New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-24

stolid dreadnought gray, and the planes
| cleaned like solid plates Of steel They
were really made of canvas, just ike
the skittish wings Of other aircraft,
| but the gray paint made them look
/ stronger. ! could imagine this aero
plane laundering above the enemy's
camp, scattering death relentlessly, but
could not imagine it laid low by any
/ thing less than a siege gun.
Terror of First Flight.
had been curious TO know whether
/ | should be frightened. ! remembered
/ General" Resale Jones coming down
white and shaking from her hlght on
/ Staten Island two years ago. she had
not been afraid before she started. l.
was not her first fight either. Inc
reason for her fright was the lack OF
SUPPORT She could only cling to the
UPRIGHT with her left hand. Her right
had 10 be kept down on the seat. There
was nothing in front of her but wind.
had thought a lot about how white
/ Miss Jones looked. Aside from that
everything people told me was reas-
surfing you don't know when YOU
leave the ground" they said. he
earth lust falls away" They told me,
. TOO.
ulanes never wanted to come down.
soon saw that | should not be COM
PEELED to sit literally in the wind. as
Miss Jones did. The new Heinrich
tractor had a tonneau built for two,
tandem style The woman sits in front
in a nice little cushioned seat, walled
in against the elements. II the place
was wired for electricity it would be
nice to have a reading lamp and novel
for dull moments when the enemy was
asleep.
All the comforts Of home will be sup
plied if Mrs Heinrich has her way.
She has helped TO design the machine,
and she purposes TO use il not only
for military purposes but for weekend
trips. More of that anon.
Charmed by View.
The propeller is in front in a tractor
aeroplane. That is what tractor means,
was informed 1t doesn't interfere
with the view, however. because 1t re-
wolves so fast that it cannot be seen at
all. It did. however, provide the only
unpleasant sensation of the whole trip.
That was a hurricane wind blowing
against my face. If | had not been
armored myself with real aviation cap
and goggles that blast from the pro-
peller would have blown my hat and
hair all the way to Canada.
For a few seconds after we started !
was so occupied in protecting myself
from that blast that | forgot to look
out. When | did We were high above
the earth. The houses looked like the
little models in suburban real estate
exhibits. Swiftly we mounted. Mile by
mile the Sound stretched itself out be-
low US. Presently it seemed as If we
could see the whole relief map OF Long
Island. If there we're any enemy's bat
tleships off Montauk Point ! know /
could have seen them.
Whether could have hit them is an
other question. Perhaps there will be
women air pilots if war is ever forced
upon this country. Perhaps they VIII
like 10 shoot at the enemy 100 feet
below. There is no reason why they
shouldn't if they want TO. woman 8
ewes are lust as far-sighted as mans,
I suppose. The cannon is to be carried
in the front of the aeroplane. 1t Will
he timed so as to throw the shot be
tween revolutions of the propeller. On
the side the gunner can throw doWn
bombs through a hole specially paced
in the wings near the tonneau. mere
| said that once before. The correct
term is fusilage.
We we're going at the rate of seventy
miles an hour. 1t didn't seem lasL
Thirty miles in an automobile Is more
alarming. o.;.,
things" When there is nothing TO see
one cannot imagine danger. The
chicken on the country road mis- the
automobile novice with terror because
I il is right there in the road before her
/ eyes. The speeding autolst IS termed
/ because he sees the world whlrilng oy
so fast In an airship there is nothIhe
in the road but air. There are no
hens, no corners, no telegraph pores;
no bitches. The funny little doiis
/ houses and spots of fields are so lar
below that they are valueless 1or Pur-
poses Of measuring speed 49,.
Even the pilot is behind one IN TINS
new aeroplane. One does not have tne
/ horrible satisfaction of watching ms
/ hands, and wondering why he does TINS
| why that, and whether he did that
other thing right There is nothing 10
I see except air. and nothing 10 near out
/ the whir Of the propeller. One might
as well enjoy il. Mrs. Helnrich says
/ she lies back in the seat and scars
! mere Is pIdCliCdilS hO nv w.
great gray bird is perfectly STEADY
/ even when it lifts with the breeze or
/ tits on a corner. There was twenty
mile wind blowing yesterday. Three
years ago no aviator dared take ms
machine out II the wind tossed gram
Of dust out Of the straight line Of grav-
itstion.
JOYS OF Air Jaunts.
believe could take up typewriter
and write a story in the air II | could
ever induce anybody to let me stay up
/ long enough.
/ Mrs. Heinrich. as said before, Is
planning all the comforts Of home Tor
/ her machine. She is planning to put
/ in a dual control system in the ma
chine and assist her husband in driving
| it when they fly from San Diego TO San
! Francisco next summer. When one
gets tired flying the other will take a
hand. In this way, with bundle OF
sandv iches and a novel they can stay
happily aloft for hours. The aero
plane is expected to be popular for
weekend trips as soon as these fe"
Eel. tn tho h