The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1917-07-20
AERoPLANEs IN
PEACE AND WAR

One of the immediate results of the
European war is the remarkable devel-
opment of the aeroplane. When the
war began while the navigation of the
air had been demonstrated as success,
its practical use was still question.
Without war conditions it would have
been many years before the planes could
have been proven of practical use in
commerce.
Necessarily, it took considerable ex.
pertinent and experience to successfully
build and handle aircraft. There was
an element of danger in learning to fly
that was not attractive to the ordinary
man. Aeronauts at the beginning were
of the class of men who we're willing to
take their lives in hand for the sake Of
money and the excitements of risk.
Flying before the war was still but little
advanced beyond mere circus perform
ance and the exhibitions were attended
by crowds, who marvelled that the flyer
did not fall, or wondered why he so fool
ishly risked his life when he did fall as
often happened.
Even at the beginning offhe war, the
use of the flying machines was. expert.
mental. Most of US thought that such
machines we're cut out for offensive pur.
poses as new weapon of destruction.
1t seemed SO simple matter to take a
lot of explosives high in the air, far
above possible danger from guns on the
ground, and then drop death and des-
tructlon on people and property below
with comparative safety to the destroy.
or. 1t was this idea that built the great
Zeppelins. But the course of actual ex-
perience has proven the Zeppelin to be
a failure, at least compared with it's
more swift though smaller cousin, the
plane.
Doubtless, large diriglble. self-support.
ing, flying machines will be developed.
Undoubtedly so when as expected, that
after the war that flying boats will be
used as passenger and possibly freight
carriers, but as yet they are too clumsy,
too subject to winds and too hard to
handle on the ground.
But the war has also proven that un-
less used in vast numbers. which so far
have not been made or manned, the aero.
plane while capable of much local annoy
ance and destruction, as decisive war
weapon it cuts but little figure. Though
the military authorities are now consid
ering what the effect Of great mum bers
of such flyers might be in military tao
tics. and the United States government
is just now considering the expenditure
of more than q half billion dollars in the
making and manning of flying craft.
This, for an invention that only proved
q success a half dozen years before the
war, is something very remarkable in it.
self and shows how rapidly war has,
brought this means Of movement to the
front.
So far, however, the positive success
Of the flying machine has been practi-
cally in one direction but that Of great
Importance, the flyer has become the
'eyes of the army" What this means is
not altogether understood unless one
also takes into consideration that in the
present war cannon have been the bones,
the framework, Of III the armies. Given
. superiority Of heavy guns and the
army 80 supplied has q great and usually
the overwhelming advantage. Ger
many's first successes were based almost
entirely on the superiority Of artillery.
The world read with astonishment how
the modern Notifications Of Belgium
were battered down to dust, and that
finally, only trench warfare could be
used in defence with any sort Of success.
and now We know that even trenches
can Be utterly destroyed IL the guns rot
the range and the ammunition holds out.
Il i. ''gstting the range where ths
flyer proves his usefulness. Al he fiisa
over tho enemy lines Nc sses and mapsi
and photographs trenches, hidden Runs