News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1916-08-23
IAEROPLANES
FOR OUR TROOPS
And Air Ports for
Cur Towns

A new organization, known as the
Aero Club of Vermont, was formed al
Camp Governor Gates, Fort Ethan Al
len, on the 9Th instant. This is the
Outgrowth of propaganda headed by
Major Wallace Batchelder in COM
mand of the First Vermont Cavalry
The primary object Of this scheme is
to give a chance to those who wish
to cooperate in doing all that may be
done to protect our troops by assist
ing in furnishing funds and dissent
mating information regarding aviation
opportunities and needs.
The Importance of aviation for pre-
paredness for Vermont and the eco
nomic development of each of its
towns cannot be over emphasized. 1t
is fully evidenced by the fact that
the meeting was addressed by Cover
nor Gates, Rear Admiral Robert e.
Peary, discoverer of the North Pole
and now in charge of developing aero
nautics for coast patrol of the Uni
ted States; and Augustus Post who
has been at the forefront of the de-
velopment of aviation. These three
gentlemen addressed the meeting, and
there were also present Adjutant Gen
eral Tillotson, Major Batchelder with
his cavalry regiment, hrs. Batchel-
der, Mother of the Regiment General
Peck and Commodore Wadhams,
many ladies' and other distinguished
guests.
The Club starts out with a member
ship of ITO and with the following
Board of Directors: Governor Gates,
Col. Ira L. Reeves, Major Wallace
Batchelder, Horace F. Graham, Red
field Proctor, W. O. Schofield of Bur-
lingon, Clarke NJ Fits of Brattleboro,
James P. Taylor and James Hardness.
The officers elected were James Hart
ness, President; Adj. Gen. Tillotson,
Vice President; Dean H. r. Roberts
of Norwich University, Treasurer, and
James P. Taylor of Burlington, Secre-
tary.
The way in which this new organ
ization offers an opportunity for YER
monters to cooperate along the lines
above indicated is through sending
in names applying for membership
in the Club. 1t is not necessary to
be an aviator or to be especially in
terested in this subject
To those who cannot conveniently |
assist in this way there is another
way by which very valuable assist
ance can be rendered along the lines |
nf in,
Vermont, and that is by sending in |
formation to the Secretary of the |
Club that will lead to establishing a |
suitable landing place for each town. |
To understand this last phase, it. is |
only necessary to point out that in |
case of an invasion of Vermont our
aviators would be sorely handicapped |
by the contour of the country, and
the fact that trees, stone walls, tele-
graph wires, bitches and other things
cross the only natural
places near town on which a ma
chine could land and from which it
could fly.
In the present state of the art 1t
takes a very expert aviator to land
on piece of ground that affords less
than a run of a quarter of a mile,
and the landing place must be nearly
level, fairly smooth and hard. 1t
must measure at least a quarter of a
mile in every direction in order to
make it possible in any wind, for
the aeroplane takes flight and lands
most favorably facing the wind. If
there are two narrow pieces Of land
In a town, one affording landing
places for winds north and south, and
another for winds from east and west,
these two fields together will con-
stitute an air harbor for the town.
The rapid development of the air
craft makes it necessary for Boards
Of Trade and individuals who are
planning for the future growth of the
town to have an eye out to the pre-
paredness, not only along military
lines, but also to catch the wave of
that the air craft is to
bring to the inland towns. Our great
est cities were first established at
seaports, afterwards at railroad Juno
tons, and now it takes no prophet to
see that it will be but short time
when towns most favorable for air
craft will have a distinct advantage
over other towns. This is not an
occasion for any one to buy up all
such sites. 1t is not an occasion by
which a grasping person can make
any special benefit out of the situ-
alton. The real benefit comes to
he owner of such a landing to do
whatever he can, cooperating with
own authorities and Boards of
Trade, to eliminate bitches, walls,
wire fences, telegraph, telephone and
electric wires and those things that
would prevent a machines landing.
In event of hostilities many such
.hings could be quickly removed, but
there are other things that might be
difficult to change after once estab-
ished. The Air Harbor or Port will
be the center of tie towns of the
tuture.
Further information regarding this
will be put out by the Club after it
has had an opportunity to establish