The Kenna record. (Kenna, Roosevelt County, N.M.) 190?-1924, 1913-06-13

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wy HEN a naval aviator. Lieut..
AM Ellyson was launched
AW in an aeroplane from
EN catapult recently and his
NJ L8 flying machine bore him
SAN] gracefully aloft without
I~W slightest tendency toward
Il H stumbling II market an
H0[5 important advance in the
heA6 use of airships In the
W. navy.
The aeroplane as an ad-
junct to military operations mas al
ready shown It's value both In Tripoh
and in Turkey. Besides dropping
bombs upon Turks and Arabs 1t mas
proved of greater usefulness In re-
connoitring the position Of the enemy
The Bulgarians have gone a step fur
theirs and have used the aeroplane for
fire control purposes, enabling the bat
terry commanders of the field guns TO
train their weapons so as to make
them tell most effectively against the
Sultan's forces. This matter OF nre
control Is as vital to navy as to an
army in action, especially when the
guns of a feet are searching out the
weak spots in the land defences. But
heretofore the aeroplane has been less
available for navy than for army use
The catapult tested in Washington
is the invention of Captain Chambers
of the navy, and is the outcome Of va
rious lessons learned while trying to
adapt the aeroplane to the needs Of
the navy. The practicability Of send
ing aeroplanes In flight from suit
able platform on board ship WAS
early demonstrated, but there were
various minor problems to be solved
The launching platforms employed
were both long and cumbersome. They
took up space that would not be avail
able in time of war, and they blocked
the fire of some of the guns.
The long runway or sloping plat
form was therefore prohibitive. With
a short track substituted which could
be easily and quickly put In place
and just speedily demounted and
stored out Of the way, there arose the
question Of means of starting the
aeroplane effectively. For this pur'
pose Captain Chambers devised the
catapult. For years he had spe'
cialized in torpedoes and was familiar
with the devices successfully tried
in getting those weapons overheard
from a boat. The catapult tried at
Annapolis last summer was sort Of
modified torpedo launching outfit OF
the earlier type, and compressed all
was employed to give the initial push
The trial mechanism was of necessi
ty rather crude, but this fact did not
deter Lieutenant Ellyson from sub
jecting himself in a hydroaeroplane
to the extreme shock of the device In
order to find out the effects Of suct
concussion. not only upon the ali
pilot, but likewise upon the motol
attachments and other fittings which
might be wrenched loose or deranged
That test was entirely satisfactory "
its lessons, but the aviator and hi
machine got ducking.
The eatapult lately tried at tn
Washington navy yard is devised 81
that the hydroaeroplane attains IT.
launching speed without violence. an
this insures the launching of the ma
chine without fear of deranging an,
of the apparatus or dislodging tn
aviator from his seat. The runwa.
or starting track is short and can b.
put in position in several places Of
a fighting ship without interfering
with the maneuverlng of the guns o
impeding any other operation OF in
portance.
or course the demonstration a
Washington over the Potomac rive
under fairly ideal weather condition
is not a counterpart of what may cor
front the naval aviator at sea- but $
far as the actual getting away fror
the ship is concerned that functio
can be promised under any circun
stances which on shore would warrar
an aviator In trying to go up in tn
/ air. The other side of the probleI
Is that of returning to the ship agaiI
and here success is likely.
Glenn H. Curtiss has devised forl
Of float or boat for his hydros which
capable of sustaining the flying mi
SHINE when waves Of considerable ~