New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-28
Henderson Says
British Planes u. S.
Took Are Needed
Ally Aero Expert Asks
Communicated Planes
Be Given Up
fStaN Correspondencel

/ LONDON, Oct. 26.-"I have been ire
mendously impressed with the effort
America is making in the air" General
Sir David Henderson, 6riCain's fore
most aerial authority, told The Tribune
to-day. Meantime | wish the machines
we ordered nine or ten months ago
could be given US, instead of being
thrown into Americas pool We must
have training machines to turn out
pilots for next year.
Furthermore, do not believe there
is enough spruce in America for all
the aeroplanes she plans to build, and
we ought to have our snare"
General Henderson, who recently va
Gated a seat in the army council, where
he had been director general Of mill
tary aeroplanes, declared that since the
first days Of the war the British air
corps had been multiplied from sew
erty TO one hundred times.
Regarding Americas Liberty motor
and her plans for Standardization. Sir
David said:
81 understand your engine is a very
good one. but il will be impossible 70
build a perfect engine from paper, and
certain changes and improvements un-
doubtedly will be necessary. II America
merely wants 10 have a certain number
of machines standardized all right, but
il is impossible TO have a large number
of the very best planes, because by the
time the best machine is built another
one is out which il better.
1.-THE German plan is TO standardlze
the engines and change the body Of the
machine frequently"
There have always been attempts IN
certain quarters TO minimize the value
of the British air service. An instance
Of this is the recent American rating,
which placed France first. Germany
second and Britain third. General
Henderson answered this as follows:
From the very beginning We have
adopted the policy of always going for
the Germans. BY far the greater
number OF conflicts have taken place
on the German side of the lines. This
is a very expensive policy. We lose
LOT of prisoners. but we are all abso-
lutely certain that this is the right
thing to do"
General Henderson said one reason
sie British air service has never re-
ceved full credit for its work was
because il refused to advertise. The
! British system of not making public
the names Of its premier fighters was
warmly defended by the general. who
explained:
"The fighting pilot distinguishes him
self, but the real work is done by
bombing pilots and those cooperating
with the artillery
The general described the dramatic
death of Nosse, one OF Germany's
premier "aces," who had accounted for
nearly fifty Allied airmen before he
/ met his end. Four crack British air.
men who have made remarkable records
! for air fighting were flying together,
when they observed three German ma
chimes, triplane and two biplanes.
/ Instead Of wheeling homeward, as
4 is customary, the German ayiators
astonished the British airmen by i'm
medately attacking them. The two
/ German bipanes went down, but the
triplane gave the four British machines
royal battle and put bullet holes IN
every machine before it finally went
down. II was Vosse. Germany's best
aviator, who thus met gallant death.