The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-06-14

en- into account He never thinks
about the automobile accidents which
are recounted in every paper. be-
cause he has become accustomed to
these and accepts them as a matter OF
course. He will probably be surprised
ing schools flew 261,300 miles, which
is ten times around the world, in one
day, without a fatality. Do you think
that an equal number of beginning
motorists could run that many miles
without a serious smash up?
The lace" aviator of the newspaper
stories, with his tiny wasp of an air
plane and his daring hair-raising
stunts, has also prejudiced the con-
sentative landlubber against flying.
He likes to read about these things,
but he cannot imagine himself doing
them. But as a matter of fact, this
plane is a passing phase of the great
air game. The coming type of air
craft is the heavy battle plane, which
is as sta BILE as a horse and buggy.
carries several men, and is as easily
controlled as a limousine Our Havl-
land plane is of this type. These great
airships in squadrons of eighteen to
twenty are fighting the war in the
air today, and their development
means the development of a stable
plane which will carry several pas
sengers-the kind of a plane we will
use in peace time.
The experts say that the thing really
needed to make civilian flying safe is
a system of landing fields. Most of
the accidents are landing accidents.
and many of them are due to the fact
that the aviator has no good place to
land. OF course, there is also dam
ger of falling if the engine goes wrong,
- 80 49,
the ditch if the steering gear of an
automobile goes wrong; but that dan
ger is small in both cases. If 1t is
somewhat greater in the airpIane, that
is offset by the fact that there is
| nothing to collide with up in the air
no telegraph poles, pedestrians nor
curves.
In the near future, it is confidently
predicted, the map of the country
will be dotted with landing fields.
Every municipality will probably be
compelled to maintain one, and there
will doubtless be many others in con-
| nectien with private and commercial
hangers These will go a long way
toward making mail and passenger
traffic in the air as safe as on the
land. The only other step necessary
to bring it into its own is the reduc-
ton OF the expense of flying, and that
is sure to come. Materials are being
SSeAhooh dlzC0, anu 1u6I improved every
day. There is no reason why the ex-
pense of the production and operation
of airplanes should not be reduced as
| rapidly as 1t was in the case Of auto
mobiles.
The place OF the airplane in OUT
| national lifeiis further assured by the
| number of industries which are grow
| ing up around it. Nearly all OF these
will, after the war, find other uses
for their products, but they will alse
try in every way to encourage the use
| of airplanes. A large amount OF
money and brains is now engaged In
| these industries. and money and brains
| always get results.
One of these industries is the max
ing of cotton cloth for the planes. Be
| fore we entered the war, the allies
| were using nothing but linen for the
purpose. We could not possibly gel
| enough of that material for our OWL
| needs. Accordingly the bureau OF
standards was put to work upon the
problem and 1t devised cotton cloth
made from long staple cotton which
! seemed to answer the PURPOSE. PEI
| ceiving that this cloth was its "besi
chance" the airplane production
| board invested several millions in the
long staple cotton and set mills tc
work making the cloth. 1t proved q
great success, and we are now sup.
! plying our allies as well as ourselves
| :
The castor oil industry Is another
Castor oil is the. only lubricant thai
can be relied upon for use in air
| planes. When we started out build.
| ing airplanes. a large drug firm was
commissioned to supply the need fol
castor Oil. 1t could not get a Fraction
of the necessary amount According
| ly the board sent to India for a ship
load of castor bean seed, farmers were
| encouraged to plant 1t by the Offer
of a fixed price for all they coult
| raise, and now there are 10000 acre.
of the beans growing in three states
Milliors have been invested in tn.
plants for the extraction of the oil.
| Much the same might be told of the
cellulose-acetate with which the wing,
of the planes are impregnated t.
make them drum head tight" and O.
the spruce which is used for tn,
wooden frame work In each case
new industry has been created. AND
in each case, this industry will FIND
other markets for it's product whe1
the war is over, but will nevertheless
remain a force behind the develop
ment of the airplane and its use TO
civilian purposes. The war ha
brought on the flying age.