The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1919-11-14
.FOKKER DEVISED
RADIO A|RPLANE.
Dutch inventor Had Plan to Put
Allied Artillery Out Of
Commission.
.BuNGLED BY THE WAR OFFICE
AIrpIanes Loaded With Explosives to
Be Directed by WireIess--Fokke
Perfected Machine, but War
Office Spoiled Scheme.

| SstsSS SfSuSA ~sSttSutSs
| Amsterdam.-M. Fokker, the Dutch
4 airplane expert who worked for the
Germans during the war, stated, in
an interview, that he had made mill
lions Of marks out Of the Germans, but
would give half Of them to prove to-
the world that he was never anti-ally.
Il was making airplanes before the
war broke out" he said, "and when the
Germans asked me to make airplanes
for them could only agree to do so.
It was purely financial matter.
"We are having an airplane exhi-S
bition here in Amsterdam this month
and find that all the English flying
men who come here are good sports
men. They don't nurse any grudge
against me for making airplanes for
the Germans, but the Frenchmen---
they never will forgive me, I fear.
Ny machine brought down too many
Frenchmen, and they don't like my
name."
Germans Had $500.
M. Fokker said he built $500 air
planes at his factories In Germany
for the Germans to usein the spring
drive Of 1918 but the allies had i've
| to one. So the German army had to
quit.
III the war had gone on for sew
eral more years how far would the
airplane have developed?'' M. Fox
ker was asked.
i His answer revealed what he de-
clared had been a great military se-
cret. eve would have put the ,artil-
lery out Of commission" he said. m
would have made the big guns 3
fashioned as spears. Tt was ali,
| fault of the army red tape in Bfo 1
that it was not begun sooner. -
ut was like this: In 1916 the al
authorities asked me If / could ffiaA I
very cheap airplane with a very
cheap engine, capable of flying about
four hours, which could be steered
through the air by wireless waves.
/ "They intended to load each one Of
these airplanes with an immense bomb
and send them into the air under the
control of one flying man who would
shepherd them through the sky by
wireless like a flock of sheep. He
would be able to steer them as he
pleased, and send them down to earth
in exactly the spot he selected.
/ tffft1n Gort.,ax. tdno xx,oc tha4 xx,nr
tremendous waste to send shells
1 through the air by means of explosives.
Their idea was to put all their ex-
plosiyes into the shells, and then move
the shells to their destination by pc
troll power. They had really lost faith
in the use of bic. guns.
"Of course, each one Of these air
planes with its engine would be blown
up when the bomb exploded. The
whole thing was not much more ex-
pensive than firing long-range shells,
and 1t would be far more sure and
more deadly
War Office Bunsed.
'My plans were accepted by tie
authorities and then the war Office
made their great mistake. They de-
cided to make the airplane itself. The
war Office bungled along with the
manufacture of planes for many
months, and when they had finally
turned out few machines they found
that they could not be depended on.
"In the summer of 1918 they came
Ito me and gave. me huge order for
the wireless-steered airplanes. / had
just got. ready to manufacture them in
wholesale quantities when the end Of
the war came,'
i III. Fokker displayed a photograph
Of an airplane without an engine.
"This is my very latest idea,' he said
proudly. 1T is secret as yet. Sport
ing contests with such machines would
be very much like coasting contests
on the winter runs in the Alps. An
air coaster could be- stowed by another
airplane to height Of 1000 feet or
more, and then the airmen could cut
loose and plane down. think the day
will come when air coasting without
engines will be great sport"
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