River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1910-12-01

erS or our future aerOnauClCal HeoCS.
that no bombs which an aeroplane
could carry would do more than make
a few harmless dents in a great man
of-war
The aiming of a bomb from a safe
height in the air involves calcula.
tion more complicated than any popu-
lar writer on the subject seems ever
to have realized. In the first place
different air strata and cross-wise air
currents are met every hundred feet
or SO, as is proved by the uadulations
Of kite strings leading to considerable
heights In addition to being played
upon by these irregular and constant
ly changing forces, the bomb dropped
from an aeroplane will in it's descent
describe curve depending on the ex-
act velocity at which the aerial craft
is going when the missile is thrown.
Furthermore, altitude, velocity of the
target, velocity of the falling bomb.
wind velocity and direction Of aero
plane-not in a single plane, as in the
case of a ship, but in any of all pos
sible directions-most all be taken
into consideration.
Armored automobiles for attacking
airships are now being developed by
the military powers, notably Ger
many, which has adopted a motor We
hicle heavily armored and armed with
high-angle guns for firing at balloons
| and aeroplanes. These little land
monitors weigh four tons and attain
a speed of 40 miles on good roa1s.
but our army officers do not think
| they would cut much figure over
rough highways.
An airship field gun, which can be
brought to bear in any lateral direc-
ton, and which can be elevated to an
angle of so degrees, has been lately
turned out by the Krupps. 1t throws
a shell of S.8 pounds. And another
recent krupp invention for use in
such weapons is a fiaring shell, de.
signed to explode balloons by setting
fire to their gas when striking themJ
Such inventions appear to be needed
by nations wishing to protect them
selves against war balloons.
Hard to Hit AeropIanes.
But our aeroplane fleet will be much
more difficult to hit than the dirigible
balloons with which they will be
operated, not only for the reasons
/ above stated, but for additional ones
not hitherto taken into consideration.
| M. Esnault-Pelterie, French expert.
menter, on several occa1ions this sum-
mer stood behind his aeroplane while
the propeller was going at full speed
and tried to fire shots into the stern
of the craft, but all Of them were
thrown aside by the column Of air
thrown back spirally by the rapidly
revolving blades. His experiments
seem to indicate that aeroplane opera
tors will be immune from a rear ats
tack by rifle or machine gun fire.
Our army, although it set the pace
for the world by it's successful aero
plane tests, eliminating in the pur-
chase Of it's single Wright biplane for
$50 900. is now far behind France in
the matter of aeroplane equipment.
France, which gave the world its first
balloon, in 1888, and which IL years
later-during the battle Of Fleurus-
launched the worlds first war ball
loon. now has a fleet of over a dozen
military aeroplanes, including four
new Wright and Farman machines.
France has also established in recent
months military aviation school.
The French are now paying $4,000
apiece for Wright biplaaes and $4,000
for Farmans, while Bleriots, which
were $4,000 before their makers sue
cess in crossing the channel, imme-
diately afterward jumped to $4,000
and are now bringing $4,000.
Our new aeronauttcal reserve will
vastly stimulate aeropiane manufac-
ture in America, as will elso the or
ganization of the new National Asso-
citation for the Promotion of Aeronau.
tics, which will cooperate with the
National Guard of the different states,
after the manner of the National AS.
ISOLATION for the Promotion of Rife
Practice. Very shortly aeroplane
squadrons are expected to be part
of the establishment of each of the
big militia organizations, and these
when added to the craft of the aero
nautical reserve will form a colossal
fleet which when flying together above
our Joint maneuver grounds, will make
the air like blackbird emigration day
at the end of autumn.