The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-02-12
LIMIT FOR ARMY
AIRMEN ONE MILE
At Greater Altitude They
Find 1t Impossible to
Work.
DANGERS WHEN TOO LOW
Conclusion Of Artillery Often as
Dangerous as Bullets,
Says Cofyn.
DANGERS WHEN TOO LOW

New York, February 1.-THE army
aviators, now In camp ut Augusta. Ca,
where they are having d lot OF trouble
OWNS TO the weather that has pre-
vailed in that section OF the country
this winter. have agreed among them
selves not TO make any altiture aights
OF greater height than one mile. This
height. they have found. is sufficient
for military purposes, since at greater
practically no value.
Frank CoGyn. the aviator who mads
the hydro-aeropiane nishts in Now
York last week. aud VINO Was sent TO
san Antonio TO instruct the army ava
tors In the use OF tho Wrign, biplane,
when the army was moblhzed ON IN.
MeAicdn frontier last spring, knous
personally III The officers VINO betonE
10 Inc ARMY aviation corps. lie SAID
yesterday that he had agreed with
Captains Chandler and Beck and Lieu
tenants Arnold. Foulois. Milling and
h!rti"id, tAat altituues over one mile
were useless for military purposes.
II seems TO me-" said Conyn, "th,
TINS agreement is both sensible and
practical. In my opinion a neisbt Of
one mile should he quite sufficient to
safeguard the nviators from either
rifle or artillery lire. In the event
.hut II is not proved SO in the first en-
counter. the military avtators can very
quickly adapt themselves to altered
conditions.
The chief reason why aviators
snould not fly toe hlgh lies, of course.
In the rapid change of spheric
conditions In both ascent and descent.
ana added TO this is the nervous ten
sion attendant upon dying at great
attitudes. tension that Is ever pres
ent. no matter how experienced tho
aviator may be. or how great his nerve.
We ali know that aeroplancs can
be driven to heights OF 10000 or even
$4,000 feet, and that tae 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
10000 feet. and men have been doing
IL only because the promoters OF avia-
ton tournaments regard altitude con-
tests as good paying attractions. and
therefore put up big prizes for this
most dangerous OF all aeroplane con-
tests.
For military purposes, a height OF
i,OUO or 6.Opu feet viii Keep an aviator
almost out OF range oil guns OF all
types. belieev that some day aero
piupea VIII light aeroplanes and thai
there will be machines that may Ia
called ueroplane deslroyers, and maybe
some other day. sun further away
aorop!an e-aeroplant -destroyers Jus,
Ike they have torpedo boat destroycrs
IN the navy now.
From the experience ! gained while
dying in Texas last spring mostly
with Lieutenant Foulois as passvn-
g=r. l believe that little accurate OBJ
servation work can be accomplished at
AItltuoes OF more than 6.UvU ieet GER
.ainly Typographical work at heigh,s
greater than that could not be accu-
rate. since it would be very difficult.
If not impossible. 10 ascertain the tru /,
nature OF the country above which you
are lying. ] am not optimistic abuut
bomb Throwing from aerop.anes. for, at
NY reasonable altitudc-and IL wUulu
nAVe TO be reasonable to drop the bomb
-ccuraiely--the arttll cry would surel ~
get the ms hine before many bombs
"ere disposed or.
Il can cite an instance of just VIVA:
- gong TO happen when an aeroplaue
mes too low over evan light field pieces
Rene simon. a crack French aviator
hew his sixty mile an hour Bleriot
about 1000 feet over four batteries or
The Third United States Field ArtiI.
lery at san Antonio last spring Th,y
nred at him, using blank cartridges. OF
course. The conclusions aimost
knocked Simon out or HE seat anu
only his wonderful airmansnip kept him
saie. HIS machine rocked and huckcd
IKE un unframed broncho. Artillery
VIII not have TO hit aeropinnes Or tn ,il
pilots IL high artillery explosives can
be detonntcd within nifty yards OF me
'!ylnS machines attacked, 1t Will GER
tainly bother the airman Tying TOO
low. So military aviator Will have
10 ny at least 5000 or 1000 feet for
sal sly when passing troops"
Lieutenant Arnold. one of the army.s
most skiliui aviators. Will be In New
YORK th!s week. and II weather condl-
uohs are favorable he may make Il
h.Shi with Coifyn III tho latters hydro
aeroplanc