Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-10-21
SHOWS PROGRESS
IN AERONAUT|CS
Germans Secure First Ideas Of
Giant Machines From
Captured Craft.
LARGE BUILDING PROGRAMS
All Nations Now Engaged in
Greatest Efforts to Attain
Air Supremacy.

made by tho Germans and the allies
in the manufacture and use of air
planes. He says:
The Gotha airplane. the great twin
"nrined hiplaie which now visits this
country so frequently. cannot be
claimed by the Germans as an iuv"n-
ton in anv sense of tn. term rhcr.
exist in EnGlanh. France and Italy
hirpl"nc4 ., larger size and .;rcatcr
horse power. which are bigger weigh
carriers and faster flyers, while air
planes with more than one engine ex-
listed in ali these countries before
tho Huns had produced single sue
ccssful airplanc with more than one
eEginc.
1T must he more than year ago
chat II was announced IN the ncws-
papers that a giant British airplane
had flown to a height o. more than
1000 feet. carrying twenty passcn-
gers in addition 10 the l,ilot-a living
load OF We'll over a ton. This machine
had two engines Of :5n-hofse power
each. and its speed was hirh AS
unfortunately. an carly example land
cd by mistake behind tn. German
lines and was captured. il is telling
the enemy nothing TO state that these
large machines were designed specially
AS bomb choppers and armed to fight
their way through opposing enemy air
craft
1T is naturally Impossible to say
anything q! the subsequent develop
meai Of these machines. except. tina,
during the pasr twelve months every
irnprovcncn with practical expert
ence has suggested has been carried
out. The point which matters is that
we have bombing airpla &c which
is as good as. il not better than. the
Gotha. and. with concentrated pro.
duction. it should be possible TO drop
ten bombs on German territory fol
every bomb planted by the Huns
HUNS KNOW ANOTHER RACE
FOR SUPREMACY IS COMING
There is going TO be another race
for aerial supremacy and the Hun
knows 1t. He is making every effort
TO secure a lead. because once Ger
man territory is harassed night by
night and day by day, the German
populace will cry for quarter
III is beyond doubt that the Ger
man people are content to suffer every
home pri"ation il the hated English
man can be kept outside the German
frontier. H. however. they find him
pcrsistently bombing their towns they
VIII begin to wonder whether i, is
worth while continuing the struggle.
Germany is a besieged nation. and.
while the masses Of Germany may
consent TO be passive victims OF
siege. the introduction OF aggressive
warfare within the frontier will re.
move the only dispensation for which
they can feel thankful
iona hears CT
Germans are organizing vast squad
rons of heavy bombing airplanes on
an unprecedented scale. and are train
ing them to fly in formation. The
size Of these squadrons is uncertain.
but there is no doubt that the enemy
are straining every nerve to produce
as many bombcrs as possible
1T Is impossible to discuss the ia
cilitics available for the extensive out
put OF big machines in this country
or In other allied countries and 1t is
therefore almost useless TO suggest in
terms OF figures the number OF ma
chimes which could or should be pro-
duced In the next three months. six
months or twelve months.
MANUFACTURE or ENGINES
MOST DIFFICULT PROBLEM
manufacture in thousands OF the nee
cssary high powered engines with
their ella borate accessories. such as
radiators, magnetos and carburetors.
The construction OF the machines them
selves is less difficult, although in
creased production necessarily means
the employment of vast new works.
great quantities of material and large
numbers OF men. The question of
finding the pilots is less difficult. be-
cause the amount OF training required
by pilot who has merely to follow
his leader and drop his bombs where
instructed is very much smaller than
that of the complete aviator who is
trained to undertake independent re-
Gonna ssance or artillery observation
The provision OF an army Of skilled
mechanics is much more serious mat
ter 1t iG here that the Americans
can help US. America gave birth 10
the late Wilbur Wright, the pioneer
OF aviation. and ia inclined to think
that she knows all about flying, hut
If the Americans will consent TO turn
10 and build vast numbers Of absolute
copies of British bombing aeroplanes
they can do 1t. They have yet to
prove that they can turn out high
powered aero engines, on large scale
One reads reports of a wonderful
American aero engine which is being
produced. IL would probably pay
America TO go on experimenting with
the new engine on small scale and
set to work TO reproduce tho best q:
the high-powcrcd British engines in
large quantities.
Properly applied. the American
Industries can help the
allied air services to an enormous
extent. Only America must remcm-
Der that there is no time for expert
ments. She must copy. inch by inch,
the best British practice. She has the
labor, the material and the shops She
has tens ii thousands of skilled me-
cha MICS TO form tho personnel Of almost
infinite numbers of squadrons OF bomb
ing machines; sho has thousands of
adventurous young men who could he
trained in six weeks to handle their
fContinued on Fifth PaCeN