The Washington herald., 1911-09-17
SEES BIG FUTURE y
IN SERVICE AEROS
Signal Corps Head Talks of
Progress in Work.
NAVY MAY BUILD MACHINES
Development of Aviation Schools
in Both Branches of Service Be-
Their CsefuIness for Scouting
in the Time of War.

An aeroplane flight from the Atlantic
TO the Pacific coast is the biggest problem
that tho aviators have had to tackle.
said Col. GeorgeR. Scriven, acting chief
signal officer of The United States army,
yesterday. That the art OF aviation has
so far advanced as u make such a flight
possible at this time is more than l would
venture TO say to-day, though the aC-
complishments in aviation follow one
another in such quick succession that one
has hardly ceased to marvel at some
extraordinary performance before another
daring airman eclipses II either with a
longer. a higher, or a more difficult eX-
hibition.
Il am convinced that at the rate Of
progress we are making in the United
States. coupled with the rapid advances
on the other side Of the Atlantic, II is
| but a question of year before the coast
! to-COast flight will be negotiated. am
little doubtful as to the possibility OF
| n performance of the task this autumn,
| and yet, in the face of some OF the
things that hive been accomplished with
! in the past summer, l am almost atra'd
to express the doubt
Wright Tests Look Small.
But little over two years ago the
United States government paid TO the
Wright brothers something more than
$50, 600 for the first aCrcplane which the
government bought. This machine had
to stand up to n test which took half a
! summer to complete. and to-day, in the
| face OF what the American and foreign
aviators have accomplished, the require
ments of that test look like child's play.
The conditions of the Wright tests
aE--k,N 90
duration, carrying a passenger and
flight of approximately twelve miles at
a speed Of not less than thirty-siX miles
Ter hour Orville Wright made these
flights at Fort Myer, Va, July % and 80,
1909. CARRYING Lieut.. Benjamin D. Fou-
lois as a passenger. The requirements
calI,d for the carrying Of a passenger.
The Wright brothers thereby earned the
governments $4,000 with bonus for eX-
Ceeding a speed of forty miles per hour
for the flight.
Since that time the duration record
has been practically tripled. The speed
of aeroplanes has been pushed well past
the mile-a-minute notch. Altitude nights
of 1000 feet have been made. whereas
the Wright tests seldom found the ma
chine more than 800 feet above the
ground. a glance at the records OF the
past two years of aviation, here and
abroad, will convince the most skeptical
that what I have said before is true.
You can't afford to doubt"
The army men, as yet, are uncon-
vinced that the aeroplane can become
great offensive war engine. Col
Scriven and Mai. Saltzman. Of the Sig
nal Corps. both express doubt as to the
value of the aeroplane in this Office. Re
garding this phase Of the possible use
:ulness Of aircraft Col. Scrigen said:
Accuracy Not Possible.
IN order to obtain the necessary We
locity to drop armor piercing projectiles
from an aeroplane upon fortifcations or
ships so great a height must be attain
ed that accuracy would seem to be prac-
tically impossible. For the dropping OF
incendiary bombs or shells filed with
chemicals which upon explosion will dis
charge clouds of sufIocating gases, the
use OF the aeroplane would seem to be
better assured, although the use Of such
projectiles is of questionable value
Out at College Park the army fliers are
engaged in daily experiments. There Is
the greatest Of variety to their work. Its
principal object has been the attaining
of proficiency in the direction of the
plotting Of aircraft with view to maxi
ing the aeroplane the most important ad-
junct to the Signal Corps own work. and
as an, important auxiliary OF the army
Intelligence. bureaus. Repeatedly the
army fiers. have taken with them as
passengers photographers and topo-
graphical craftsmen. They are practic-
ing daily at making maps and plats from
the sketches obtained while in the air.
The navy. too, is advancing the areo-
plane as an important part OF the work
OF the Bureau OF Navigation Capt.
Washington l. Chambers, head OF the
navy aviation work in the bureau. Is
sure that The navy win receive as much,
, or neaEly as much support from Con-
gress as does the army. At present both
branches of the service are working In
unison. -
Navy May Build Aeros.
According to Capt. Chambers the work
OF the navy in aeronautics will be divided
between the three bureaus of the de-
partment 1T Is our hope that shortly the
navy can begin building its own aircraft.
1.-THE building Of the engines viii then be