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Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 250, 25 November 1914, Page 6

The brilliant aerial raid by members of the Royal .Flying Corps on the Zeppelin sheds at Friedrichshafen was. as Mi- Churchill a 'fine"feat of aviation,- rivalling in impressiveness the falxiotis. iXlesceixt on Both tfiese exploits -testify-eloquently to the •quality of the British aviators and the notable developments 1 that have taken place the last ' two ' years in the perfecting : of ; this arm of the Navy. At first quite content to see France, Germany, and America lead the way in aeronautics, Britain suddenly came to a recognition of the value •of the as a factor in battle. The striking Ulustration/s/,o'f effectiveness. of the. aeroplane for scouting purposes, and it was' not long before British airmen set up a serious rivalry t.o their Continental competitors.: Opulent newspapers arranged longdistance flights under what were practically field conditions, and the air service developed until now, when it is looked upon as the eye of the Army, the/ Royal Flying Corps is making a history of its own. The raid on Friedrichshafen was particularly daring, not. so much because of the length of the flight, which extended over 250 miles, but because of the prevailing winter -conditions of mist.and heavy wind which challenged the pilots in the mountainous German country. Commander Briggs, who was wounded in the attack and is now a prisoner in the hands of the Germans, holds the altitude record of the corps, and was always regarded as one of the most fearless and skilful flyers that ever stepped into a machine. These aerial raids will tend to make the . enemy "nervy," and impress on the guardians of the sacred body of the Kaiser the necessity on their part for t an exhausting vigilance.