GERMANY AND ÆRIAL NAVIGATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 59, 3 April 1909, Page 6

GERMANY AND ÆRIAL NAVIGATION.

Germany has got ahead of Britain ill aeronautical development, and one factor which 'no doubt has cheeked progress in Britain, apart from tlie apathy of amateur aeronauts, is tlie lixed idea that airships are only of utility in military operations. Accordingly, the work has been entrusted to the Balloon Corps, in addition to their •ordinary tasks ; or, rather, the enterprising head of that deparlmint. Col. Capper, who, by dint of much labour, obtained permission to spend a few thousands on the work. "One of these days," says a recent writer, " it may be brought home to us in unpleasant fashion that the airship must be considered from the naval as well as from the military standpoint, and then, perhaps, the authorities may eoiue to see the necessity of attaching ail aeronautical section to the naval as well as to the military forces. Few people realise llow close Germany is to us as the crow Hies—that is to say by aerial routes—nor have they calculated that the distance is now well within the range of the Zeppelin airships. A direct run of 240 miles would bring a German airship from such a point as Aixla-ha-pelle to Sheerness, and 300 miles may be taken as a fair average distance for a German airship to travel in order to reach many important stragetic points in Great Britain, where at the present moment we have neither special guns nor airships to meet them. The Zeppelin could make 30 miles an hour on a calm day, or 40 with au assisting wind. An aerial raid could thus be made in about ten hours. The airship could leave its harbour with absolute secrecy, could cross the intervening space at a height which would practically prevent its being observed, and quite conceivably might only be detected when it actually came over its objective. Fitted with wireless telegraphy, as the Zeppelin type of vessel is, it could Hash back to headquarters invaluable information, and even without making any attack it could, serve a very useful purpose. Almost certainly before one attacking airship could be shot down it would, by dropping down explosives, have crippled or des" t roved many important vessels in our fleet, and possibly might cripple a section of it. The attackers would still have flieir fleet intact, and could not be met with the same resistance." '