original balloon
squad have lattery been the aeroplane
detachment the new organization will have
sort of dual existence regular aeropane corps
and emergency balloon squad, the members will
have charge of flights that may be from the
capital in signal balloons the regular balloon squad
having been transferred meanwhile Omaha and
Fort Leavenworth. The membership the aero
plane detachment alike to that of the balloon squad
expected to be merely the nucleus for much
numerous body later on-when Uncle Sam shall have
gone In more extensively for military aeronautics
The aeronautica division of the signal corps which
both the aeroplane detachment the balloon
squad branches. established result of the
pride and interest aroused by Lieut. victory in
the first great international balloon race held Europe
in 1896 The American army officer. then barely
% of who unknown and unheralded defeated
the most experienced aeronauts of Europe the
same Lahm who is qualifying at College Park our
premier army. aeroplanist and who is In general
mand of the aeroplane detachment. had about
40 balloon flights he ascended for the in
aeroplane and he has the complete confidence
men-an important requisite In a untried realm
such military aeronautics
formally creating the aeronautical division
of the signal corps issued August l., 1907,
the Organization launched with membership
of sole individual Sergeant Edward Ward, who has
since graduated to the position Of head chauffeur
the chief of the general sta Gradually the membership
grew to dozen more. At first the work Of the
organization merely with the foreign
make which had been purchased by the United States
during the Spanish and had been in storage
since Then army dirgible No. /, which the
department purchased from Capt Thomas Baldwin and
finally the initial Wright aerOpane, which is at Col
iege the outset the headquarters of the
nautical divisiopa at Fort Myer. va and the
commissioned officers and enlisted Of the
teal division displayed their versatility by handling In
discriminatory spherical balloons dgible and aeroplane
When the signal corps completed its fine, plant
for generating hydrogen at Fort Omaha 1t de-
ced make the western post the headquarters for all
army balloon work and the dirgible transferred
thither With 1t went the balloon squad. Consequently
when the Wright aeropane accepted by the govern
= sovesnment school for aeropanistss necessary
% organize aeropane detachment adjunct
A has been explained. Of the most capable men
vsre transferred from the balloon squad and others
we're selected from the ranks Of the Ssnal