FLYING AND FLIERS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1912, 7 December 1918, Page 1

FLYING AND FLIERS.

PROGRESS IN FOUR YEARS,

WORK OF THE AEROPLANE.

“No airman worth Ids salt fails to take off his hat to the men in the trenches. They are the fellows who won the war, and who suffered most. This business of regarding every airman as a hero makes me want to hurt someone.”

The speaker was Major Wilfrid R. Snow, D. 5.0., M.C., of the Royal Air Force, who arrived in Sydney last week from London. lie gave up Ids business in Sydney and went to England in 1014. He leaved to fiy, and was almost continuously on the West front until he left on fnrlongh in August last.

Discussing the developments in aeronauties during the war period, the equipment of aeroplanes at the front, and the possibilities of commercial flying after the war, Major Snow said: —

“The developments in (lying are really incredible. In 1935 we had machines of from 50 to 90 horse-, power, doing perhaps (id miles an hour. When I came away the machines had from 300 to 350 hor-se-power, and. Hying level, could do up to 140 miles an hour. The new machines arc as easy to learn and to drive as a modern motor car — there is nothing in it.

OBSERVER AND THE BATTERIES.

Complying with :i request for information on points on which the public is i'’tun'iin(, the major explained that communication between the observer and the batteries is maintained by a miniature wireless set. When the ])i!ol wants to “talk"’ be touches a spring, and a long copper wire is unwound, and trails out beneath. This is the aerial, and when it is finished with, it is wound up again. Besides controlling the aeroplane, and operating a wireless set, the pilot also uses a machinegun, an apparatus for dropping bombs, and a photographic outfit. There is another man on the aeroplane, as a rule, known wrongly as the “observer,” whose principle duty is to operate a machine-gun and guard against attacks, which generally come from the rear. The artillery, wishing to talk to the airman, lays out cert aiu signs on the ground, and the man, two miles or more-up, roads them.

“When I went first to France everything was done with one class of machine. In 1916 they began to specialise, and to-day there are five main classes —fighting singleseater scouts, artillery observation, long-distance reeonnaisance, night bombers and day bombers. One cannot use an . artillery observation aeroplane, for instance, for longdistance work or lighting, because it is heavily weighted with equipment, comparatively slow, and not quickly manoeuvred.

Asked about Hu* comparative suc - cess of the British and German airmen, Major Snow said that in 1915 and part of 191 G the British, although using only one type of machine, had undoubted superiority. “We used to chase (lie Germans all over the sky,” he said. “We did things with our tubs of machines then that make our hair rise now when we remember them. Then the Germans, early in 19.10, produced the I'okker single-seater scout, and we had a bad time for a while. We lost a lot of machines, and lost our superiority. But our reply came quickly. I think it was in May, 1910, that we began to use various types of new machines, and in a little while we blew the Germans right out of the sky. Never since then has ho got back his superiority.” INCREDIBLE PHOTOGRAPHY.

Major Snow said tbnt incredible tiling* were done in photographing the enemy'* eountry. Whole areas were systematiea lly phqtogra plied by airmen, the pictures reduced to a common scale, and a “mosaic'' compiled, faithfully reproducing the whole area in a manner that allowed it to be studied by the General Staff. Areas of an extent of 900 square, miles would thus be treated. The .development in the camera itself was wonderful. At first, the Germans had better cameras than ours, but ours were eventually much better.

As a colonial officer who had commanded squadrons in the Koval Air Force (originally the Royal Flying Corps), Major Snow most warmly praised the fliers. They made exceptional airmen. “So far as commercial flying is concerned,” Major Snow remarked, “the technical problems have all been solved. We have made more progress in four years of war than we might have made in a century of peace. Machines, in reasonably good weather conditions, can make flights of 500 miles comfortably. It is therefore, I think, simply a question of £ s. d, —will it pay? X think aeroplanes will first be used regu-

l;uiy aw mail carriers, but they must soon become very numerous. When I was lirst in England everyone stared at an aeroplane —watched it out of sight. Now they are as common as motor cars. “The organisation of the British aeroplane building business has been wonderful, and the end of war should make thousands of machines available, with aviators and mechanics.’’