THE AEROPLANE IN WARFARE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 53, 17 October 1911, Page 3

THE AEROPLANE IN WARFARE.

,iA.N.’ ■> EX PERT ’’S' l - VIEWS. • • - -- Speaking to a ’representative of the Paris “Temps” on the use of the aeroplane in naval warfare, Lieutenant Conneau (“Beaumont,” of “Daily Mail” air race fame) said that much nonsense had been talked about the question. “We must first get rid,” he added, “at all events for the moment, of the idea of the aeroplane as a weapon of offence. From the height at which an aeroplane must keep in cider to lie practically out of range, it is absolutely impossible to drop a bomb on the target aimed at, even if tills were a battleship of the largest sine. One might, perhaps, attempt i i ght attacks, but' then the great difficulty for the aeroplane, as for the torpedo-boat or the submarine, is to discover the enemy. “The only possible use for the aeroplane is that of scout, and this is already possible. ■ The monoplane of to-day can fly into the wind—much better than the biplane—and permit of flights over the sea, where eddies are rare, even in ‘very fresh’ winds. It is objected that it cannot take up a passenger; but for the information, inevitably very simple, which a scouting vessel Inis to collect —the position mid number of the enemy’s ships—is it really necessary to have an observer as well'as a pilot? In my opinion, it is quite unnecessary.’ Transport Question., ■ “The aeroplane will naturally have to lie carried on board a ship specially arranged for it. There is nothing very complicated about that, and a platform can easily be fixed on the deck of a cruiser, or, better still, of a Hucr, sufficient to allow the. airman to start and alight. ■ “As for its employment, I conceive that the aeroplane'’Should be it sort of captive balloon—or ,niord precisely, a • periscopei There'call bo no' question, except in the case of enffirgeney, of sending the airman a hundred' miles ahead, if anything goes wrong, that is the end of the airman —a discouraging prospect, and, besides, a useless risk. When it is desired to explore the horizon, the airman will simply have to rise as high a£■ possible, almost on the spot .that is to say, without going more than four nr five miles from his ship. If ho perceives smoke or a vessel it is desirable to reconnoitre, the ship, •after having taken the airman hack on board, will resume her course in the indicated direction. When a suitable distance lias been .traversed a fresh ascent will be made, and fresh observations will bo transmitted by wireless telegraphy. If by chance something goes wrong, if the airman falls into the waiter, one has simply to go. and pick him up with, his machine as one picks up a target. There is nothing Utopian in this: it is all perfectly simple.”