AIRSHIPS IN WAR.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3165, 16 April 1909, Page 4

AIRSHIPS IN WAR.

Sir Hiram Maxim recently declared tha i the aeroplane, even in its present imperfect state, was a very efficient military weapon. During the discussion, Sir Hiram said: — "The Wright machine with only a very little improvement would be a very efficient military weapon. Does anyone doubt for a single moment that in case we should find ourselves at war with a stiong Continental Power that such machines would'not be used for bombarding English towns from the Continent. A French engineer, who is in a position to know, and who has a thorough grasp of the subject informed me only a short time ago that wichin one year a machine would be made in France that would fly from Paris to London without stopping. Such machines are certainly in the range of the possible, and when they come London can be attacked without encountering the dreaded British navy. There is only one means of combating this danger, and that is to make flying machines ourselves. Vast su-ns of money will be paid by Governments in the immediate future for military flying machines, and an opportunity is now presented to wealthy men such as only occurs once in a century. I have recently made drawings of an extremely light and powerful motor "•hich will be much lighter for the power developed than any motor heretofore made, and still will have a fair factor of safety. This is accomplished by using an especially strong steel and putting it where it will do the most.good. It would appear to me that it would be a relatively simple matter to build successful flying machines at the present moment, and a great deal of experimenting is not necessary."