San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-02-11

Inc grant Daring DOlnper HOW unr
der construction by the Army Air Ser
vice at McCook Field, Ohio, will fly
across the Atlantic when it is complet-
ed, Brig. Gen. William Mitchell, assist
ant chief of the Air Service, said Sat
urday. General Mitchell is in San An
tonic inspecting Air Service activities
at Kelly Field.
General Mitchell said that the Bar
ling bomber was certain success from
an engineering point of-view.
The big plane is propelled by mo-
tors aggregating 2400 horsepower" Gen.
eral Mitchell said, land has a radius of
1900 miles from its base. 1t carries
two tons of bombs in addition TO its
passengers and supplies. 1t is by far
the biggest thing the Air Service has
yet developed. OF course, it has not
been thoroughly tested get, but we feel
confident of its success"
With regard to the future standard
service ship of the army, Genera! Mitch
ell said that a new type of ship is be-
ing built TO replace the DeHaviland,
which has been the standard service
ship since the war.
Tending Toward Steel.
"The DIS are obsolete now" he
said, land we will build no more Of
them. The plane TO take its place
will be equipped with steel tubing and
steel fusilage. 1t will also have one
piece wings with struts just at the tips.
Due to the steel tubing and fusilage
the ship will be much safer than the
oh. We are going into steel as fast
as We can now" ....,
General Mitchell stated the the new
ship had not yet been naIneu -uIra that
he does not know what its name isrtT
be. The ship will be Just as fast Is
the Oh which can make 10 miles an
hour.
I'VE have thus far perfected no new
chemical devices to prevent fire. the
general said. "and il looks as If as
long as we have gasoline and electric
sparks there will be fires when a ship
crashes"
Accidents Part Of Game.
He added that commercial aviation
can enjoy safety that army pilots must
forego. He said that commercial ships
can be built so that the gasoline tank
can be dropped off when a crash is in
evitable, and that solid steel ships can
be built which will not burn. but that
these things greatly retard the ships
speed
The army" he said. "must build
ships to get the utmost fighting strength
out Of them even at the sacrifice OF
some safety devices. The Air Service
is the most hazardous branch of the
service and there will always be some
fatal accidents in it. That is just part
of the price we pay for it and every
pilot clearly understands that situation.
The accident we had today was one of
those unfortunate things that cannot
be helped"
Compliments Work Here.
General Mitchell spoke very highly
Of the aerial mail system that is being
between Washington and
New York by the Postoffice Depart
ment. He said that daily schedule
has been conducted for over year and
without a single serious accident.
Praise was all that Gen. William
had for fliers at Kelly Field
and the work they Lave been doing.
General Mitchell has been at Kelly
Field since Friday week ago, conduct
ing an extensive tactical inspection of
tut dlA AolNf StdNlbl'u
The assistant chief OF the Air Ser
vice said that army aviation, the same
rs the other branches of the service.
is suffering greatly through lack OF suf-
ficient appropriations, but with what
they have, the force at Kelly Field has
made remarkable showing. and ut no
other airdrome in the United States
has the work of the Air Service been !
carried on better than at the San An
tonic field.
He Located Enemy.
General Mitchell was particularly |
well pleased with the showing the At
tack Group made in the battle manPu-
vers at Laredo Friday afternoon. He
said the pilots and GunnerS showed OK /
rellent training and that the fire from |
their ships hit the targets with re-
accuracy.
alt demonstrated without a doubt"
he said, chat the Air Service can CON |
rentrate a force $50 miles from its |
base, deliver an attack and return in
The same day. Each of the 26 De
Havlands that made the trip had eight !