The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-08-05
SOLDIERS IN THE SKY.


 But the one big fact that stands out with startling distinctness in the
 record of the past year is the actual entrance of the aeroplane on it's mili- tary and naval career. In a small
 but satisfactory way, it has served its apprenticeship to Mars The ma chine may be far from perfect it may not be able effectively to deal out de- struction from aloft, it's progress over the battlefield may be cut short by specially constructed guns-although
 on these points there is a decided
 difference of opinion-but it is never
 theless, certain that the next clash
 that comes between any of the great
 nations will see the aerop1ane hover ing over the theatre of war. In Amer
 ica, as well as in Europe, the useful ness of the flying machine for mili-
 tary purposes has been fully demon- strated. While our troops were m
 Texas during the Mexican disturb
 ance, Lieutenant Foulois and Philip Parmalee made reconnoitering trip
 of 106 miles in a few hours, observ- ingn the lay of the land to much bet ter advantage and in much less time than could scouts on horseback. In the autumn maneuvers in France the speed and facility with which orders and messages were transmitted and information gathered, was reveld- tion. As a result governmental in
 tereSt in aviation received d decided impetus. The leading nations are setting about acquiring more and more machines, wing with each other in the formation of aerial navieS, es- tablishing training schools for avia- tors, forming flying squadrons- ond generally encouraging the art of fly ing. France is taking the lead, and by competitions and liberal prizes Is promoting the development of more efficient military aeroplanes. She has several sQuadrons of aviators and over a hundred machines. A mili- tary squadron of five BleriotS re- gently flew from Pau to Tarbes, ,twen- ty-two miles where the aviators vis- ited another garrison, were applauded and feted, and then mounted their machines and returned. The United States Government has recently pur- chased number of machines for na- val and military use-both the Wright and Curtiss types, including several of the new Curtiss hydro -aeroplanes which will be the nucleus of an American aerial fleet An aviation school is to be established at Am napolis for the Navy Department. A military flying squad has already been formed, and active work in instruc- tion and practice is going on daily at the military aviation grounds at Col 1ege Park, Maryland. Ely's feat in landing on and flying from the deck of the battleship Pennsylvania show ed the possibilities of gtt1ft Heroplanes as an adjunct of the warsf1ip, and the new Dreadnoughts of the American navy will each be provided with one of these aerial couriers. Experi- ments in wireless communication from an aeroplane having proven suc- cessful. the military aeroplane willI henceforth be equipped with appara- tus making possible the instant trans- mission of information and orders be- tween the scouts and headquarters. Practice in markmanship and bomb throwing from aeroplanes at dummy battleships has been a feature of many flying xhibitions-From "The Aeroplane-A Years Marvellous Pro- gress,'' by William Menke1,' in the gust.