The Morning standard. [volume] (Ogden, Utah) 1910-191?, 1910-11-20
THE OVERRATEO
FLYING MACHINE
By Rear Admiral Eynns

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The wonderful progress made in the
past year In the science of aviation
proves beyond question that flying
machines have come to stay. Like
motors OF other types. they have cost
many valuable lives In their develop
ment and undoubtedly many more
names Will be added to the list be-
iorc the heavier than air machines
reach their final development, but no
sacrifice OF human effort OF life Will
be Spared in the struggle TO secure a
safe flying machine.
The part this machine is TO play In
time oil war is worth considering.
nat ii will be of great value to ar
mics for purposes OF observation no
professional man questions The fact
that the congress of the United States
refused the necessary money for eX-
periments In this direction would be
a surprise To u6 II we were not ac-
customed to such surprises
For naval purposes no type oil fly"
ing machine has as yet shown its
usefulness. a few oranges or con
fctti bombs have been dropped from
a height of hundred or hundred
sentiug a battleship much TO the
amusement of the nursery maids and
children who saw the experiments.
This was taken by some newspapers
as evidence that the day of battle
ships, torpedo boats, etc, had passed
Only unthinking people could come
to this conclusion And good baseball
player would have caught the oranges,
and at the distance from which they
wore dropped the aviator would have
been unseated by the return throw.
The confetti bombs could have been
caught and distributed among the ad-
miring nurse maids and Kids. TO
show how absolutely futile such eX-
perments are, IL Is only necessary To
state that our service revolycrs arc
deadly weapons at a range of three
hundred feet and that several hun
dred experts on each ship would be
Using them in earnest.
Before the flying machine gives any
uneasinesss the operator must show
that he viii have some chance OF fly
ing under the following conditions
When approaching ship or mum
ber of ships he will be discovered
when about ten thousand yards away.
At about eight thousand yards IL
inch shells and shrapDel will begin
to crack about his machine. At six
thousand yards the 6-inch and 5-inch
guns will be sending their shells to
him at the rate OF ten or twelve per
minute. and when Within four thous-
and yards the 3-inch guns Will add
their music to the tune of fifteen or
twenty each per minute. and the ser
vice rifles, sighted to four thousand
yadrs, Will make his seat a verltablc
hornets nest for the operator,
Let those who consider this pic
ture overdrawn and the danger to
the flying machine not real, consult
some OF our target reports, where the
ranges given have been actually used
at moving targets, and | think they
will not consider the danger to bat
tleships very serious.
The rifle teams at Camp Perry
have recently shown that at one thou.
sand yards they would trouble them
selves only to hit the aviator In the
head.
Flying machines have plenty of
work ahead OF them before navy men
Will consider them a serious menace.
The difficulty OF hitting ship In
motion from any considerable height
has yet to be considered This point
can. however, be definitely settled
New York American.