POSSIBILITIES OF THE HYDRO PLANE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1840, 28 August 1913, Page 6

POSSIBILITIES OF THE HYDRO PLANE.

Human thought and action have, within a period of a hundred years or so, made travelling so easy that all the civilised world seems to be on the move, and the craze for speed grows apacc on what it feeds. The railway train and the have almost annihilated distance as far as the land is concerned, and the great modem steamers have made an ocean journey more safe and far more comfortable than a trip from London to Edinburgh was in the days'of our grandfathers. And now that land and sea have been conquered by science and invention, the restless mind of man has for some time past been devoting its _ attention to the conquest of the air. It is a fascinating occupation, and capable of providing an ample supply of the element of risk to satisfy the stoutest heart, and sufficient thrills to sustain the interest of the eager multitude always looking for some new' excitement. It is not, however, all sport, for aeronautics has aii' intensely practical side, the full possibilities of which we are at present, quite unable to foresee. A new phase of air travelling was' introduced by the invention of the hydro-aeroplane, which is just now attracting a great deal of public attention owing to the competition which is being carried out for the London Daily Hail's prize of £5000 for a flight round Britain in one of these marvellous machines. A' Mr. Hawker is making the journey in a Sopwith waterplane, and all the world.is, in a sense, looking on, for a detailed account of his daily progress is being supplied by tho cable service to readers in every civilised country. In Britain the effort is being watched with intense interest by enormous crowds at the various vantage points, and according to latest information at the time of writing Mr. Hawker was making a most successful flight. According to the rules of the race, both the'entrant and pilot or pilots must be British subjects and duly entered on the competitors' list of the Royal Aero Club. A passenger must be carried throughout the flights, and the combined weight of the pilot and passenger must not be less than 264 pounds, any deficiency to be made up by means of ballast. The complete aircraft and all its parts must bo constructed within the British Empire, but this provision does not apply to raw material. The course consists of a circuit starting from Southampton Water and proceeding via Dover, Yarmouth, Scarborough, Aberdeen, Inverness, Oban, Dublin, and Falmouth, returning to Southampton Water. The competitors were allowed to start on August 16 or any subsequent date, provided the complete circuit is accomplished by 6 p.m. on August 30 and within 72 hours. The idea of the competition is, of course, to encourage British airmen and inventors to keep pace with, and if possible to outstrip, foreign rivals in _ the conquest of the air, with special reference to defensive purposes. The hydro-aeroplane has already acquired a recognised place in the Navy among those modern inventions for increasing the/'vision" of warships, and thereby giving timely warning of the approach of an enemy, it is still in an experimental stage, but the great flight, which Mr. Hawker is now making around Britain gives an indication of its possibilities in naval warfare. The idea of. tho "flying boat-" appears to lin-vc •been first concoivca by Glens

Curtiss, nn American, who in 1910 equipped his aeroplanes with floats. Since then many improvements have been made, with the object of constructing a machine which will be able to withstand the force of the waves and the shock of alighting on rough water. Mr. SorwiTH, the owner of the hydro-aeroplano mentioned in the cablegrams, was recently awarded a prize of £500 for five flights on and off land and water, the feat being performed _ at Cowes, Mr. Hawker being the pilot on that occasion. These competitions are as important as they are interesting, and they cannot fail t'o have a very material effect in encouraging aeronautics both as a business and a sport, besides securing the services of some of the best British talent, theoretical and practical, in perfecting the naval and military forces of the Empire.