Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-03-02
HIGH LIMIT FOR ARMY AIRMEN
Greater Altitude Than 5000 Feet
Deemed Useless for 0bservs-
tien Work.

The army aVlatorS now IN camp AZ
Augusta, Ga, where they are having
lot of trouble owing to the weather tina,
has prevailed in that section OF the coun-
try this winter. have agreed among them
selves not TO make any altitude flights
of greater height than one mile. This
height. they have found. is sufficient for
military purposes since at greater alti-
tudes military observations are of prac-
tically no value.
Frank Coffyn. the aviator who made the
hydro-aeroplane flights in New York last
week, and who was sent to San Antonio
to instruct the army avtators in the use
of the Wright biplane when the army
was modified on the Mexican frontier
last spring. knows personally all the Of
ficers who belong to the Army Aviation
corps. He said yesterday that he had
agreed with Captains Chandler and Beck
and Lieutenants Arnold. Foulois. Milling
and Kirkland that attitudes over one mile
were useless for military purposes.
1T seems TO me- said COFFIN, that
this agreement is both sensible and prac-
teal. In my opinion height Of one mile
SuOur0 bc QuAtc eutbNichh " cdtcboo'N
the aviators either from rifle or artillery
fire. In the event that II is not proved
go In the first encounter, the military avi-
ators can very quickly adapt themselves
to altered conditions .....
"The chief reason why ayiators should
not ny too high lies. of course. in the
rapid change of atmospheric conditions in
hath as.ap. apd do~capt and ahded IN
this is the nervous tension attendant upon
flying at great attitudes. tension that
is ever present no matter how experienced
the aviator may be. or how great his
nerve. . ........ --
"Ne all know that aeroplanes can be
driven TO heights Of 10000 or even 12ooo
feet, and that the aviators do get away
with IT, but after all. that is all they do.
There is seldom II ever any valid excuse
for going up looco feet, and men have
been doing 1t only because the promoters
Of aviation tournaments regard altitude
contests as good paying attractions. and
therefore put up big prizes for this most
dangerous Of all aeroplane contests.
For military purposes a height of
1000 or 5000 feet will keep an aviator
almost out OF range Of guns OF all types
l believe that some day aeroplanes will
fight aeroplanes and that there will be
machines that may be called aeropiane
destroyers. and maybe some, other day,
stu farther away, aeropiane-aeroplane
destroyers. just like they have torpedo
boat destroyers in the navy now.
From the experience ! gained while
flying in Texas last spring. mostly with
Lieutenant Foulofs as y passenger. / be-
lieve that little accurate observation work
may be accomplished at attitudes Of more
than 5000 feet, certainly typographical
work at heights greater than that could
not be accurate. since II would be very diff
fcult, IL not impossible. to ascertain the
true nature Of the country above which
you are flying. I am not optimistic about
bomb throwing from aeroplanes. for at
any reasonable altitude. and II would
have 10 be reasonable to drop the bomb
accurately. the artillery would surely get
the machine before many bombs were dis
posed Of.
i can cite an instance OF just what Is
going to happen when an aeropiane flies
too low over even light field pieces. Rene
simon, a crack French aviator. flew his
sixty-mile-sn-hour Bleriot about 1000 feet
over four batteries Of the Third United
States Field Artillery at San Antonio last
spring. They fired at him, using blank
cartridges Of course. The conclusions al
most knocked Simon out Of his seat, and
AMY his wonderful airman ship kept