AERIAL WARFARE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 7, 8 January 1916, Page 8

AERIAL WARFARE.

WHAT BBIIAIN IS DOING. , VISIT TO FACTORIES. REMAKKABLB MACHINES. The "Aftenposten," Norway's leading journal, publishes the following interesting dispatch from its London correspondent:— "Your representative received througn the British Foreign Office an invitation to visit, in company ■with a small party of American and French journalists, representing • leading New York and Parisian newspapers, come of the most important aeroplane factories and training camps for military eviation in Lonon and the neighbourhood. In the courae of a whole day fisite were paid to Northolt training camp, Napier and Sons' ibig aeroplane works, and the Aircraft . Manufacturing Company's extensive ■works at Hendon. "The moat interesting part of the visit was that to the Royal Aircraft Factory at. Farnborough, where we were received by the head manager, Mr. O'Gorman, whilst Colonel Connack, of the Aeronautical Department of the War- Office, with great affability, gave Uβ much valuable information throughout our visfte to various camps arid factories.- These" visits left us with the strongest impressions of the extraordinary energy and. resourcefulness with whica Great Britain is working to create a military'air service which will probably prove , to be not only the most efficient, but afso the most extensive of all the. belligerent nations. Colonel Cormack informed" us that since the outbreak of war the number of aeroplanes used by the British armies had been increased sevenfold, and it is hoped the existing large number of aeroplanes will be again doubled within the next few months. "There are. at present at the Royal, Aircraft 'Factory at Farnborough, close to the British Headquarters at Aldershot, over 3000 workmen engaged day and night and all day Sunday. Farnborough ' Aircraft Factory, which, like most similar institutions, is under the control of. the new Munitions Department, is more particularly an 'experimental factory, where England's beat and most resourceful engineers are continually making experiments with the newest and best military aeroplanes in order to perfect them, while six other large :aeroplane factories are building new machines within the shortest possible time and in the greatest possible numbers.- ---"' "BOMBING MACHINES." "Our small, party—only seven journalists in all—were taken through all the different departme&te at Farnborough.. where we admired in particular the enormous 'bombing machines,' as they are called., Provided with engines up to 200 horse-power, and capable of tremendous speed, these great aeroplanes are provided with bombs. We. .were also shown come wonderful aeroplanes constructed for attacking Zeppelins. Some of these machines are able to rise to an attitude of 8000 ft within about 20 minutes.. A new sort of arrtiw ilbr dart has; aleo 'been invented, shaped somewhat like an umbrella, and capable of piercing the strongest Zeppelin, and we - were told that if a dozen such darts were thrown from an aeroplane flying over a Zeppelin they would be , sufficient to cover and pierce the entire surface of the airship and so destroy it. "Another. interesting' exhibit shown to us at Farnborough was" a laige German Albatross, Tecebtly captured by the British during fighting in France. The wiiigs of the machine were entirely smashed, and. it is now being" repaired and improved.'uppn, the- British engineers having no great admiration -for the German work, as-they have themselves long since succeeded in building * aeroplanes of greater stability than the German machines. Aeroplanes' are now being constructed -provided with two engines each-of 100 horsepower, and' some with three such engines have been- planned. "Most of these fighting machines which we saw were' fitted with remarkable' guns/capable of firing in.all directions with the greatest ease. The work of training. new ; military aviatore is proceediEgl.with.great .speed at 16 training camps in various parts of Great Britain, and.a similar number of training camps exists foT-naval airmen, while in addition the .'British-Navy has taken-over-all the Brit»h airships."—Central Xewe.