Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-02-08
WILL FLY TO AUSTRALIA
BRlT0NS ARE EXPECTING
TO MAKE IT IN 10 DAYS
scheme Now Ia to Operate Flanc Re
lays 10 MIKE Trip
Quickly.

LONDON. Feb. lit is hardly
dozen years ago since man first began
20 hop 1t Is only a month or two
more than ten years ago since nc can
ne said for the first time TO have sue
.~seded in fling from one place TO
another.
II was in Iuly. 1909. that some OF
us. standing. in the early morning on
come on, Of the sky across the Chan
mel in tiny airplanc. with the kind
Of engine that nowadays you would
win, the first prize given for crossing
the Channel.
+, The magnitude OF his achievement
may be gagged by tho fact that in
twcIiy-eiEht consccutiy. flights after
the one which got hin, the prize his
engine failed to carry him like dis
a few weeks after his flight. l had
: myself an experience which served TO
measure for inc At any rate, the ny
ing progress made III the years be
tween. IN contradiction to tho almost
universal dcrision OF his experiments.
had written something pleasant about
all British flying machine. for At that
time there was very liitlc British en-
terpTise. and all the records We're be
ing held hy American or French air
planes.
= Doubtful Honor.
Out OF gratitude for this. Mr.. Cody
offered me what Al the time seemed
a rather doubtful honor of being his
staff. think, therefore, that l was
the first british Journalist to 20 M
in England, and one exciting Saturday
afternoon climbed into the huge
presence OF General Sir Horace Smith
Dorr!en and crowds OF Interested
spectators, we solemniy made a pas
senGeE hight OF ahou; three miles at
4 height of about fifty Feet.
? There were loud cheers when We
descended. and the passenger. at any
special sort The thing, ,pmcmber.
: inspired a-?oem in punch, but if any
i man would hy easily. punctuaiiy and
without mishap from London TO Aus
tralia, should most certainly have
There is less difference between the
T liGk ma chin, tina, flew in and the
Scntials. than there Is between the lat
ter and the machine in which BIcriot
flew the Channel, 4 type which is now
out OF date. and out OF date forever
Beat Fastest Steamer.
Until the fuli log OF can,ain Ross
reached this country it is not easy TO
understand the full Significance of his
trip. He has beaten the fastest steam
snip time by over Il week. and IL You
;;ian"c at tho map YOU Will sec he has
done this by Following = route which
Is considerably longer than the steamer
route, even taking into account the
fact that steamer has got 10 go
round the Straits Of Gibraltar.
But whereas i steamer goes plod-
ding on day and night at the same
speed. and except for touching at oc-
casional harbors never stops til it
reaches it's destination, Captain Ross
Smith never flew by night at al, and
rarely flew moro than about five hours
u day.
lie made detour to go round by
cairo, which is. strictly speaking, out
Of his track.
Matter for Pride.
To produce a machine which can be
covered with ice one day and few
days later drenchrd in steaming trop-
zeal rain is something which the de-
signers may be we'll proud of
The lesson OF Captain Ross Smiths
hight is this:
If this feat can be accomplished by
one airplane. two pilots and two me-
chanics. how near can Australia not
be brought to Great Britain if the
transit OF passengers or mails were
done not with one machine. but with
n series OF machines in relays. one
taking on Is the other arrived and
cach OF them working over familiar
and highly organized section OF the
route 1t les 10 this that we have to
look in the future, and as this Night
has. ! think, shown us in the very near
future too.
You arc 10 conceive passengers and
mails leaving the ilounslow airdrome