Evening star., 1925-11-08

startled an ennuiafnictet
world with his five-milea a
minute speed In Curtiss plane, ht
set every one to asking, What next?
And we'll may the question be put
for there seems To be no limit in sight
for speed through the air. Men who
are closely in touch with flying affRirs
dare not make definite forecasts fol
the future. but they all agree that the
FIVE mile a minute speed attained by
the Navy pilot Is likely to be exceed
ed any day.
How fast cen we fiy?" brought q
variety Of answers from a group oi
Uncle Sans fiving sons, gathered al
Mitchell Field, Long Island. While q
diversity OF opinion was expressed. the
doughty aeronauts would not deny
that science will make 1t possible for
the driving of planes through the air
at the seemingly incredible speed OF
| 900 miles an hour.
In contemplating A speed of 1,000
miles an hour the human brain is al
most made 10 reel. plane capable
of sustained flight at such speed
could circle the world at the equator
within the span of day. And yet
these spoken chaps. who daily
perform feats that would have numb
ed with terror the brain OF mankind
a generation ago. predict that flying
will be as commonplace to the com
ing generation as was bicycle-riding
to the last.
In attaining his five-mile a minute
speed Lieut. Williams shot through
the air at the rate of 3o2 miles an
hour and he says he did not ey.
perience any appreciable difference be.
tween that tremendous speed and an
ordinary plane rate of 100 miles an
hour.
THE feat OF Lieut.. Williams and
the speed demonstrations Of other
flyers fire the ina gination to the point
where the realization of Jules Nerne's
"Trip to the Moon" seems more and
more Of a probability and less Of q
wild dream. When that same wildl,
imaginative French story writer offer
ed his novel Around the World In
Eighty Days" folk gasped at the
effrontery of his fictionized forecast
Today 1t is almost possible to make
the earth circuit in bit more than
eight days.
with properly located service sta
tions. permitting Of taking on gas
oil and water every seven hours. .
world flight could be made in oul
present machines in eight days Ant
fifteen hours" seriously stated one o
the Army's most experienced pilots
And in making such flight I cal
culate on A basis Of 125 miles Al
hour, which ia no tremendous speed
I allow fifteen minutes for refueling
g. sufficient time at well-equippet
station. Seven hours Is about tn,
limit Of flight without refueling, ant
that would mean twenty.eight stop.
in world -encircling flight Of, say
% 900 miles. The actual flying tim,
would be eight days and eight hours
with seven additional hours for re
fueling, or a total of eight days ant
fifteen hours for the journey.
How does it feel to fly at the rate
of FIVE miles a minute?" Lieut.. vii
liams repeated the Interrogation
well, IL it wasn't being shown you or
your air speedmeter you would never
know the terrific rate at which you
were travelling. 1 knew. of course
how fast l was going, but II 1t hat
not been for the thrill 1 received II
knowing that l was making a recorl
l might just as well have been going
along at a good clip.
II had long cherished the ambition
of flying at a 300.mile n hour rate
but when l found I was doing thi.
and better there was not so much
kick In it as 7 had expected. 1t didn't
seem much different from 200 or 25i
miles an hour. OF course, you know
you are going like hell when your
air speedneter shows 800 miles ar
hour and things on the ground arr
hop-singing by, but don't believe thu