AERIAL NAVIGATION

Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 11 August 1909, Page 27

AERIAL NAVIGATION

♦ LONDON, August 3. Experiments with the Wrights' aeroplane will be started at Aldershot shortly - ! Mr Haldane, in the House of Commons, stated that the Vickers-Maxim works were constructing a very large dirigible of the Zeppelin type for the Admiralty, capable of carrying 20 persons. The army would I shortly have three non-rigid dirigibles, j including the "Morning Post's. The Esti- i mates will enable the Admiralty to spend £35,000 and the army £36,000 during the coming year. * Replying to the criticism of the Opposi- ' tion that Great Britain was behind other ' nations, Mr Haldane explained that flying machines were very simple, and it was impossible to keep the designs secret, ! therefore there was no cause for anxiety. PARIS, August 3. Mr Sommer, on a Farman biplane, in 110 minutes covered 70 miles at a height of 80ft. This is a French record in duration of flight BERLIN, August 3. Count Zeppelin attempted to reach Cologne against a strong wind, but owing to a defective motor he was lorced to return to Frankfort. NEW YORK, August 3. The United States Government has paid t the Wright brothers 30,000d01, including ' j a bonus, because the speed of their air- j ' ship exceeded 40 miles per hour. | Mr Edison prophesies that in 10 years . aeroplanes will cany mails at a speed of ! 100 miles per hour " Aviation is now as safe as motoring," j said Mr Orville Wright to the Washington I correspondent of the Daily Mail on June . 21, while discussing the Government tests | of the Wright aeroplane at Fort Myer. j To earn the Government grant of £5000 I their, machine had to carry 'two persons I for an hour at a minimufr* speed of 36 I mile 3an hour. For every additional mile ! an hour between 40 and 44 they were to receive an additional £550. Both the brothers maintain that it is no more necessary to provide automatic balance' in an aeroplane T*Sn with a bicycle. Such an accident as that which killed "Lieutenant -Selfridge. last year and caused Mr ! Orville Wright to be permanenily lame is. : I they say, impossible with their improved I machine. In connection with their trials the Signal Corps prepared a five-mile test ! of wireless telephony between Fort Myer '• j and a Washington " skyscraper." It is j j believed that in wireless telephony will be j found the solution of the problem of communication between aeroplanes and air- ' ships and the earth. j