AERIAL FLEETS

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 541, 23 June 1909, Page 7

AERIAL FLEETS

POWERS BUIU)JNG I.ARQE PIRIGIBLES A BRITISH APPEAL. SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT OF THE ARMY AEROPLANE. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.—Copyright.) London, June 21. ■ Mr. S. F, Cody's now army aeroplarte made a- ciipiilar flight at Aldcrshot of'a milo ,ind a, half, af. a height of 20 foet. During the, oourso tho machine made threo sharp turns. Tim "Morning Post" appeals to tho public for £20,000 t" prqaehk a dirigible haljqon to tho nation. France is building four largo, dirigibles, Belgium one, and Spain ono, Al| arc of French manufacture, Germany is building ono dirigible balloon of 500 horse-power (more than double the capacity of last year's Zoppolin, 220 h,p.). A SURPRISE FOR BRITAIN, OPTION OVER A BIG DIRIGIBLE NOW COMPLETING. EXPECTED TO DO CROSS-CHANNEL. TRIPS. (Rec. Juno 22, 11.30 p.m.) V '■ London, Juno 22. Tho Parliamentary Aorial Defence Committeo state that au airship with a capacity pf 227,000 cuhin feet is approaching completion, and it is hoped that ifc will sail from Paris to London before the Parliamentary session concludes.

: The committee lias secured the option' of 'purchase'.of the airship for .the nation. It has , two propeilcrs/.'and two.motors, each of 220-liorse-powor, and will be able to carry petrol for a 700-mileg journey, with 25 pnssengors,' at a speed of;-35(40 miles an hour. The "■ Daily Mail". offers £5000; to build a garage to enable .the airship to remain in England until tho tfbst. ; ' '. ■..: '. ';!) ''■'.:''-' : AIRSHIP. COMPARISONS. '. ■' ■■ : ■. TWENTY-FOUR' ZEPPELINS IN : lOis!, 'This- is -the first recorded'.circular flight of the British-Army.. diri?ib]o, the work, of Mr. S, F,;Oo(ly.. The work-or lack:of it—of .tho aeronautics section of the British War Office has. come'in for considerable criticism of late, and Mr..-Haldnne: (Socrotnry for Wμ) was nsked. in the House, of Commons whether ho wonld permit English' civilinn*'enqiheers to cooperate with tho balloon , department at Alderchot in constructing. air : vessels. The Minister replied in the negative; and, in further answer, stated that Sir.; Cody's engagement with; the War Office wonld expire on September. 30 (haY.ing-.been .extended from March 30), and no further intension was contemplatecl,■'■'.'; Mr. Crooks (Labour): : "Is Mr. Cody being, paid by results?".' There was no answer. ■- "..; :i - . ■ ■•-.■■.:'. ■ • ,' : - - Since'these questions were, asked the 1 Government has"put the work of.-'aorial construction and: navigation;on a reorganised basis, and has appointed a special, committw, under Lord Rayloigh,, with'; a strong' 'scientific ''nrid r niili. tary, membership. / ■•. ; ' ■' '-■'"'[>■' •?•'■*■..,. . Tlie,'circular, flight of; a mile and: a half is very much the best performance Mr. Cpdy has accomplished. : ' ;','.•■■ '.'■.. ■■ Unjuttifiod SnMr«.-....'..-'i:. ..■■.•'.•■...;.'■./■■.■■,..•..•■, ;".!■'.-.. On Maroh 22 the aeronautical correspondent of/'Tho , Timps" wrptej /'ln 1912 Germany will have at least 34 mammoth Zeppelin ships, fcrich capable of..'oversea:'excursions;, and-probably speedier than' any, nam.l u v.essel!..ln.tho- prei sent year, she .will; have, four Zenpoljns, and' the magnificent factory at Eriodriphshnfen, on-.' dowed .with- over :,£300,000. by- the , German nation, wilj be able to turn.out at least eight vessels a year nf tor this' ■' autumn, "Thus,, by' 1912,'/Germany can have-'2l. Zeppelins, and her other: military.'.'dirigiblosVWill number at. least ii dozen. .''Our.into of production is ope vessel per annum, and by 1912 wo may have at ;most some five small-sized, slow, non-rigid airships, which, , ascompared with the Zefapelins,' , will-be ,njj :; antiquated crvipfiri-'to Dreadnoughts. : .Wo 'huvo-no up,to-dnto,facilities for building large dirigibles oven of tho non-rigid typo j arid as for thfl-faster- rigid; craft Zeppelin type, wo-have absolutely : no.expenenco or resources, either of tho Government or private.' which would enable us to lay.doirn suoh 'ships-*sue-cqsKfully. .prjtish exports' haVb sneorod' at the Zeppelin.'and they.havo.novor.built a,ship of -he.,-kind,.'though it. i? now established to bo the fastest and tho > most powerful, and the only craft w.jvpU can at. tempt 'long--overson voyages. 'Our'-fleet of five ships in , '■'iei2, ! if milt according to the--.present'estimates,-will befitted only for overland work, and will bo quite unable to cope with the larger and swif■tor*' German vessels, whioh can-mount better guns and carry more explosives. ;., .. . ; An Invasion by Dirigibles. , ;: .'? :';:."';■'■ "A Zeppelin A of the preeenWay type could reaoh this country in ten. hoflra and do enormons damage in a brief,'space of time. Our experts have no adequaW idea of the improvements which can be effected :in ■ the Zoppliris in tho next year or two.' Twenty-four great veesels ;of , a .-'vastly-improved type might, in 1912, put tenornioro of our; 20 Dreadnoughts put.qf action, and damage our naval bases seriously; while Germany would still have a welltried . second laorial fleet of 12. dirigibles to carry .'out further operations. .-I say nothing of,, the- moral effect of this sudden aerial atKiok, qr of-the. panio which'would bo oreatod by a single Germim ahip making a demonstration over London.. The-majority-of peoplo in this country laugh at the wholeidep, and eveii : aeronautical writers pooh-pooh , tho possibility of.'attack by. dirigiblfs; and: yet the ■ records. made by the Zeppelin in 1903 show that'a ahip of. this type' has travelled over 380 miles, and later records ehow its speed to be up to 35 miles an -hour, \with power to ascend to in altitude of over a mile.: It can carry at least a- ton- of explosives, and sufficiont supplies for a run of over 800 miles. T)\e : bee-line dih* tahce between the most contiguous parts of England and Germany is under 250 miles. Yet 1 the whole notion of aerial attack by vessels of the Zoppelin typo ie ridiculed in this country.' At least three highly-equipped factories in Germ'any aro now making , dirigiblee, and Count"• Zeppelin alono-has -E300,000 for the work. Are we wise to 6hut .our eyes to this Btoady, scientific progress of skilled and 6eribus ; mcn, and to trust to our ..'.theoristß when they. , assert that Zeppelin'and ,his compatriots are foolishly, striving after the impossible?" ■ With regard to,the "Morning Post's" appeal to the public for jC20,000 , to present a dirigible balloon to tho nation, it may be pointed out that'this movement' was instituted by tho British Aorial League some little time ago