Evening star., 1923-11-16

Action by Admiral Moffett. chief of
the bureau of naval aeronautics, In
calling off further efforts for speed"
among his remarkable young flyers
has been very generally approved by
the editorial thought of the country.
The lives of these men are too valua-
Bile to their country TO be risked un-
necessarily, editors hold, and they
likewise agree that d speed limit or
from 266 to 274.2 miles per hour is a
good enough mark for all foreign
competitors to shoot at.
Both Lieut.. Williams and Lieut..
the Canton News. "and their loss
through death would constitute Sc
we're blow to the aviation service:
Why fiirt with fate when it is not
necessary? Why snould aviators of
their own accord risk their life and
limb in an attempt that possesses
more of the sporting element than
the scier tific?" Yet such speed, the
Detroit Free Press points out, would
make possible, "if maintained, flyer
going around the earth at the equator
in less than four days. An aeroplane
which travels at this rate is more
travel Only, unlike a cannon ball, II
carries its own source OF power. But
it's fuel soon burns out. and, II the
aviator does not land, he falls. Real
izing just what the risk actuaiiy Is,
the Sa ginaw News-Courier insists
admiral Moffett is. of course, right.
The gallant young men he commands
are altogether too valuable TO De
thrown away in achieving speed rec
ords.'
Agreeing to this argument, the New
York Tribune also points out that II
airmen had ever tender thought for
their own safety aviation would be
at a standstill instead of sweeping
on at a pace beside which tornado
crawls. The intervention of cool
headed chiefs when experiments grow
too perilous is a necessary check
rein" The work of these two par
tfcular experts, however. as the New
York World sees 1t, was all done in
spirit of play. with no prizes. One
will wait long before finding two
such sportsmen and another such con-
test-especially since Rear Admiral
Moffett has forbidden such tests in
the future. When the professional
turns amateur there is no occasion
to mourn the decline of sport; 1t Is
only a matter of picking the contest
While there can be little doubt
that "the means Of attaining high
speed is doubtless calculated to FUR
nish much information about the de-
sign of high speed planes ana en-.
Be congratulated that 1t has the
equipment and the men to stand the
great stresses of such experiments,
the Baltimore Sun insists the Dan,
gers attending are SO obvious, and
the chance of minimizing an accioenl
is SO small. that the contests Tor
speed supremacy should be held as
infrequently as IS consistent with the
needs of the service. In TINS iat1er
connection the Brooklyn Eagle points
out like all speed records these give
no indication of normal flying speed.
They do emphasize the transition
state of airplane development. Inc
next few years will see great changes
and America cannot afford TO rag
behind in their study and appiica-
ton. Commercial flying has pro-
gressed much more rapidly In Eu-
rope than with us and is teaching
more valuable lessons than our speed
contests" The records just made.
however. impress the Albany News as
again demonstrating that notnins
ceased to marvel at these achieve.
Even So. speed of this sort Is get, :,
ting beyond human comprehension,
asserts the Wichita Beacon, ana
"there is no comparison except the
hans some day man will incase him.
self in a cannon's projectile. as was
done in Jules verne's novel Not
until then will his mad desire Tor
speed be satisfied"
X X + +
Lest the facts behind these con-
tests be forgotten. the Boston Trav-
eIer recalls that American flyers now