The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1918-07-02
AMERICAS ARMY OF THE AIR .
WILL SOON BE A REALITY
the Building Of Planes Is GOQ AheadAberty Motor Produc
ton Is Increasing Problem Of Shipping Machines To France
Becoming Less Serious III t,,.f.

TO contemplate, never was entirely prac-
tieai. hut suridIent airmen and suit.
Client airplanes from the United States
to assure absolute mastery of the air
on the, Western front are practical pro.
positions. No one may say that the
realizatiOn of such q status is now
many months distant
ECertainly great things are properly
to be- expected of this aviation army
when 10 gets to France. The men are
trimmed, in great numbers and being
put on fighting edge. 1t is supposed
that Washington in recent months has
Witnessed marvellous stunts in the many
exhibitions that have taken place above
the city but probably these exhibitions
are tame by comparison with perform
anees the flying experts Of the United
States are now capable of.
~ One serious drawback to the aviation
corps has been transportation. The
shinment of planes across the Atlantic
must monOpolize enormous space on
shipboard. Just when the quartermas,
ter department has been crowding
every possible ship into the service Of
carrying men and munitions to Gen.
eral FOeh; so that the United States
army might help strike powerful blows
at, the enemy--possibly decisive blows
in the course of the battle that be-
Gan III March. it Inns not been feasible
to ship airplanes. If sufficient fighting
planes for the aviation army had been
Grated and put down upon the docks
at Atlantic ports, one may doubt whe-
thef these would have been transported
yet, Under all the circumstances.
Can ship Planes Now
In the next few months, however, not
only should these supplies be ready but
they should go over the ocean. There
seems to be confidence that the Ameri.
can aviation service in France win be
much better supplied in all particulars.
The shipping board is making such de.
eided gains In construction that prob.
lems of transport are much less aggra.
waited. More space can be found for
shipments Of planes.
The burden appears to rest largely
just now on the manufacturers If the
conclusions of senators, who have been
investigating, may be trusted, the Lib.
erty Motor is well advanced as a prae.
teal, working machine. 1t is not per.
lection yet but it has been developed
to the point where quantity production
is an increasing actually.
The, aviation corps is now substau,
italy entering upon its second year.
Probably it was entitled to at least
twelve months before very much could
be expected of it. The service is high
ly technical. Air fighting is yet very
much in the, experimental stage and
rapidly. developing, Opr Infantry auI
artillery, standard military branches
have. been recruiting and training for
only a little more than twelve months
ana are, just getting to q, stage of of
heiepcyo where they can be put upon
the firing line Of tie Western front
The Inference would seem TO be clear
that if the air. army, understood to ap,
proximate 100000 men, qualities. for
vigorous service within year and a
half and becomes a factor in binding
the German forces in France, there
would, be, a very great deal standing
to it's credit.