The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1917-10-06

cording to experts, by the use of ST.
lencers on airplane motors. At present
the roaring whirr of the motor can be
heard for hundreds Of feet and almost
the slightest hum of motor can be
picked up by the powerful microphones
with which all Of the cOmbatants are
equipped and which magnify the slight
est sound. Silencers are not used be-
cause of the weight they add to an
aircraft, but some experts contend that
this weight is more than counter-bal-
anced ut present by the excess fuel
which machines must carry to enable
them to fly high and to maneuver to
avoid detection as long as possible.
Progress has been made in the art of
aiming and dropping bombs to the
point where accuracy can be assured
in night work. According to statistics
gathered by Mr.. Woodhouse, the bombs
now most in use are bombs Of 16
pounds weight, Sc pounds, 100 pounds
and 112 pounds. with q few of 500
pounds or more. Says Mr.. Woodhouse:
'Bomb dropping from heights can
only be approximately accurate. It can
be made more accurate by the employ
ment Of efficient bomb sights. A few
Of the older aviators have learned by
long practice to drop bombs accurately
without sights, but as a general rule,
one can be more accurate with the
sight than without it."
One difficulty remains in the use of
airplanes by night and the inventive
faculties Of the cOmbatants, spurred on
by the exigencies of the war, are rapid
ly overcoming this. The problem Is to
provide light for flying operations and
for marking aircraft in flight. In Eng
land, In the early days of Zeppelin
raids, the casualties resulting to pilots
who went up at night to attack Zeppe-
Inns were very high because of two
things: the insufficient number and
badly lighted landing places and the
lack of lighting devices on the ma
chimes. On one occasion Is pilots went
up and II had accidents on landing.
But these conditions have been
changed. A pilot who finds himself in
trouble alOft and compelled to land has
only to fire his Verys pistol to have at
least one aerodrome within gliding dis
lance brilliantly illuminated so that he
may land in safety. In addition to the
Verys pistol night flying craft are
equipped with a parachute flare which
is fred electrically from the pilots
seat. On release the flare falls cou.
pie Of hundred feet, unfolds and floats
downward, casting a brilliant ligh,
over the expanse of about q quar-: Ct
Of mile. =.
Hollis landing lights are another de.
vice employed. These are fastened be-
meath the wings, which aid in reflect.
ing the light downward when tn,
have been ignited electrically. Elec: yit
headlights similar to motor car head
lights are also used, and night tlyin:
machines now have navigation lights
comprising a tail light and light or
each wing tip showing white ahead
green on the starboard, and red on thu
port side. Power for these lights |.
generated in small dynamo driven by
q miniature propeller.
With these devices to aid night fly
ing, experts here look forward to the
time when raids may be made on the
German fleet and submarine bases by
big squadrons Of giant machines, and
the opinion is gaining strength that In
such raids lies the solution of the pres
ent U-boat peril.-New York Times.
Soft.