The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-11-20

Both the future growth Of our towns
and protection against military inyas
ion are involved.
Regarding the growth it is only
necessary to observe that cities grow
at centers or on lines of transporta'
ticn. Previous to the coming of the
steam railroad, the growth, was con
fined to harbors on seas and lakes and
along rivers and canals The steam
railway made it possible for cities to
! grow inland In both water and rail-
way transportation Vermont was not
favorably situated.
The advent of the automobile trans
portation has given us distinct ad-
vantage for growth along certain
| line,
| Notably, it has in effect brought all
! the farms closer to markets. The
good roads have opened to view and
accessibility many most desirable
places for residence. Other elements
are favorable to desirable growth,
but it is no time to be indifferent to
the trend of the times. We should
bCI ~ II tliNtt ti AhOiii ~ hNEN - A-tAN
for the coming opportunities.
The aeroplane for the transport
alton of passengers, mail and express
is the inevitable But just as ships
for water transportation require har-
bors. and the steam trains require
rails. stations and round houses, so
the aeroplane requires some auxiliary
facilities. One OF the greatest needs.
and one that is essential from the
first, is the level fields from which the
aeroplane rises and on which ii
alights. These fields are called land
ing places. They are yeritable har
bors for the air craft.
1t is highly desirable that there
should be a landing place near every
town This requires a nearly level, |
hard surface like a pasture, and It |
should measure at least quarter sOf
a mile in every direction.
In cases where it is possible to find |
narrow strip, say measuring an
eighth of a mile wide and a quarter
of mile long. this strip could be
used for landing in winds that blew
lengthwise OF the strip. 1t would not |
serve to land in a wind blowing |
across it, but two strips Of this Kind |
might make it possible to land. pro-
viding the strips run at right angles |
II one were TO run north and south. |
and the other approximately east and !
west, the one running north and south |
would be used for landing place for
winds blowing from either the north /
or south, and the ether would serve
for either westerly or easterly winds. |
Such places should be free from stone
walls and bitches. and smooth
enough so that an ordinary automobflei
could run over it at a rate of twei}ty'
five or thirty miles an hour
The aeroplane in starting rolls ont
two wheels, and nearly all baerDti
planes must attain speed Of ovei,l
thirty miles an hour BEFORE leavingtI
the ground. although on the last part
of its run before leaving the groundI
it does not bear very heavily on the
ground. as the lifeing effect increases
with the speed.
The margin of a landing place
should be free from high trees or
for the aeroplane at the
end Of its run must have free space
in which to make a gradual ascent.
1t cannot climb a steep cliff. In fact
the most desirable places are the fiat
tops of knobs where the aerolpane. |
after making its run, slides off into
space.
From this description OF landing
place it will be seen that very few
natural places remain in the hilly
parts of Vermont Even those that
were originally suited for this purpose
have been crossed by stone walls
telephone wires, bitches and other
things that would make it impossible
for a machine to land or get away.
AS Vermont grows. more and more
will these places be covered with OBJ
and as aeronautics develop
more and more will the towns having
suitable landing places have distinct
advantage -oyer inland towns.
1t is highly desirable that anyone
knowing OF suitable landing places,
either near towns or remote from
towns, should communicate
wit hthe Secretary of the Aero Club
so that the places may be placed on
the air map, the making of which is
one Of the first tasks of the Aero Club.
The value of these landing places is