New Britain herald., 1928-02-03
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s,dRY, Y,EkxNK J. CARMoDY)
 WSSs:oceanic and other forms of distance flying unquestionably have provided 1927 with its aerial high lights. The result has been that speed flying, heretofore one of the brightest spots in the aviation pic ,ure. has been pushed into the back ground. so far back, in fact that the -ompietef shattering Of all existing speed records has attracted but rela- 'i,'eiy little attention.
 300 Mile Mark Reached
 Il, is remarkably significant to the aircraft designer and the engineer. lespi,e the fact that general interest today is c"Rtered in how far rather than how fast an airplane will travel. that the 3ov miles an hour speed which looked so dishearten- inyly theoretical not so long ago al- eady has been reached. Major 2 Mario de Bernardi, Italian speed ace, flying the little Fiat-powered Macchi plane that failed him in the Schnei- der Cup races of l92I but which WON the same event in lao26 Is the first human being to travel through space at such . speed.
 The dream of the aviation en- thusiast thus has come true, and in doinE so. 1t has made more difficult tho task of Lieut., Alfred J. Will lialns Of the C. g. Naval Air Serv- ice who is rapidly getting his spec alty built plane ready for an effort to bring the aerial speed record back to America, Lieut.. Williams task was not an easy one after Flight Lieut.. $. NJ. Kinkead of Great Britain whirled around the pylons at Lido for one lap at 2ss miles an hour during the Schneider Cup races. Now it is that much more difficult as a, result of Major Ber- nardi's accomplishment.
 Confidence in Williams
 Fellow flyers and friends Of Lieut.. Williams are. confident that he will redouble his efforts to exceed the record of Bernardi as long as he can set.the necessary backing, and there IS small chance that those who have 50 enthusiastically supported him to date vii drop out just when the fun gets keenest. Immediately after it became known that the little ship would not be in readiness to repre- sent the United States in this years Schneider trophy contest in Italy. Lieut Williams announced his in tention to convert the special plane int9 land craft-a mere shift from poutoons to Wfeels--to make an effort to travel faster than any hu- man being ever has gone before.
 The Schneider races and the S00- brought out several points that are the.l subject of animated discussion in 1viati circles. Most prominent among these are the relative merits of the monoplane and the biplane in the sphere Of speed. In this years record, shattering events. mono planes have been victorious.
 Uses . Biplane
 Lieut.. Williams racer is a biplane It follows the general American practice in high speed ships ex- pre1sed most emp pia.ically in the pursuit and ng,lttr planes of the army and ra,.f c.i;' .crvices. Now. whether Lieut.. kinEcad's feat in reaching :S9 Elilc1 an hour on one lap in a biplane or Major Bernardi's s achievement in ying 300 miles an hour Is the more significant in con- nection with Lieut. Williams' record breaking plans. Is something that csnl be settled only by actual flight. The whole thing, to many, rests in tho engine and not in the fact Of tho. plane having. one or two wings.
 One advantage Is given to the bi- pia%e by, nearly everyone is its greeter maneuverability, due to It's shGrter fuselage. 'Maneuverability. obviously, is no small item when 1t comes to turning around pylon mapking a race course. But here, tod. the difference Is not very great.
 There is nothing fin the way of engines Of 1927 record making planes that can be compared with that which powers Lieut. Williams