Evening star., 1912-09-07
TO STUDY AVIATION
Lieut.. Milling Goes to France
After Chicago Meet.
OTHERS MAY GO ABROAD
War Department Also Urged to Send
Army Officers to England
and Germany.
OTHERS MAY GO ABROAD

American army aviators will be given a
chance to profit by the development Of
the aero in France. Orders have been is
sued by the War Department for Lieut..
Thomas De Witt Milling to go to France
after the close Of the big aviation meet
in Chicago, where the Gordon Bennett
speed flight is to be made.
1t has been urged that the War Depart
ment send officers also to England and
Germany to study the science there. So
far as the mechanical side Of flying Is
concerned. this would be easy enough. for
in England the army ffiers are all re.
pilots license at a commercial aerodrome.
In Germany one OF the two pilot schools
is a private institution, and the other Is
only semi Official. In France the gov
military pilots, but the first training
usually is In one Of the commercial
schools.
The object in sending Lieut. Milling
mechanics Of flight as to get an idea
of the military training required of Of
f1cers abroad. It has been pointed out
a number Of times by American army
fy is by no means the chief end to be
accomplished. The military observer. In
fact. need not be pilot at all. In
France sometimes he Is not. But he
has to be highly trained in military and
tactical science more than ordinarily
proficient in ballistics and an expert in
wireless, not only from the standpoint
Of an operator, but as designer also.
Military Side Undeveloped.
It is said that in these parallel lines
the American army SO far is wanting.
There is a good army aerodrome that
trains fiiers. but the military side Of the
art has as yet been little developed.
What is wanted in the American army
also is to get some reliable technical in
formation as to the administration OF
the French aeronautical corps. 1t is by
no means certain that this country
would want to follow the French ad-
ministration closely. There it had an
aeronautical corps already developed.
neglected it was added to the corps,
though it now rather overshadows the
dirigible balloons and other lighter
than-air craft. In this country the field
is clear of any traditions. and the or
ganization of new arm of the service
can be built from the ground UP. pos
sibly with better results.
An effort has been made to have the
War Department formally invite Jules
vedrines, Frey and other members OF the
French, English and German Gordon
Bennett teams to come to College Park
after the big race In Chicago, to show
off their machines and give the govern
ment the benefit of the latest aeroplane
ideas in foreign construction.
The American government has not yet
settled on any one type Of aeroplane.
though all that are now owned by the
government are biplanes. 1t is generally
conceded that there will have to be two
types of army aeroplanes. one as slow as
fifty or sixty miles an hour for weight
carrying, observation and continued
flight, and the other light. single-man
machine. the faster the better. for scout
ing and dispatch carrying
Biplane Carries Weight.
The biplane. at present. may be said to
be the characteristic American machine,
not but that there are many biplanes
abroad and some monoplanes in this
country. The biplane is unquestionably
the draft horse among aeroplanes. while
the monoplane is the racer.
There has been no attempt heretofore
to develop speed in the army machines.
though there is one fast biplane under
contract now. The surface In such a
machine has to be made SO small that 1t
is rather risky to fly.
None OF the army machines yet has
been faster than sixty or seventy miles
an hour. while abroad a monoplane Is not
considered particularly fast if 1t is under
ninety miles. Development in this line
is rapid. The Gordon Bennett race
was won last year at eightytwo miles an
hour, and there is practically no question
that the first three machines this year
will have to make more than LOO miles
an hour. 1t is quite possible that as q,
result of the Chicago meet this year the
monoplane may be adopted in the Amer
ican army as the speed machine for
scouting.
Besides the three army officers who have
gone to Chicago as judges in the Gordon
Bennett race. Paul Peck. the civilian avi-
ator OF Washington. has gone there with
q monoplane and small, fast biplane to
compete in some Of the events.