WAR IN THE AIR

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 112, 8 November 1930, Page 23

WAR IN THE AIR

_ •» ■ PURSUIT MACHINES SWIFT MILITARY 'PLANES JSW DEVELOPMENTS (Copyright.) Pursuit aviation, the most colourful fighting element in the most colourful war in history, is ready to defend its laurels in any future conflict. Men and machines in this most spectacular branch of aeronautics have advanced tremendously since the last crippled birdman spun down from the skies in the cold, grey November of 1018. In England, the United States, France, and Italy this form of offensive aerial armament is the one in which competition is the keenest. Witness the enormous attention these four countries are concentrating upon the development of faster, sturdier, and better armed fighting craft. It is not altogether a matter of keeping ahead for purely military purposes, say qualified observers, but also because the country whose military aeroplanes are ahead is the one which will equip the air services of others less advanced in the development of such craft. The race continues daily, and the reason it has at-| traeted so little general attention is declared to be that commercial aeronautics has stolen all notice from a publicity 6tand-' point. MILITARY FEATS. ! In the continuing story of aircraft achievement, among the items relating to Ooi hour endurance flights, the shattering of altitude records, runs of less than two hours between London and Paris, transAtlantic flights, and the like, there are those which tell of pursuit 'planes flying at 200 miles an hour, of formation flights at more than 25,000ft, of ceilings pushed to 35,000ft for these tiny craft carrying full military loads' and of new developments in armament. The monoplane of commercial and speed aviation now is being seriously developed in pursuit' craft form. One of the fastest of the fighter craft in the array of service equipment in the United States is a single wing affair, and, although it is relatively inconspieuoiiß among the vast number of biplane pursuit craft, it is outstanding in many respects. England, France, and Italy have gone in for monoplane design on an even larger scale. A majority of France's latest high-speed 'planes, in the fighter _ class, are monoplane's. The same is true in the case of Italy. England, though not so keen on the development as France or Italy, nevertheless is more concerned with it than the United States. MONOPLANE BEST? The thought among some foreign designers and military officials is that the monoplane has proved itself just as sturdy, equally as manoeuvrable, as fast, if not faster, than the biplane, possessed of greater visibility, and somewhat more adaptable to armament. As to sturdiness and speed, these points are held to have been proved by Schneider Cup contests of recent years, in which the larger number of entries have been built around a single wing, Visibility is a characteristic, authorities on such aeroplanes point out, the lack of which largely nullifies other superiorities which a design may possess. Many a faster 'plane piloted often by a more skilled aerial warrior, has emerged loser in man-to-man fighting because of surprise attack. "Coming up on the other fellow's blind spot," is sound tactics in fighting aviation, and the elimination _of blind spots is a continual consideration in the design of such craft. A pursuit craft now under test in the United States involves an entirely new theory of design. It is the first two-place fighter to take" its place among the service equipment of any air corps, and although it has not passed its final tests, it has attracted international attention. In the new craft, a gunner sitting with his back to the pilot provides protection from the rear, while the latter is given complete freedom in operating the 'plane and its offensive guns. Such a 'plane in the opinion of some authorities has absolutely no blind spots, and is the first' of its kind to have both defensive and offensive aspects. Heretofore, defence has rested largely in the fairly negative qualities of speed and manoeuvrability. Now, while these two qualities may be diminished by the fact that the 'plane is more heavily loaded, defence acquires a positiveness heretofore largely lacking. KEPT SECRET. The performances of the new design is a guarded military secret. How much speed has been affected by the additional cockpit and its variety of armament together with the observer, as compared with the modern single-place fighter, is not known. It is known, however, that the 'plane made a favourable impression in its preliminary demonstrations, and many hold high hope of its assumption of a prominent place in military equipment. For several years, there has been talk in military circles of the development of very light, high-speed pursuit 'planes built especially for "jockey" pilots. Such a type has become an actuality in. French air corps equipment. These 'planes represent the ultimate in offensive equipment; their sole defence is dependent upon their higher speed and gtreater manoeuvrability. Italy also is declared to have gone in for this kind of fighting 'plane, though not on the scale of France. Viewing pursuit aviation broadly, it has more than maintained the margin it always has enjoyed over other branches in speed, grace, and colour.