The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-05-05

I
/ Ellyson, was launched in an aeroplane
4 from a catspult recently and his ny
I ing machine bore him gracefully aloft
I without the slightest tendency toward
stumbling. 1t marked an important
I advance in the use of airships In the
4 navy. :.
/ The aeroplane as an adjunct to mill
tarv GENERATIONS has already shown
( its value both in Tripoli and turkey.
Resides dropping bombs upon IuIns
and Arabs. 1t has proved OF greater
,sefulness in accommodating the posi-
! tion of the enemy. The buigarans
! have gone a step further anu nav
used the aeroplane Tor nIe eo JILL
nurnoses. enabling the battery COIL
manders of the Held guns to tram
their weapons SO as to make them zen
n,ost effectively against the sultan
forces. This matter OF IRE con,roi 40
as vital to q navy as 10 an ANY
! action. especially when tne guns y,
( fleet are searching out the weah sp
the aeroplane has been less avaiiaoie
for navy than for army use.
THE catapult tested in Washington
10 tba invention OF Captain ChamDers.
~ the navy and Is the outcome o.
I ga rtous lessons learned wnlle tryii,s
| to adapt the aeroplane to the neeos
/ Of the navy. The practicabiiity Oh
sending -aeroplanes in nignt iron. :.
1 suitable platform on board snip was
/ I'D demonstrated, but there were
/ ,-arious minor problems to be solved:
/ Tha launching platforms employed
/ were both long and cumbersome.
\ They took up space that wouio no.
\ he available in time OF war, ana tney
/ blocked the fire OF some OF tne sN'
i ", nr alnninQ
\ form was therefore prohibitiye. Win
\ a short track substituted which couio
he easily and quickly put in place ana
| lust as speedily denounced ana stored
/ ont OF the way. there arose the ques-
ton of a means Of starting the aero
| plane effectively. For this purpose
[ Captain Chambers devised the cata-
nuit. For wears he had specialized In
/ torpedoes and was familiar with the
/ devices successfully tried in getting
/ those weapons overheard from boat.
/ The catapult tried at Annapolis last
l summer was sort OF modlned Tor
I pedo launching outfit OF the earlier
| type and compressed air was employ
| ed to give the initial push.
| The trial mechanism was OF neces.
\ sitv rather crude, but this fact did
| not deter Lieutenant Ellyson from
! subiecting himself in hydroaeropiane
/ TO the extreme shock of the device In
order to find out the effects OF sucn q
conclusion, not only upon the air pi-
lot. but likewise upon the motor ~
tachments and other fittings which
1 might be wrenched loose or derangeo.
That test was entirely satisfactory IN
it's lessons, but the aviator ana Ms
machine got ducking.
i The catapult lately tried at the
Washington navy yard Is devised so
/ that the hydroaeroplane attains It's
launching speed without violence, and
this insures the launching OF the ma
chine without fear of deranging any
Of the apparatus or dislodging the
/ aviator from his seat. The runway or
starting track is short and can be put
in position in several places on fight
ing ship without interfering with the
manoeuvring of the guns or impeding
any other operation of Importance.
or course, the demonstration at
Washington over the Potomac river
under fairly ideal weather conditions
is not a counterpart of what may con-
front the naval aviator at sea. but Sc
far as the actual getting away from
the ship is concerned that function
can be promised under any ctrcum-
stances which on shore would warrant
an aviator in trying to go up In the
air. The other side OF the problem
is that of returning to the ship again,
and here success Is likely.
Glenn II. Curtiss has devised a form
OF float or boat for his hydros which
la capable of sustaining the flying ma
chine when waves of considerable size
are running, and this will be taken
advantage of when the hydroaero-
plane returns from its scouting ex-
petition. The aviator will alight with
his machine upon the water on the
sheltered side OF the vessel, and thus
protected from the stronger sweep
| of wind and wave, the air pilot and
his apparatus will be easily hoisted
aboard.
Developments In other directions
are increasing day by day the relia-
bility of the aeroplane and its value
as a military Implement. Just as the
tself-starter has added to the conven-
fence Of the up-to-date automobile. a
similar device is contributing to the
efficiency OF the hydroaeroplane as
part of the equipment of a fighting
ship. With a good self-starter, by
which the air pilot can set his motor
going from his seat, and with q
launching apparatus like that devised
by Captain Chambers, the aircraft will
be able to assume its own propulsion
the instant it leaves the runway Of
the catapult.
1t is not enough, however. simply ia