The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1912-03-01
Aerop|ane Advance
Markedly Shown In
Third French Show

An ocno OF the expressed ueterIuiH1-
hon OF Frenchmen to excel all
others in the development Of the
aeroplane, as told some days ago in
dispatches from Paris. is found in an
Interesting account Of the recent In
ternational Aeroplane Exhibition I'm
Paris sent to Washington by Frank H.
Mason, United States Consul General
1T the French capital.
This was the third such exhibition,
and Mr.. Mason declares that it was
unouestionably the most interesting
and instructive exposition of its kind
ever held in France. He says 1t was
the object Of intense and sustained
popular interest. the daily attendance
ranging from $4,000 to $4,000 persons.
Everything about the exhibition, Mr..
Mason says, indicated that real pro-
gress has been made in the develop
ment of the aeroplane, and that the
people have great faith in it's future.
THE first impression received by
the visitor" he says in this connec-
ton, "was that aerop ane construction
had made extraordinary progress in
the last year and had reached the
standard of an established and pros
porous industry. There was an al
most total lack Of the fliers with flap
ping wings and the freak machines
that were so common two years ago,
in was displayed the latest and most
perfect work Of as many leading con-
structors, exhibited aeroplanes which
while differing In certain details, all
oonformed more or less closely to
standard types.
TT Is the general verdict that pro-
gress in aeroplane development has
been much more rapid than in the case
of the automobile, and that within a
little more than three years the limit
of perfection in materials, motors, and
the distribution Of weight has been
very nearly reached.
Fifty-Four Aeroplanes on Exhibition.
"Of the ffty-four aeroplanes exhb
tied fifteen were biplanes and thirty
nine rnonoplanes. This proportion
typifies the leading position which has
been attained by the monoplane for
military purposes. the one field in
which the aerop.ane has already won a
commanding and permanent place. For
campaigning and military manoeuvreS
the monoplane, being smaller, simpler
and therefore easier to pack and ira g.
port, will doubtless continue to hold
the preference which it has already
gained, while the advocates of the BIZ
plane claim for 1t superiority in long
distance flights, In carrying passen-
gers and for certain exhibition pur-
poses
could be mentioned, first, the fact that
motors are lighter and work dir ectly on
the propeller shaft, the chain or 9TH
err transmission gear having practical
" disappeared; second, the necessary
struts and wires are reduced to a
combine lightness with increased
strength: third, the body of most ma
chimes, including the engine and the
drivers seat, is inclosed in a metal
or fabric sheath so as to resemble a
winged torpedo, and great improve
and rendering elastic the running and
sliding gear which first touches the
ground on alighting.
Perhaps the most striking novelty
was the so-called limousine built by
Bleriot for NJ. Deutch, which is a
large monop ane fitted with a mahog-
any body, with windows on three
sides like that of an automobile. The
aerial chauffeur sits in front, while in
side are four upholstered seats for
passengers. There are doors on each
side. and the inside is padded and lin
ed with air cushions to break the
shock In case of abrupt landing. 1t
is a curious looking machine and at
tracted great attep+ion as the most
definite step in the direction of adapt
ing the ae-oplane to the transporta
ton OF passengers. 1t was tested re-
Gently at E.taEpeS, ana appears to
have been entirey successful. All
the latest aeroplanes show great i'm
provement in respect to the. protec-
ton and comfort of the aviator, and
In the contests for military machines
most Governments now require not
only comfortable seats but cases in
which to carry tools and a variety of
parts as well as a compass, thermom-
eter and maps, even in some cases the
installation of a wireless telegra phic
apparatus.
Few Trophy Machines Shown.
There we're relatively few trophy
mac hines, the principal ones being the
Breguet, used by the aviator, Bregi
in his flight from Casablanca to Fee:
the Newport monoplane on which Hell
en- won the Michelin cup in 1911 and
the large biplane which captured The
Daily Mail prize for the circuit OF
England.
1.-The motor section of the exposition
was very complete, including among
other exhibits one of five motors by
N. Louis Renau t, ranging from 25
Ia 80 hon sepower. The principal rae
fns~ machine exhibited was mono
plare with a 5a-horsepower motor, in
which, in trial flights a speed of 12-
kiIomecers, or about rs miles an hour
has beck attained"
Mr. Mason observes that while it
was nominaliy an international exhi-
bition, only the British and the Ger
man besides the French had represen-
tations No American made machine
was to be seen.