Evening star., 1926-10-10
BY SIR PHILIP GIBBS.

pI Fth 1bbLI ubb6S.
LONDON. October 9-That terrible
dlsaster OF the French airplane flying
eyer England last Saturday, when the
pHot and all passengers were killed,
Is one more reminder that mankind
Sas not fully achieved the conquest
or air. Following upon Can't. Fonck' s
tragic accident and the many fatal
casualties in the British Royal Air
Force--since August last there have
been l9 young officers killed-it has
cast a shadow over that great victory
achieved by Alan Gotham in his tri
umphant flight to Australia and
back
In his broadcast speech immediately
after his arrival at Westminster,
where vast crowds had assembled to
cheer him. he disputed that there was
anything clever in flying or any great
risk In his adventure. Listening to that
modest man. who had flown through
monsoons and the foulest of wind and
weather In tropical conditions, one
might have been tempted to believe we
may all take unto ourselves wings and
MI the air with crowded traffic Then
came that griSly stroke of fate which
sent the French air mail to earth in
q sheet Of flame.
Only on .,he previous Saturday had
nown over The same stretch of country
with my wife and son on our way
back from Geneva. Curiously enough,
we nearly came to grief very near the
same spot. After flying for something
like six hours with sense Of security
which seemed complete on the part Of
my Fellow passe con.
Tess to occasional remembrances of the
law of gravity was suddenly aware
that all was not we'll with our star
board engine. 1t was after we had
crossed the Channel and werA flying
over Kent on our way to London
Descent Il Uncomfortable.
What's the matter with the en-.
gine," ] shouted into the ear Of a
friend of mine with more mechani
cal knowledge than myself. Broken
valve" he shouted back and made a
gloomy gesture with both thumbs.
Other passengers became aware that
something was wrong when our pilot
headed back for the Channel and
skfrted the coast for 90 miles search
ing for landing place. We were
5000 feet up. Presently we descended
very rapidly and came uncomfortable
close to tree tops and church steeples.
1 had great desire to see a fat field
and feel solid earth below my boots.
However. the pilot was getting wire.
less messages telling him to carry on
and come home, as that broken valve
was nothing serious. So we scared
again with our starboard engine max.
Ing reports like n S-inch gun, a nd with
an unpleasant suspicion in my mind
that II might catch fire. 1t didn't. or
I shouldn't be writing this article. but
our pilot had some foreboding, as he
efterward confessed.
That little personal experience is Of
no Importance. The question has to
be asked whether science Is sufficient
ly advanced for any sweeping progress
to he made at the present time in
short and long distance flying for
civil use
In spite of these recent disaster I
am inclined to believe that during the
next 10 years ma nkind will take to
the air in a way which will revolution.
lie our present methods of transport
and prepare new phase of civilization
and all its habits.
British Safety Factor.
Since air traffic on commercial lines
was esta blished in England the British
air service has had a fortunate and
wonderful record. Since 1918 British
transport flying has covered $500. 900
miles with only four deaths to passen-
gers. That is one death for something
over each million miles. When one
considers the number of lives lost in
railway travel. and especially on the
French railways, which have had
very bad record lately in that respect,