The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1918-01-25

In the bottom of the fuselage. BY means Of this
last gun IL can defend itself from enemy ma
chimes attacking 1t from below and behind a po-
sition in which all other machines but the Gotha
vulnerable.
The Germans have been most ingenious in de-
signing their airplanes for maximum effectiveness
Of gun fire. Their single-seated Albatross D.
and d III, FOkker D. Haberstadt Roland ID, ana
Ago d have two fixed guns firing ahead through
the revolving propeller, and these machines are
able 10 carry 1000 cartridges for each gun. Iheir
two-place reconnaissance machines Albatross'
Rumpler Aviatik and l.. v G. have one fixed for
ward gun firing through the propeller and a sec
ond lighter gun on u swivel mounted behind the
planes and firing to the rear over az angle or IoO
degrees. The French have adopted this system
for the airplanes of similar type.
The most ingenious armament, however, Is thht
of the new Pomilio scout plane. 1t is not advis-
able to betray the secret Of this plane at present.
but it is permissible to say that the single pllot
controls five guns, all shooting ahead simultane-
ously and that four of these are so perfectly
concealed that even a photograph does not show
where they are situated. 1t is in reality hVe-
barrcIed Calling gun wings This machine Is
now on it's way to America, if indeed II has not
already arrived.
Talk x with the italian avators now here
about motors, l found them deeply interested in
the new Liberty motor, but none would venture
to express an opinion about it,
81 could not Judge Of its value" said one of
them until | had taken it up 5000 or 100000
feet In the air and watched how it behaved there.
The Fiat company which has been making mo-
tors ever since these first Invented, needed
two whole years of experimentation before 1t was
able to turn out a satisfactory airplane motor
Several times 1t thought it had 1t; several times
II offered motor that performed perfectly under
the most exaCtng laboratory tests, but each time
il failed when tested in the rarefed air of 10000
feet above the earth After two years Of trial
the Fiat people produced the wonderful motors
now so extensively used. The Isotta-Fraschni
company had a similar experience. We all adj
rnire the perfection Of mechanism Of the Liberty
motor and we all hope that actual flight will
prove II to be perfect as it looks, but no one
of us would venture to give a verdict on it until
he had flown with 1t at all possible attitudes
These men, all OF whom youths who have
had thrilling experiences In actual warfare, are
fond OF discussing the probabilities of a flight
across the Atlantic Any of them would he
willing to attempt II, but they disagree as TO the
machine most likely to be the first to make It,
Some say the giant Caproni. which would need al
least "a hours, and probably 40, to fly from New
fouudland to Ireland (the shortest route), while
others say some such machine the S. V. A, as
1t could make the flight easily between sunrise
and sunset. In the II would be like 8
giant condor relying on the power of its wings &c
sustain 1t day and light in flight in the Other
case il would be a gull or a swallow relying
on terrific speed TO carry It over by daylight.