The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-04-30
GOOD AIR FLEET COULD.
60. 60. CLEAN UP MEXICO QUICK

military and naval attaches In London
ever since war broke out nineteen
month"; ago, should have been O warn
ing to the American government to
prepare something like an adequate
aerial force In case Of war. assume
that the possibility Of war with one
or other Of the Mexican parties has
been evident 70 all Americans for the
last couple Of years. for II has seemed
80 TO me, even from the little bits OF
Mexican news which has appeared in
the British papers. Therefore, II the
United States army is not properly
equipped with aircraft It is obvious
that someone in the administration Il
seriously to blame.
Seeing how much American aero.
plane and aero-engine manufacturer
have learned from Watching the devel.
opment Of aircraft in our war, there
should be no difficulty in obtaining
the right kind Of aircraft for use in
Mexico. for. although the conditions
Of war in the air are very different
in Europe, tho same qualities are re-
quired in the aeroplanes themselves,
except that certain types used in Eu-
rope will-not be wanted in Mexico.
Owing to the Mexicans having no
aircraft of their own there is no need
for the American army to have the
small, fast fighting machines, like the
German Fokker, the British Bristol,
Sopwith, de Havilland and Martinsyde
"destroyers" of the French Morane and
Newport, "aeroplanes de chase"
These are built solely to hunt down
and destroy hostile reconnaissance or
bomb dropping aeroplanes and to drive
of rival "destroyers" which are sent
UP to interfere with their own recon-
Nuisance machines.
Only Rifle Fire to Face.
In Mexico an aeroplane crew can go
out on accommodating jaunt happy
in the knowledge that so long as they
keep out Of range OF rifle fire from
the ground-which means q height Of
5000 feet they are absolutely safe
from any hostile action. and that, bar
ring bad weather or engine failure.
they are bound to get home again
provided. Of course, that they are
fairly good at finding their way across
country and do not get lost / should
Judge that except for certain sections
OF the country which have been care
fully explored by mining prospectors,
Mexico has not been thoroughly sur
veyed, and therefore maps showing
details of ne topography are scarce.
This is going to make matters DIFF
fcult for the United States army avia-
tors. for even with considerable train
ing In cross country flying and when
provided with maps showing every
river and road in thick1y populated
country. aeroplane pilots manage to
get fairly successfully lost on occasion
and where definite points on the map
are few and far between the ayiator's
only hope Is to depend on HIS COM
pass and his homing instinct. Good
cross country pilots are born and not
made. abut any fairIv intelligent youth
can be taught to follow a map.
From what know Of the United
States aeroplane service ] should
judge that there. are very few trained
cross country flyers therein, and 1t
does not appear that there will be
much time available In which to train
any number OF men for such work.
Therefore. It will be better, quicker
and cheaper to try to discover, the
born cross country pilots without
spending time in training others.
Problem Much Easier Here.
The jobs the United States army
hyers will have to do seem to difa
considerably from those Of our. .Du-
ropean ayiators. On the, western front
the longest reconnaissance hight ID, .
matter Of only thirty or forty miles
behind the enemy's lines, and the
majority OF the flying Is done on short
circumstances. which, though they
may cover. fifty or sixty miles at o
stretch, penetrate perhaps only ten or
fifteen miles behind the lines, 80 that
II an engine, shows signs Of going
"sroggyr the pilot has q chance OF
getting back to his own lines before
the engine gives up the ghost-pro-
vided, Of course, that he Il not brought
down by hostile s'destroysrs.''S y
On the eastern front the German
.aviators. trusting to. their wonderfully
reliable engines. have recently been