Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1911-08-29

Ahat TINS new nying academy Will
be popular branch of the service is
attested by the fact that a hundred
officers had applied for the course be-
fore the first nail was driven into the
aerodome. But those who will be adj
mitted will have to prove Up to GER
tain standards of eligibility, including
skill at swimming and other qualifica-
lions to be later decided. All of the
Annapolis middies are already wild to
try their wings, but no such business
will be allowed to take their minds off
their books
As soon as a student at the new
school qualities as a hydro-aviator the
fact will be entered upon his record in
the Navy Department files. Having
mastered the handling, care and main
tenance of the hydro aeroplane, he
must finally qualify as a pilot, accord
ing to the rules of the international
federation, before mentioned. In other
words, in the presence of a committee
of the Aero Club Of America he must
cut figure eight FIVE times around
two flags flown from buoys, 1900
feet apart, and then land within $50
feet of an established mark.
He must do all of this twice over.
making ten turns in all and qualifying
by making his first landing directly
alongside the mark-a white flag
buoyed by a bottle-and his second
landing within ten feet of it. This
official test also requires the student
aviator to q cend above fifty meters
(about $50 feet), and when Ellyson
was qualifying in this part OF he test
he made double the required al .itude.
Under fave rable weather cond .ons a
green student can finish his course al
the new school and qualify as an avia-
tor in about a month, Captain Cham.
bers tells me.
Life preservers are worn by the
student hydro-aeronauts. In the two
nearest views, showing Mr.. Curtis
and Lieutenant Ellyson in the Triad,
it may be noted that first one and then
the other has the control wheel. The
snapshots taken illustrate one of the
novel features of this hydro aeroplane
the tshift CONTROL The lever
supporting the wheel can be thrust
over at any time, thus enabling the
instructor to hand the control over to
his pupil at any time, or the student
aviator to hand it back to the teacher
should an emergency arise. This is a
vast improvement upon the old Curtis
machine, wherein instructor and pupil
had to sit tandem fashion-one in
front of the other-using the same
'hxa Nil al
new flying academy has not yet been
fitted with water-gear, but an improv-
ed hydroplane will soon be adapted to
it.
That the Triad is not only valuable
for war purposes and pleasure flights
but for making trains was demon
strated the other day to Captain
Chambers, who has flown in the ma
chine with both Mr.. Curtiss and Lieu
tenant Ellyson. He became so deeply
absorbed in the new machine that he
forgot the time, and on looking at his
watch found that he could not get to
the railroad station in time even if
the best horse on the place should do
its utmost. But Mr.. Ellyson hap
pened to have his good aereal steed in
harness and bidding the Captain
mount it alongside of him, whizzed
him several miles through space and
put him down on the depot platform
in plenty of time to buy his ticket and
check his baggage.
How would these hydro
be used in case of war;" ! asked the
Captain.
Principally for scouting OBJ
serving and reporting movements of
the enemy's feet at a distance. We
are now investigating how far we can
get up and how far we can see, which
will depend largely upon the weather.
In wartime each machine would bear
an aviator and an observer, the latter
using the wireless to continually re-
port the movements of the enemy
back to the base ship. After having
been launched from deck, the machines
might fly over the water and then over
land to another body of water, or over
an enemy's fort, or fleet, as the case
might be. We may develop our ma
chimes to also deliver counter attacks
on hostile aeroplanes by use of ex-
plosives or other means"
'Will our naval aviators be trained
to throw bombs upon ships?"
Perhaps. But the results so far
of throwing bombs from aeroplanes
have been much more spectacular than
practical. In my opinion this method
of attack will never be put to practi-
cal use, for the simple reason that it
is much easier to protect ships from
bombs overhead than from mines and
torpedoes underneath. We are de-
veloping wireless apparatus for the
hydro-aeroplanes and hope soon to get
it down to total weight of so pounds.
The antennae so far experimental
with in aeroplanes has trailed out be-
hind the kites tail, but we are now
testing much more convenient de-
vice.
Headpieces on both aviator and
observer will be connected so that
they can talk to each other during
nights something which is now i'm
possible, owing to the pounding of the
engine. The Observers headpiece
will also be connected with his wire
less apparatus. We are testing both
telephone and speaking tube devices
for connecting the aviator and observ-
er, or the instructor and pupil, as the
case may be.
Are any other uayies adonting nv