AVIATION NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3004, 11 October 1911, Page 60

AVIATION NOTES.

Aviation has taken hold of the Chinese, and a school for .man-birds is being opened at Peking by Fuz Yu, who 6pent a number of years in England and became an enthusiastic aviator. Chinese college

students m also adopting athletics, and will next year send a team to participate in the Olympic R-amcs at Stockholm. The recently-formed Canterbury Aero Club has under construction a full-sized English aeroplane, wlhich is expected to be ready before Christmas.. AEROPLANE -RISKSColonel Batfekux, of the French a.nmy has undertaken to show by statistical explanation that the risk in aviation is much less than it was two years ago, and that the increasing number of doaths of aeroplanists recorded is due to much greater use of the aeroplanes and not because the danger has not been lessened. He calculates that up to the beginning of 1911 there was one death of an aviator for every 9537 miles of human flight, and he pi-edicts that in 1912 the death rate may drop to one person killed for every 20,000 miles of distance covered by aeroplanes. This method of calculation may be reassuring in general, nevertheless, the individual adventurer on a biplane or monoplane takes special risks according to the conditions he has to confront. '•---

DAVIS CUP FINALS. SYDNEY, • October 4. The Australasian Tennis Association has received a cablegram announcing that America has accepted the dates originally agreed on (December 30 and 31) for the Davis Cup. A SENSATIONAL EXPERIENCE. ADELAIDE, October 5. The initial flight of Dr Mawson's aeroplane lasted 20 minutes. Lieutenant Watkins (the aviator) was overcome by the petrol fumes, and landed suddenly, in a dazed condition. His machine struck a post, and was slightly damaged. Lieutenant Watkins and his assistant (Mr Wild) made another flight this morning. As the monoplane touched the ground io turned a somersault, and Lieutenant Watkins and Mr Wild were pinned beneath it and bruised. The monoplane was badly smashed. INTERNATIONAL BALLOON RACE. NEW YORK, October 6. An international balloon race has started from Kansas City. The United States has three contestants, Germany two, and France one. NEW YORK, October 7. The international balloon race is somewhat of a failure as far as the distance is concerned. Seven of the nine starters were compelled to land owing to the bad weather. They covered distances less than 500 miles. The French and German representatives are still in the air. ACCIDENT TO BEAUMONT. PARIS, October 7. Beaumont, who was testing a monoplane at Rheims, was capsized, falling 30ft. He sustained a broken leg and other injuries, but he is likely to. recover. WIN FOR GERMANY. NEW YORK, October 8. Germany won the balloon race, travelling 75 miles further than the best opponent, who covered between 500 and 600 miles. . ■ '