The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-06-26
IS Ems AssnnrloN SOUND,


No one. We suppose. will .ieny chat
orrviIle Wright Is good authority on
all matters connected with flying and
flying machines. but when he recently
declared that aviation is nearly as
safe as riding on a bicycle or in an au-
tomobiie." he went further than most
people will be willing to follow. We
know that many accidents are caused
by the reckless use Of autos, and even
Of bicycles, and that comparatively few
mishaps result fatally or seriously to
those who go up In the air, but we
are to bear in mind that those who
fly are exceedingly few, AS compared
with the number who ride. and it may
be possible that IL aviation ever be-
comes as common as motoring the list
of disasters may be much increased
aviation" remarks The New Haven
Register. las practiced by the virgins
Is not only as safe but much safer
than automobiling as practiced b. the
majority today. That statement con-
tains an indication Of the lesson which
people must learn IL aviation IL to con-
true to be safe The wrights make 1t
safe for themselves because they are
extremely careful. Some day. when
airships Of one or several types have
become as common as motor cars are
today, win. their pilots be as reckless
as many motorists. now are? II so. av-
iation will not be as safe as motoring,
but the fault will not be with the air
ship. The risk will be of different
sort. and will bear more heavily In pro-
portion upon the aviator than 1t does
upon the motorists. but it win be none
the less terrible"
The Register makes a point which
Is well worthy Of consideration in this
connection, and that is the danger to
be apprehended IL aviation should ever
become common. 1t has gotten to be
the case already that almost any men.
women or boys consider themselves
competent to drive and manage an au-
tomobile. and that fact is responsible
for many OF the accidents caused by ig-
norance, carelessness or negligence. II
none but competent and careful men
were allowed to act as chauffeurs we
may safely assume that danger would
be reduced to a minimum. not only TO
those who ride but to others.
Now, IL flying machines should at
any time In the near future become
common, like automobiling now is,
might we not with good reason, expect
that weak and incompetent. as well as
reckless people would undertake to
manage them? Then might we not
also expect frequent disasters: much
more so than are now witnessed on
land? We must bear in mind that IL
anything should go wrong to a ma
chine up in the air it would be vastly
more trying to the nerves than the
same thing happening to an auto. Peo-
pie up In the air who lose their sup
port, or who lose control of their ma
chimes Will be apt to lose their heads.
and their lives also. As the old negro
expressed It: "Ef de train runs off'u
de track, dar you is; eff de balloon
busts, whar is your"
And so. while orrviIle wrighfs as
sertion may be correct. so far as his
own flying experiments are concerned.
they will not do for general applica-
A.
that flying machines will be common
objects we may also expect them to be
used by persons who are not competent
or fitted to manage them, and then IL
there are not numerous accidents and
tragedies 1t will be a wondar