COMPETING WITH THE STEAMSHIP.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLIV, Issue 14039, 23 April 1920, Page 5

COMPETING WITH THE STEAMSHIP.

j Aviation experts agree that the pre i >ent type ot aeroplane will never sue ces.-tuliy (ompete with the railway trail or trie liner as a means of transporia tton tor large numbers ol p»assengers i:i heavy cargoe.- m, ;,,„g as it is confront jecl uitit the neic-r-sity tor a loin; rim oi j Uu» i£t* n:ncl :11 onK-r to attain <• n<*:il to takr thr ma'-him* into f|» : . ;nr. f A small iiicht xo'ii machine o *| ' t :t- sirotiin! uah t v.-rv «hort run. hiu tht 1 Ik ;u ior tfif* :tcrf>pi';ine th*- run it to ir»-t :e into tin* air. A -iipcr- | ran half mile ;> short tnii' (at:o. and then r>ra.-iifd int., an ob-tru, ■ tmil li-'cau-e It did not have sufficiciK "iviim -peed to carry it clear. The sti|>er-aeropfain' would he a sue. ce.-s if nivan- were devised ot takiii" the marhm.' ofT the level without the 'onsT ground trip for tlyiny ,-;pei-d. I wa- Saikmii to an avi-.it :r eit-'inei r the other day. and he said thai tile onlv solution ; hat he could see to the problem wa- to have the yiunt plane laiinrhed from an electric trnllev ar-ran-emenl. He al-o ;,<lded that he knew ot an inventor who was workiii" oti slit h a scheme. A'-r-orduiir to hi.s description, the plan w.-(s t„ builfl a double-tracked slight inriine wrth overhead electric wires. The wheel- of the aeroplane would fit to the tracks, and a small trolley would be attached to the wires above. The plane would then move ahead with a sufficient increa-e of speed, attained by the aid of its propellers and the electric wires to send it into the air at the end ot the run.

The inventor proposes to trv the scheme out on a small plane fir.- : t. and then work out the len«th of the run and the poivor oi the electric plant on a percentage oi weight- increase has:;. Another solution to the flying speed | problem is the helicopter (that is to sav a machine that would be able to rise almost [>erpexidicularly from the ground and descend the same way). Although many niachines have heeii able t(f accomplish the vertical descent, much to the pilot's regret, none has been able to make the ascent straight from the ground. There have been rpiite a few helicopters. but none of them so far has been able to demonstrate satisfactorily the vertical ascent and descent.

A French newspaper published an article, recently, stating that the Government of France was advancing a considerable sum -to two inventors for the purpose of furthering the invention of a helicopter. The Government- ai-o agreed to purchase the patent rights of thi' machine. The opinion of many experts now is that a really satisfactory ty[»e will i>e evolved.