The Elk Mountain pilot., 1918-01-10


stead of just airplanes, have
bombing machines, reconnaissance machines and
battleplanes. each n specialized type designed for
specific duty Then In class by themselves,
there the hydroplanes, writes Arthur Bening-
ton in the New York World.
Bombing machines are the heavy artillery the
condors, the Percherons, the bulldogs of the air.
Reconnaissance machines the intelligence
service, the carrier pigeons the hunters, the
pointers, of the air.
Batteplanes. which combine the duties of light
cavalry and machine-gun squads, are the swal-
lows. the tn oroughbreds. the terriers. the wasps,
of the air.
you might as well nsk me what kind of horse
consider the finest" replied Italian aviator
when asked for his opinion the finest arplane.
ut all depends upon what service you want your
plane for. For dropping bombs cities there is
| nothing like our own Caproni the finest climbers
l personally have encountered were German ma
chimes the swiftest flyer up to date is the italian
S. v. A.. and think the Austrians have the most
reliable hydroplanes."
OF course this merely the aviator's personal
opinion, and it is given here not at all because of
its value a Judgment the several makes of
machines, but merely to illustrate the diversity of
type and the wisdom of not confusing the differ
ent types In ones mind.
For bombing machine the primary require
ment is ability to carry heavy load. Them In
order of Importance, come: Medium speed $50 to
100 miles an hour) climbing power Q3.OOO feet)
defensive armament md radius of action from
60 to 100 miles. Load-carrying power involves
strength of construction great stability. and
gnes that shall develop tremendous power and
yet be light as possible Types of the bomb
ing machine are the Italian Caproni. the British
Handley- Palmer. and the German Gotha G Ill
and Friederichshafen G. II.
The reconnaissance machine must have room
for at least two perssns-the PILOT and the OBJ
server; installation for wireless apparatus and
cameras for taking both still and moving pictures
fuel capacity sufficient for three four hours of
flight; fairiy high speed-say from 115 to 100
miles an hour-and ability to carry n machine
gun with which to defend Itself IL attacked. The
camera installation makes great stability neces.
sary. Types of this machine the Italian
Ponilio S. v. A, and Savoia-Pomilio: the French
vosln. and the German Brandenburg. Albatross
III and Avintiks ILL.,
Speed and climbing power are the essentials in
battlepane. The latest types of this sort-the
italian s. V. A. and new model of PomilIo; the
French Nieuport and Spad and the German AL
batross d and Albatross Bue-can carry only one
man, who acts pilot, observer and gunner.
Most OF them have only one gun, which is not
mounted n swivel but is an integral part of
the engine itself. for as 1t discharges its bullets
between the blades OF propeller revolving so
rapidly that 1t cannot be seen, 1t must be perfect
ly synchronized with the motor otherwise bullet
might strike n blade of the propeller. These
machines are nothing but flying cannon. They
carry passenger no cameras. no bombs moth
ing except single operator and the ammunition
for the gun.
The difference between reconnaissance and bat
tleplanes appear slight when set down in figures.
but then every fraction Of an inch affects the
speed and stability of an arpane.
Some iden of the differences may be obtained
from the dimensions, and these can be given only
approximately except In or two cases. 1t is
of course impossible to describe our own Amer-
can planes, the comparisons that follow are
based on foreign machines.
One of the smallest Of the battleplanes is a
new Pomiio which has not yet been tested In
America. American representatives of the Ansal-
do company OF Genoa, which makes the s. V. A.
another very small one-decline to make its d.
mensions public at present, but Capt. Alessandr6
Pomilio. designer of the machines that bear hi1
name, has objection to 1t being stated that the
PomiliO which flew from Fortress Monroe to
Mineola and which scared over New York on Lib
erty Loan day. has a wing spread of approximate
ly 3S feet This, however, Is reconnaissance
machine The that Is coming is battlepane
and It's wings have n spread of only fraction
over 80 feet. Both these PomiliO machines have
exactly the same motor 200-horse-power 1settn-
Fraschni, but the greater size of the one already
here enables it to carry passenger and cameras
while the smaller one can carry only one man.
The reconnaissance POmilio makes 120 miles an
hour: scout is said to have made on tests In
Italy 16O miles hour.
So far official tests known. the s. V. A.
holds the record for speed. This is the machine
that made the sensational flight from Turin to
Rome 1906 miles. in two hours and fifty minutes.
averaging 1908 miles an hour. The French Neu-
port machines unoffciay reported to have
made as high 175 miles an hour.
The dimensions of the German AibatrOss d
are known exactly having been published by the
French military authorities after measurement of
captured machines. Its wings have n spread of
297 feet its fuselage Is 23.8 feet long, its speed
ia 1o4 miles nm hour and can climb 49, $50 feet
1t carries two rnpid-re guns, discharging through