The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-11

Il would be a good thing II there were
no exhibitions. The navy set about the
Transatlantic flight in n business like,
practical way TO accomplish something
for the future OF aviation. When the
public goes to see aviators do stunts In
the air the public forgets that these
stunts represent only play on the part
Of the aviators and do not contribute
much to the progress of aviation. 1t II
like comparing the motor truck to the
pleasure automobile.
IF we can bend our energies TO useful
experiments in aviation, such as the
transatlantic night. II may not take ten
or twenty years to accomplish what
should be done in three or five. The
Night OF the R-S4 has demonstrated what
can be done with the dirigible type of
craft, and long flights are what are
needed to develop the planes and demon
strate what they can do"
Baron de Constant on Future.
Baron dEstournelles de Constant,
president OF the Aviation Commission OF
| the French Senate. who is on a Govern
| ment mission in America. was present
with his son, Lieut. Paul d'Estournelles
de Constant.
| II was in Paris" tho Baron began.
ito welcome Commander Read and the
others, and was lucky enough to have
a little fly with him. So I am happy
to be here to-day TO see him welcomed
home.
! You people are all so very young
But / am old and l have seen things
that you haven't. / remember when
your Wilbur Wright came to France
He came to see me he was my guest
Most people then thought he was a
| IL
nice, but 1t could never become serious
He himself thought that It would re-
quire many more years to bring aviation
TO the point II Is to-day Everybody
was sceptical and Wilbur Wright found
IL very hard to overcome that sceptica
OF position. We have that same scepti.
cal opposition to-day. but not as much
The conclusion therefore Is that the
dreamers Of those days were right. But
what some OF the people might have re.
garded at that time as being at an enc
now is for us only the beginning ant
hold promise Of greater future. Com
mander Read. you. see what you have
done. 1t is our duty now to take ad
vantage and not TO treat aviators a,
di Gamers"
Baron de Constant said that the mos
practical result to follow the trans
atlantic flights was the formation of al
international aerial police force. II,
urged unity of the allied nations in THU
direction and said that such an interna
tional aerial police force would be tn,
only complete and efficacious defence o.
the League of Nations. He added:
"Supposing then a new sudden Ger
man attack on France. what could al
American army and even an American
feet do to protect us at once? The,
could not arrive in time and our enc
mics, knowing that would begin by en-
joying indeed a real immunity in theii
aggression. It will be quite different /
they know that aerial fleets can eros
the ocean on a moments notice anC
hover over the German towns almos
as soon as the German aerial fleet woult
attack the French or Belgian towns
The certitude of an immediate defensiv,
action of the International aerial flee
would prevent the attack.
Among those who were present wer,
Representative F. H. La Guardia. Capt
earle Tappi Of the Italian Air Mission
Borough President Connolly of Queens
| Henry Woodhouse. Charles Jerome Ed
wards, Capt. Pierre Bose of the Frencl
Mission, Col. Jefferson de VI. Thompson
Samuel Falrchild. Augustus Post, Chic
Inspector John Daily. Col. G. C. Brant
Rear Admiral Glennon. commandment o
the Third Naval district and his aid
acknowledgements Thomas b. Has
Ter. Prof Charles Lane Poor and Capt
Robert A. Bartlett.