SAFETY IN THE AIR

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume XLV, Issue XLV, 1 February 1918, Page 1

SAFETY IN THE AIR

• OF CASUALTIES. Those who have been advocating international agreements to refrain 'from any

form of aeronautical activity "have: based their arguments upon the assumption that flying will tend to precipitate war, -or, at any Kite, will increase its horrors (says the aviation correspondent of -the London 'Observer"). Those who have urged the confinement of flying to the military services, or the prohibition of all civilian Hying, have alluded to its dangers, and have*argued that the world can very well do without what may even threaten to become a public nuisance. It is because .Mich counsels are still being offered, and Wcause we shall hear more of "them in the near future when peace suggete new fields for aircraft, that it is necessary now to expose their fallacy. The existence of aircraft cannot precipitate war- It is moral, not mechanical, forces that matter. And even in the present conflict aircraft have not provided tiie worst barbarities committed. In 1908 it was estimated that for every 300 miles flown one life was sacrficed. Bv 1910 the mileage per fatalitv had risen t<i 3.500. In 1911 the distance had increased to 4,900 {statistics for France that vear gave the mileage as 62,500 per "fatality). From 1908. till 1914 there "was a rapidly increasing amount of flying.' and wliereas'aviators only ventured out in calm weather in 1908, they flew in all but the worst weather in 1913 and 1914. Further, instead of flyinu being confined to men soecially adapted to it by study, preparation, and exceptional courage, it became available to all sorts of psople. many of whom were physically nnsuited. During the war there has been in all countries what may be described as_ a feverish pursuit of flying. The training of aviators has proceeded at a forced pace. Weather, as a deterrent, has been almost ruled out. Even pupils are sent up under conditions that- would have appalled the little band of pioneers in 1908 and 1909. In the circumstances one might expect to find to-day an appallingly high, deathrate, strange to sav, it is not to be found. The writer is in a position to forecast that when tine statistics of the flying accidents (not actual battle casual--tins of last year are available it will be seen that the mileage per death is not less than 350,000, and it will probably prove to be half as much again. .Statistics relating to army flying in the United States are "in agreement. In 191fi 400,000 miles were flown -without a fatal accident, and in the first few months of the year 1917 353,700 miles were flown without a casualty, this comprising 9,306 flights.