The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-05


our eyes is too great, for we probabl.
should not again have the good for
1 tune to meet Sc feeble> a foe Further
more, in this case, Just as 1t Is will
the navy. the best guarantee of peace
| is preparedness. A million or two spen
now might well save hundreds of mil
lions later on. The costs of armamen
are heavy, but they are not nearly 81
heavy as the costs of war
Officer Pilots
One of the chief difficulties in the wa,
| of the development of our army aeria
forces is the lack of officers AT th
present time there are detained to tn
signal corps as aviators just IA men VIII,
can pilot aircraft, and of these four hav,
not yet secured their certificates from
| the International Aeronautical Federation
Thirteen aeroplanes, as we have said, arr
now in use in the service, and when th'
| five now building are delivered there viii
not be pilots enough to go around.
1 Some months ago General Allen callet
for volunteers to be instructed as ava
| tors. Sixty officers responded, and whei
| these went through with the searchin:
physical examination required the mum
| ber was cut in two. Then came abe ter
rible list of fatalities in aeroplanes will
which the press was filled last summe
and some of those qualified to serve with
| drew their names, so that at present no
more than a score of men in addition
to those already instructed are available
for the work of the aerial squadrons.
| In order that imputation may res
| on the courage of our army officers, Il
must be stated that in few or no cases
did volunteers withdraw owing to fears
for themselves. Most of them did no
| feel able to undertake the work owine
| to the fact that while the danger to theil
| lives was very much increased, no pro
vision was made, either for extra com
pensation for themselves while undergo
| ing this duty, or for those dependent upor
| them in case of death. Ordinary insur
| ance, of course, is out of the question
for aviators. No company will accept tbs
| risk.
| This matter, however, will be RENE
| died if Congress passes the bill now
! before it providing for additional pay
| for men handling machines. France,
| England and Germany all offer not only
more money per day, but suitable pen
sions in case of accident.
| But even though there be plenty o.
volunteers for aviation in the army, il
will be impossible to man with officers
all the machines which the department
plans eventually to acquire unless pro-
vision is made for a considerable increase
| over the present number in the service
! With 12S aeroplanes in active use, fully
$50 pilots would be needed, to say moth
! ing of those who should be on duty al
| the various schools. 1t is difficult ever
as it is to provide enough officers. ano
under the conditions planned it would be
| impossible.
| The same situation has arisen abroad
and there 1t has been met by taking
| on-commissioned officers into the aero
| plane corps as operators for passenger
carrying machines. and the solution ap.
| pears to have worked out we'll. These
| pilots are proving themselves fully capa-
BILE of transporting skilled observers to
points the, latter desire to examine In
| the American army the on-commissioned
| officers would be even more valuable
as aviators, owing to their superior in
Itellgence and their quickness and ini-
tiative in grasping the needs of situation
| Undoubtedly the army eventually will
be forced to come to this.
Plans of the Navy
| The plans for the navy are as yet in a
| formative state. as there remain to be
solved many problems in the use of wal
machines. No question, however, is raised
as to the value of the air scout in nava
| warfare, and the training of an avia.
1 tion force, together with the acquisition
of such machines as the supply of funds
1 "A
has been doing good work at Annapolis
during the past summer, and the work
will be considerably amplified during 1918
At the present time the navy has five
machines on hand. One is flying boat,
| single float type, from the Curtiss works
at Hammondsport: two are Curtiss by.
| dro-aeroplanes, and two are Burgess
J Wright air-water craft with twin pom
toons, such as have been in daily use al
summer down at Marblehead.
In addition to these the navy has or
dered flying boat from the Burgess;
Company & Curtis, a brief description o.
| which appeared in the aeronautics col
umn of the Transcript on December 7. w
Startling Burgess, who is now workins
out his designs for this aeroplane, ha.
in view the most advanced construction
| ever seen on this side of the water
and In some features it shows progress
even over the work of the French aero
engineers.
In naval aviation America still lead
the way, and our machines for use owe
water VIII challenge comparison will
| these anywhere. In fact observers a
The Paris salon noted the superiority O.
American types of floats, which arc fal
stronger, and far more effective thar
those in use on any of the foreign craft
| With the handicap which fayors us to
tain our lead. provided proper attention
is given to the matter. We have lost on
| opportunity to make the United State
supreme in aviation. Let us not let an
other slip by.
GarrOs' Rise as Aviator
The news this week of the remarka bl,
Dlsht OF Roland Garros across the Med
| lterranean sea from Tunis to Sicily il
chly another proof of the courage of thi
bold little aviator. Just two years ag,
GaGrros, well nigh penniless, stood on th'
pier IN New York and watched his steam
er sail away without him, while he wa:
held by the federal authorities on
charge trumped up by an American flyer
lie had first appeared in this country a
me Beimcnt park meet at New York II
the fall of 1910, coming here virtually TN
known, and flying the unsafe and unsatis
factory Demoiselle. Boyish In appearance
ana the life of the aviation camp, CAIRO
quickly became a favorite of the visitors
oespite the difficulties he had in manag
ing his refractory lame duck" as th
newspaper men dubbed his tiny machine
In that craft, which was capable, OWN:
10 the limitations of its engine, of no
more than two CT three minutes sus
teined flight, Garros had little opportuni
" to show the stuff of which he WA
lssade. NO one for a moment imagine,
that be would ever become one of th
worlds most famous pilots.
Then he joined the unlucky Flying Cir
Gus of the unfortunate Moisant. ant
toured the south and west 1t was dur
ing this time that he first flew the Blerio
inonopane with which he has ever sine
reen identified. ana it was his purchas
cf this craft sold him by one OF his fel
low circus men. that caused him his trou