Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22

be enough. something a little less than
an eighth of an inch, covering the bottom
OF the machine where the aviator and the
engine are located.
Experiments have shown that very fine
chrome steel will turn rifle bullet es-
pecially If 1t is set at such an angle
that the bullet canTsot strike directly per-
pendicularly to the surface. Thus the
plating Is to be somewhat curved and
will extend slightly over the lower edges
OF the cockpit. where the aviator and
the engine are housed. 1t is figured that
forty-fi pounds of light armor will be-
enough for all practical purposes. The
modern aeroplane has enough margin OF
lift to accommodate considerably more
than this.
The new machines will be equipped with
wireless outfits and number of other
instruments that have not heretofore
peen used on army machines.
Experiments and Their Results.
The recent experiments of Lieuts Har-
~ Arnold and Thomas Milling in direct
ing artillery fire by wireless in the ar
tillery practice at Fort Riley have shown
the absolute necessity for aeroplane con-
troll of artillery fire. All modern artillery
fire is Of the indirect sort The gunner
never sees what he is shooting at, ana
the efficiency of modern field artillery is
SO great that ii is vitally essential to give
the battery all the advantage in point
of time over the other fellow that il is
possible to give.
1t has been found that the modern fie
battery properly directed, can get on the
target at the second or third shot and
after this it can place shot at the rae
of five a minute from each gun In some
of the recent field practice at dummy
lines OF Infantry there were sixty figures
scattered over sixtyyard front AT the
first discharge of shrapnel that found the
line, forty-one figures out of the sixty
were struck. This in action would have
meant forty-one men dead or wounded
In the artillery practice at Fort X. ley,
the battery was able to get on a moving
target at the third vo.ley, and DESTROYED
1t entirely With wireless the commun-
cation between the aeroplane and thu.
battery is instant without the machin..
having to return to drop a direction card
to the gunners. From a height of 5000
feet 1t takes a card of this sort fifty-six
seconds to fall, SO the advantage in using
wireless is obvious.
The army aeroplanes using wireless now
carry trailing wire 300 feet long, and
this has been found to be a very CON
venient and effective antenna. The aero
plane can send messages, but cannot re-
ceive them on account of the noise of the
motor. With muffled motor such as has
recently been tried at College Park he
officers say there is no reason messages
Coul0 HUI ne Tcceiteu as Well sent.
None of the aeroplanes up to date have
had receiving set. SO the experiment has
not been tried.
Aviators at Work.
All Of the army aviators are now at the
winter camps. either in Augusta, Ga. or
San Diego, Cal, with the exception of
Lieut.. Harry Arnold. and the department
sending him to Marblehead
Mass, to oversee the construction of
some new aeroplanes which are to be
used by the army next summer.
Anthony Janus, the young Washing
ton aviator who has just completed an
almost 2O00-mile hydro-aeroplane flight
down the Mississippi. is expected in
Washington December "a to spend Christ
was with friends Biltmore street
Janus left Omaha, Neb.. November >.
and flew by easy stages to New Orleans,
where he arrived December Ii, making
he longest hydro-aeroplane trip ever at
anywhere. The distance was
1913 miles. He carried passenger most
Of the WAY.