THE WORLD'S AIRSHIPS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIV, Issue 1, 3 January 1910, Page 2

THE WORLD'S AIRSHIPS.

HOW FRANCE LEADS THE

OTHER NATIONS

FLEETS COMPARED

The aerial fleet which the eleven principal countries in the world combined could bring together at the present moment has been summarised by Prince Scipio Borghese in a petition in favour of the construction of aeroplanes presented by him to the Italian Chamber of Deputies'. The total airships now in existence may be summarised as follows: — Dirigible balloons 36 Aeroplanes ... '. ... 76 I In addition to these there are under construction 68 dirigibles. This fleet of airships in active use is divided among the eleven countries as follows: —

The dirigibles shown in the above table are divided as follows: —

The dirigibles under construction may be summarised as follows: —

AEROPLANES. While France is thus holding her own .m regard to dirigibles, she is far ahead in regard to aeroplanes, in which such immense progress has been made in the past year or two. Prince Seipio Borghese states that there are seventy-six of these machines in existence. divided as followsFrance 27, United States 17, Ger-

many 6, Great Britain 6, Austria 5, felgmm 5, Japan 3, Switzerland 2, Italy 2,. Spain 2, Russia 1. Thus France possesses more than a third of the total aeroplanes of the w?. ?» ,and there is no country in which the construction of these machines is proceeding so fast. An illustration of this is to be found i% the great demand that has been received for M. Santos-Dumont's \ronmu llttle macnine > La Demoiselle. These are now being made by the Cleiuent-Bayard Company at a price of £300 each, and already they have orders on hand for 145. Of these orders 105 have been given by three large Paris companies, the FrancoAmerican (50), Sterne and Co. (30) and Bondis (25).

JU France United States GermanyGreat Britain Belgium Italy Austria Japan Russia Switzerland £>pain Jingibles. A ... 9 ... ... 7 ... ...10 ... ... 3 ... ... 1 ... ... 3 ... .'. 1 '.'.'. ... 2 ... Leropl lanes 27 17 17 6 5 2 5 3 1 2 2

Milit Germany ... ... 7 France 4 Jnited States ... 2 ireat Britain ... 2 Italy 1 lussia ... ... 2 Belgium — rapan 1 fcary. P] 'rivate. . 3 . 5 . 5 . 1 . 2 '. 1

jrermany France United. States jreat Britain ttaiy Russia Fapan Belgmra Austria Switzerland JV MLiUt 8 5 4 4 2 4 2 1 1 2 1 tary. Private. ... 7 ... 10 ... 7 ... 1 ... - 3 ..'. 1 ... 2 ... 2 .'.'.' 1