CONQUEST OF THE AIR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 29, 29 October 1907, Page 5

CONQUEST OF THE AIR.

■,■ •' "i ';'"iEIiOPLANE 1 ' '.•.".' BT 'TELEGIUFn—PRESS-ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT. ; " ;: '■■'•'■■ "' "'.,;;/';; {''"■; Paris,October'27. M. Formiii's .aeroplane flew 771 metres .(al)6ut-:843 ; yafds)- at , ' Paris in 53.(seconds/ beating M;; Sarito's-Duntorit's 'record' of 220 metres."' r ?-",,'.'..'■'.V" : .- ,v '"''" ' '•'. ■•■•■'• ••

Thoaeropjane-bolongs to, the "heayier-than-ajr"'sy6tcjiit 'of (iorial navigation,' which is,' of course, quite'distinct; from tho balloon or gasinfluted, bag . M. Santos-Dumont'e'--record ais:tance' on '■ the'' , hoaVier-than-hir 'jjniiiciple was covered with *. a'. flyiiig-iriachino in iNovembor 'last,'.;when ho won!-,,the. Arobdpacon-Deutsch prizo. He had . previously' flown 60 metres. ~ "-In my dpinionj" -said d' , British- Army official latelyj ."tho, cigar-shaped dirigiblo ballajn, on which the ij'rehch. and the German military authofitiea'net such store, will become obsolete in-a fow-ybars> It is' , the aeropluno that!is to be the flghtipg mnclilne.of tho,.air, and it is toward the pnrfection of , tho aeroplane that Great Britain-is wdrkihgi"' Supporters of the ileroplnne argue .'that' n. great bulk such; as.La I'atrte or Ntllli Spcundus ennnot traVel at tho best : mbfo than twchty.-fouf ' miles an libilf/ while an aeroplane of llio same size could Jlyihroiigh. the air at,more than 100 miles ah 'hour. '."'■■.■ ■ ' ' ■ '■•• * -. '■'■ '"; , According to one writer, tho British Govern-' ment ban providod a barbed wire enclosure at Aldcrshot (}ust outside''the balloon factory whore Nulli Secundus was b'uilt) for a distinguished amateur, in aeronautic?, who has l devoted his time and wealth to improving-' the aeroplane.' "What ho' caii do in tho way of ; aoroplanes-l saw to-day in hia camp. Tothoiicd by an: invisible .wire to a post in ■•his tent, n model aeroplane; ili the shape of a hawk, flow 'high in the'air. So perfect is the resemblance to the bird of .prqy, hovering as if'ready, to swoop aown on a victim, that nil the real birds forsake the neighbourhood when the' hnwk-liko ncroplane is in the air. I watched it for a long time to-day, and wor amnzed lit its steadiness and to f>ec how levol was its poise. "The amateur , in question, who objects to ,all public mention of hiR. naiiia, is -wicloly known among aeronauts all over the ■'world, lie has made many improvements' in aeronautics, .and. .if he has solved tjio secret of tho prooticaliaeroplane the British Army will ho ahead of'any'other in its musteryof the air."