Although it is still a crude machine—in view of the perfected apparatus
which is the aim of thoughtful designers—the aeroplane has demonstrated,
in a conclusive way, its value as an instrument of war.
In peace manœuvres in France and Germany, and under actual war
conditions in Tripoli, scouting machines have proved their ability to
pierce most effectually what is known as "the fog of war." Air-scouts
have, indeed, revealed the dispositions of an enemy so precisely as to
make it necessary to alter—at a moment’s notice—an entire plan of
campaign.
Ceasing to be fair-weather craft, powerful, modern-type aeroplanes can
combat high and gusty winds, and are already capable of being used, for
reconnoitring flights, on at least 80 per cent of the days of the year.
No longer unreliable, they have become practical weapons.
A squadron of war aeroplanes, carrying pilots and observers, can, as has
been shown again and again, lay bare the disposition of a widespread
battle-front. In one hour, they can perform the reconnoitring work which
has hitherto been carried out in a day, and in a necessarily hit-or-miss
fashion, by cavalry and other scouts.
The use of well-trained corps of military airmen will revolutionise the
tactics of war. No longer will two Commanders-in-Chief grope in the
dark. They will sit, so to speak, on either side of a chess-board, which
will represent the battlefield. Each will watch the other’s moves;
nothing will be concealed. From a blundering, scrambling moving about of
masses of men, modern warfare will become—through the advent of the
aeroplane—an intellectual process.
The Commander-in-Chief who has no proper air-corps, in the next great
war, will be in a hopeless position. He will have lost a battle
practically before it begins. Whereas his opponent will know exactly
what _he_ is doing, he will be able to obtain nothing but vague and
confusing tidings as to the movements of the enemy. Imagine two armed
men approaching each other, one being blindfolded. The
Commander-in-Chief without aeroplanes will be like a blindfolded man.
One nation stands head-and-shoulders above all others in the matter of
her aerial equipment and experience. That nation is France. So far ahead
is she that it will be a long time before other countries will be able
to come up with her; but Germany is now making desperate efforts to do
so.
Until recently, it must be said, England lagged inactively not only
behind France and Germany, in the organising of an air-corps, but even
behind such countries as Austria, Italy, and Spain.
Now, however, there are promises of a change. For this, mainly, we must
thank the energy and enthusiasm of Colonel Seely, Parliamentary Under
Secretary of State for War. When these lines are being read, British
aeroplane manufacturers will be preparing for an important military
trial of aeroplanes, which is to be held in England during the summer.
The War Office has begun to buy aeroplanes, although on a small scale.
We now have a Royal Flying Corps; a body of skilled airmen is being
trained. But money is spent very sparingly. Our equipment, compared with
that of France, is still a negligible quantity. In machines, and men,
and, above all, in training, we are very far behind.
Only by persistent and intelligently directed work, by the spending of
more money, by the practical encouragement of manufacturers, and by the
appointing of executive officers who are experts in their field of work,
can we hope even to approach the organisation of the air-corps of
France.
But a beginning has certainly been made. By the end of the forthcoming
flying season, we should have in England a small, but well-equipped air
service. And the work of this corps will be its own advertisement. Once
the potentialities of the war aeroplane are realised adequately, a
stinting policy will be impossible.
It is our aim, in this book, to show what the war aeroplane has done,
and can do. At present, its work has been confined to scouting. But it
has other, and grimmer possibilities. It can, and without doubt will, be
used as an engine of destruction—not by means of the bomb-dropping
attacks of a few aeroplanes, but by the organised onslaught of large
squadrons of weight-lifting machines, which will be able to rain down
tons of missiles over any given spot.
And there is another possibility, also. Machines are carrying heavier
loads every day. Soon the practicability of aeroplanes to transport
troops—particularly in regard to hurrying up reinforcements in an
emergency—will be demonstrated.
When two opposing armies both have large fleets of war aeroplanes, and
these machines take the air in squadrons, prior to a battle, what will
happen when they come in contact with each other?
The question is one which the greatest military experts are discussing.
Obviously, there will be an aerial battle, each aeroplane corps seeking
to cripple the other. Each Commander-in-Chief will in fact desire, above
all else, to obtain supremacy of the air. If he can do so, it will have
the effect of seriously handicapping his opponent.
Thus—probably waged with light guns firing explosive shells—the next
great war will begin, not on earth, but several thousand feet in the
air.
Claude Grahame-White.
Harry Harper.
London, 1912.
*CONTENTS*
PREFACE ...........................................................
FIRST SECTION REVIEW OF PROGRESS PRIOR TO THE FIRST MILITARY TESTS
OF AEROPLANES .....................................................
I. Dawn of flight—Encouragement in Europe and America—England’s
lost opportunities—The pioneers. ................................
II. First practical flights—The Wright brothers; the Voisins;
Farman—The cross-Channel flight. ................................
III. Aeroplanes at Rheims, 1909—Wright, Voisin, Farman, Blériot,
Antoinette—The Gnome engine—First military orders. ..............
IV. The human factor—Growing skill of airmen—Feats of 1910, as
compared with those of 1909—Cross-country flying. ...............
SECOND SECTION FIRST EXPERIMENTS WITH AEROPLANES IN THE FRENCH
AUTUMN MANOEUVRES, 1910. ..........................................
I. The historic Picardy tests—First official report upon movements
of troops, as gleaned by aeroplane. .............................
II. Second conclusive test—Detecting an army in retreat—France’s
determination to possess an air-fleet. ..........................
THIRD SECTION THE GROWING AIR-FLEETS OF FOREIGN NATIONS ...........
I. Activity in France—Two hundred machines at the end of 1911; a
thousand promised by the year 1914. .............................
II. The great French tests of military aeroplanes—Striking results
obtained—Era of fast, "air-worthy," weight-carrying machines. ...
III. Germany’s aerial policy—Secret energies in creating a fleet
of war aeroplanes—Rivalry with France. ..........................
IV. Progress in Russia, America, and other countries-England’s
position in the autumn of 1911. .................................
FOURTH SECTION IMPORTANCE OF ORGANISATION IN THE USE OF WAR
AEROPLANES ........................................................
I. French plans for the concerted use of squadrons of machines in
time of war. ....................................................
II. Value of air-stations—Selection of landing-grounds—Preparing
air-maps. .......................................................
FIFTH SECTION ENGLAND’S POSITION IN REGARDS TO MILITARY FLYING ....
I. Lessons which were ignored—Work of the Parliamentary Aerial
Defence Committee. ..............................................
II. Policy of "moving cautiously"—Peril of lagging behind in
aerial armament. ................................................
III. The financial aspect—Money England is spending—The airship
policy—Insufficient provision for aeroplanes. ...................
IV. Dangers of a policy of "drift"—Experience which money cannot
buy—Trained men, not so much as machines, the criterion of
strength. .......................................................
V. England’s official awakening—The training of 100 airmen—The
forthcoming trials of military machines. ........................
SIXTH SECTION WAR AEROPLANES AT THE PARIS AERONAUTICAL EXHIBITION,
DECEMBER, 1911 ....................................................
I. Latest-type military monoplanes—Two-seated, reconnoitring
machines—Single-seated, high-speed aircraft. ....................
II. Latest developments in biplane construction—The
engine-in-front, weight-carrying machine. .......................
III. Healthy position of the French industry—What England has
lacked—Danger of neglecting home builders. ......................
SEVENTH SECTION WHAT EXISTING WAR AEROPLANES CAN ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISH
I. Plight of a Commander-in-Chief without an aeroplane corps—The
work of cavalry reconnaissance. .................................
II. Work of a squadron of air-scouts described—Tasks of the pilot
and observer—Combined reconnaissance by many machines—Effect of
aeroplanes upon tactics. ........................................
III. Other uses of the war
aeroplane—Surveying—Dispatch-carrying—Directing gun-fire—Transport
of staff officers. ..............................................
EIGHTH SECTION WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY AND PHOTOGRAPHY AS AIDS TO AERIAL
RECONNAISSANCE ....................................................
I. First tests and successes with wireless telegraphy—Difficulty
of equipping an aeroplane with transmitting plant. ..............
II. French triumphs with wireless telegraphy—Messages sent over a
distance of thirty-five miles. ..................................
III. Practical uses of wireless upon aeroplanes—England’s lack of
effort. .........................................................
IV. Photography from a war aeroplane—The use of special automatic
cameras. ........................................................
NINTH SECTION DEVELOPMENT OF ALL-WEATHER WAR AEROPLANES ...........
I. Flights in thirty-five-mile-an-hour winds—Arguments of
sceptics—What the great contests of 1911 proved. ................
II. Value of high speed, when combating a wind—Constructional
difficulties of a hundred-mile-an-hour machine. .................
III. Variable-speed aeroplane—Plans for constructing aircraft of
this type—Advantages of such a machine. .........................
IV. Power-plant of aeroplanes—Fitting two engines to obviate
involuntary descents. ...........................................
TENTH SECTION THE TRAINING OF ARMY AIRMEN .........................
I. French thoroughness—An expert’s tribute—Sound training
all-important. ..................................................
II. How the military airman is "schooled"—His course of
instruction described. ..........................................
III. Rules for training—Dummy aeroplanes—A pupil’s first "hops." .
IV. Cross-country flights—The _vol plané_—Difficulty of first
observation tests from an aeroplane. ............................
V. Finishing work at French schools—Practical tests—German
thoroughness—Energy of English officers. ........................
ELEVENTH SECTION THE COST OF WAR AEROPLANES .......................
I. Why manufacturers charge high prices—Cost of experimental
work—Building of trial machines. ................................
II. Economy of a large military order for machines—The incidental
expenses. .......................................................
III. Question of renewals—General cheapness of an air-corps, as
compared with other forms of armament. ..........................
OUR AERIAL PROGRAMME FOR 1912-13 ..................................
TWELFTH SECTION PROBLEM OF ARTILLERY FIRE AND THE AEROPLANE .......
I. Conflicting opinions as to an aeroplane’s
vulnerability—Experiments which have been carried out. ..........
II. Shrapnel shell—Question of hitting a vital part of the
aeroplane—Difficulty of identifying friend or foe. ..............
THIRTEENTH SECTION DESTRUCTIVE POTENTIALITIES OF WEIGHT-CARRYING
AEROPLANES ........................................................
I. What a modern-type machine can raise—Load of two men, and
explosives. .....................................................
II. Effect of aerial bombardment upon cities and troops—German
tests. ..........................................................
FOURTEENTH SECTION WAR IN THE AIR BETWEEN HOSTILE AEROPLANES ......
I. Certainty of a combat between aeroplanes in actual
warfare—Air-scouts protected by aerial "cruisers." ..............
II. An encounter in the air—Importance to an army of an aerial
victory. ........................................................
FIFTEENTH SECTION VALUE OF THE AEROPLANE IN NAVAL WARFARE .........
I. Machines for coastal and high-seas work—Question of flying in
winds. ..........................................................
II. Interesting tests—Machines for rising from water, and landing
on a ship’s deck. ...............................................
SIXTEENTH SECTION AERIAL WORK IN THE FRENCH AND GERMAN AUTUMN
MANOEUVRES, 1911 ..................................................
I. French successes—Proof of the value of organisation—Flights in
high winds. .....................................................
II. Work in the German manœuvres—An instance of the utility of
air-scouts—Reconnoitring from high altitudes. ...................
III. Aeroplanes in actual warfare—What Italian airmen accomplished
in Tripoli—Scouting and bomb-dropping under service conditions. .
IV. A final word—Conclusions to be arrived at—Problems
outstanding. ....................................................
*ILLUSTRATIONS*
CLAUDE GRAHAME-WHITE. Winner of the Gordon-Bennett Aviation Cup,
1910; author of "The Story of the Aeroplane"; and joint author, with
Harry Harper, of "The Aeroplane: Past, Present, and Future," "Heroes
of the Air," and "The Aeroplane in War." ..........................
THE NIEUPORT MONOPLANE. Photo, M. Branger. This exceedingly
interesting machine, which won the great French Military Trials, is
generally admitted to be one of the most efficient flying machines
in existence. A similar machine can be seen at work in Hendon, where
it is piloted by Mr. Grahame-White. ...............................
BRITISH-BUILT SCOUTING MONOPLANE. This aircraft, an exceedingly
fast, single-seated machine, represents the type of machine now
favoured by French authorities for urgent, rapid, general
reconnaissance. Its constructors are Messrs. Short Brothers. ......
READY FOR A SCOUTING FLIGHT. Here a latest-type reconnoitring
monoplane, with its observer in the front seat and the pilot behind
him, is seen just about to start upon an aerial voyage. The machine
is a British-built Bristol, such as will be used in the forthcoming
military trials. ..................................................
TWO-SEATED, BRITISH-BUILT WAR MACHINE. The Blackburn military-type
monoplane, with accomodation for pilot and observer, has already
made many successful flights; and it is expected to perform
meritoriously in the War Office trials. In some respects it
resembles the graceful Antoinette. ................................
THE ENGINE-IN-FRONT BIPLANE. With the above machine—a type
increasingly used for Service work—the Naval officers now
experimenting at Eastchurch, Isle of Sheppy, have been carrying out
recent tests. It was designed, and built, by Messrs. Short Brothers,
who are now constructing special aeroplanes for Naval use. ........
MILITARY BIPLANE WITH TWO ENGINES. This exceedingly interesting
machine, which possesses especial significance from the military
point of view, is equipped with two Gnome motors. One drives two
propellers placed in front of the main-planes, and the other
actuates a single rear propeller. Normally, both engines run at easy
speed; but, should one fail in flight, the other, by being
accelerated, will maintain the machine in the air. Its designers and
builders are Messrs. Short Brothers. ..............................
BUILDING WAR AEROPLANES. In this picture—taken in the Bristol
works—skilled artizans are seen busy with the building of the bodies
of a consignment of military-type monoplanes. Although apparently
frail, these frameworks are—owing to their method of
construction—immensely strong. ....................................
WEIGHT-CARRYING WAR BIPLANE. By Fitting "extensions" to the upper
main-plane of the machine, as seen above, it is possible to achieve
sustained flight with two, or even three occupants—or, should
necessity arise, with a pilot and an appreciable load of explosives!
The actual machine photographed is a Bristol, flying over the
Brooklands aerodrome. .............................................
WAR MONOPLANES "VOL PLANE." In the above picture, a two-seated,
military type Bristol monoplane is seen descending, with engine
stopped and propeller motionless, from a reconnoitring flight. Pilot
and passenger are plainly discernable. ............................
MAPS FOR MILITARY AIRMEN. Photo, M. Roe. The French authorities are
busy with the preparation of a complete set of "air maps" for the
use of the military pilots, when flying from point to point. A
section of one of these maps—which are coloured—is illustrated
above. ............................................................
THE PILOT’S SEAT. Photo, M. Branger. In the illustration above is
seen the driving seat of a military-type Blériot monoplane, with the
airman’s map, in its case, fixed immediately before him. ..........
PILOT AND "OBSERVER." Photo, M. Roe. The above photograph shows a
military-type Breguet biplane, as used in the French manœuvres, with
pilot and observer in their places. ...............................
MILITARY AIRMAN’S REPORT. Photo, M. Branger. After descending from a
reconnoitring flight on a Blériot monoplane, in the French
manœuvres, the pilot seen above is imparting details of what he has
observed to another officer. ......................................
TRANSPORT OF WAR AEROPLANES Photo, M. Roe. In the manner depicted
above—and also by means of motor lorries—were military aeroplanes
transported from point to point during the French manœuvres. ......
MOTOR TRANSPORT. Photo, M. Branger. This picture shows how a Breguet
military biplane, with its main-planes folded by the sides of its
body, can be towed from point to point behind a motor-lorry. ......
TRAVELLING WORKSHOP. Photo, M. Branger. In the French manœuvres, a
completely-equipped aeroplane repair shop, in the form of a
motor-wagon, followed the military airmen as they moved from point
to point. One of these invaluable "ateliers" is pictured above. ...
FIRST SECTION REVIEW OF PROGRESS PRIOR TO THE FIRST MILITARY TESTS OF
AEROPLANES
I. Dawn of flight—Encouragement in Europe and America—England’s lost
opportunities—The pioneers.
In order to pave the way for a description of what the war aeroplane, as
we know it to-day, can accomplish, it is necessary to trace—although
only briefly—the development of the heavier-than-air machine during
recent years.
One fact immediately claims the attention of any student of this
question. He sees that England might to-day, had she not shown initial
apathy, be the first nation in the world in the fostering, and
development, of aerial navigation.
Instead of holding such a proud position, however—and any nation may
well be proud of having encouraged this new art—we suffer for having
displayed a lack of interest in the conquest of the air, and for having
given practically no help to far-seeing enthusiasts who first devoted
themselves to the great problem.
There was no lack of pioneers in England; but, instead of giving them
assistance, we discouraged them, with the result that such countries as
France and Germany—wide awake to all forms of progress—have moved
forward from one triumph to another.
More than a hundred years ago, for instance, England had an opportunity
of displaying a definite interest in flying. Sir George Cayley, a
remarkably clever engineer, turned his attention to the design of a
flying machine, and actually produced, in the year 1809, plans of a
machine which anticipated many constructional features of the monoplane
as it is built to-day. Of course there was not, in those days, any such
efficient motive power as is now supplied by the petrol engine; but Sir
George Cayley lectured upon his ideas, and sought to interest people in
them. Had his deductions been greeted with enthusiasm, it is not
probable that any successful flying machine would immediately have been
produced; the difficulty of finding a reliable propelling medium would
have prevented this. But what a ready and encouraging acceptance of Sir
George Cayley’s pioneer work would inevitably have done, would have been
to turn the minds of other inventors towards the problem, and so pave
the way for a series of discoveries, each more important than its
predecessor.
The imaginations of those who might have exercised a great influence
upon future progress were not fired, however; and the same remark
applies to the efforts of those who followed in Sir George Cayley’s
footsteps, and endeavoured to give his ideas more practical shape.
Stringfellow and Henson, for example, pored over the great engineer’s
drawings, and produced working models of a flying machine. Their
apparatus was crude, it is true; but this toil represented so many steps
forward along the path of progress. It had been man’s ambition, for
centuries, to fly; success could not be expected without infinite
labour. Nothing definite came of the work of these pioneers, however.
They had little encouragement; they were regarded as "cranks." The
importance of the work they were engaged upon was not, indeed, realised.
Now, as a striking contrast, let us turn to the reception which early
enthusiasts received in other countries. Let us take France, for
example. Ader, an electrical engineer, devised, in 1896, a very
ingenious, bat-like aeroplane. With it, having fitted a small
steam-engine, he actually achieved a short flight—or, rather, a brief
"hop" from the ground.
Instead of being greeted apathetically, or having his sanity doubted,
Ader was promptly called to appear before the military authorities.
They, after hearing his theories expounded, cheerfully voted him £20,000
in order that he might continue his experiments upon an adequate scale.
Thus, even at this early stage, France revealed her keen interest in
aerial navigation. Ader, lacking the petrol motor, could not carry his
investigations much further. But the encouragement he received gave
heart to other inventors. And so France went forward to success.
America offers another example of a sane, far-seeing policy. Professor
Langley, an eminent scientist, was making a series of wonderfully
interesting model aeroplanes at about the time Ader was experimenting in
France. To further his work, the American authorities very promptly came
forward with a grant of £10,000.
He, like Ader, was unable to carry his individual experiments to a
successful issue; but further investigation, on the part of other
workers, was greatly stimulated. It is interesting to note what position
these two countries, which first encouraged flying, afterwards took when
the aeroplane became a reality.
To America, in the work of the Wright brothers, has gone the honour of
the first practical flights with a heavier-than-air machine, while
France is to-day the premier nation in the world in the development of
airmanship.
Thus it is legitimate to pass to a consideration of the first machines
that flew, and consider their capabilities from the military point of
view. The Wright biplane, naturally, is the first to attract attention,
because it was as long ago as 1903 that these two quiet, determined
Americans made their first successful flights. From a military aspect,
this aeroplane had many drawbacks; and to cite them is instructive,
seeing that, by this means, a reader will be better able to judge, later
on, what vast strides towards perfection the aeroplane has already made.
The first Wright biplane would, indeed, just fly; that was all. Its
pilot only dared to leave the ground when an absolutely dead calm
prevailed; he feared the overturning influence of even the smallest gust
of wind. His engine, being then a novelty as applied to the aeroplane,
required the most patient "tuning up" before even a brief flight could
be essayed; and, when it was aloft, the machine only passed through the
air quite close to the ground.
Each flight had to be started by sliding the aeroplane forward along a
rail; away from this rail, the machine was helpless. From the point of
view of a military expert, indeed, this early machine could have been
condemned upon several counts. It was unreliable. It could not fly in
gusty winds; it was not portable; it could only take the air when
launched from its rail.
But the true expert is far-seeing. He makes light of present
imperfections if, in any idea, he can see future developments of
undoubted importance. Such an expert, for instance, was the late Captain
Ferber, of the French Army. He was the first military officer to whom
the task fell of reporting, for his Government, upon the capabilities of
a military aeroplane.
Representations were made by the Wright brothers to the French
Government in the year 1905—two years after their first flights. They
had improved their machine considerably; they were now ready to carry a
passenger; and they wished to sell their secret. So Captain Ferber was
instructed to go to America and investigate their claims.
The Wrights were anxious to sell their secret for a lump sum of money.
They had begun their experiments in the humblest possible way, being
small cycle-makers at Dayton, Ohio; and they were unable to protect, by
patents, the machine which they had evolved by so vast an amount of
patient work.
Thus they sought to enter into negotiations with some Government. They
asked for a guarantee that their machine would be bought, for a certain
price, were it to perform a series of stipulated flights. Their position
was, as a matter of fact, a somewhat awkward one. Even a brief
examination of their aeroplane, by an expert, would have revealed its
principle.
In this quandary, they were led to approach the French Government. They
chose France for a very good reason. Already, as has been indicated,
this country was keenly alive to the possibilities of flying. The two
brothers imagined, therefore, that they would be able to make their best
bargain with the French Government.
The practical interest which the French authorities took in the question
of military flying was evidenced by their action when they received a
communication from the Wright brothers. Although reports of the Wrights’
experiments had been greeted, in Europe, with great scepticism, and
there was reason, in view of the failure of other inventors, to doubt
their claims, the French Government at once detailed Captain Ferber to
make the long journey to Ohio, so as to go into the matter in a
business-like way.
Captain Ferber, who was one of the first officers in France to become
actively interested in airmanship, duly visited America, and interviewed
the Wright brothers. They could not show him their machine. Had they
done so, their secret would have been revealed. Regarding the flights
which they had made, up to this time, Captain Ferber had to rely, for
testimony, upon the statements of certain responsible men living in
Dayton, who had witnessed them.
The position, so far as he was concerned, was rather an unsatisfactory
one. It was like buying "a pig in a poke." But this officer, being a
student of character, and an enthusiast regarding flight, saw what
manner of men these two brothers were. He did not doubt their word, nor
the statements of those who had seen them fly. So, when he returned to
France, he recommended his Government to enter into negotiations with
the Wrights, and buy their invention before any other nation took steps
to secure it.
It was a tribute to his foresight that he should have done this; but,
for the time being, the negotiations fell through. The Wrights, for one
thing, wanted a very considerable sum of money; and there was
difficulty, also, in arranging what the series of tests of their
aeroplane should be. Thus it was that, after many communications had
passed between the interested parties, the matter stood in abeyance.
In the meantime, however, other inventors were striving with the great
problem. In France, in 1906, Santos-Dumont effected "hops" with a
machine like an exaggerated box-kite; and this led the way to the
remarkable achievements of two particularly clever brothers, Charles and
Gabriel Voisin. They busied themselves with a biplane which, at the end
of 1907, they asked Henry Farman, a well-known racing motorist, to test
for them.
This led to the first famous flights of the Voisin machine at the
military parade-ground of Issy-les-Moulineaux, outside Paris. France
went wild with enthusiasm when this big, clumsy machine, piloted by the
quick, agile Farman, succeeded in flying for a mile, and in making a
turn while in the air.
The Voisin aeroplane needed to run along the ground for quite a hundred
yards before it could gain sufficient support from the air to enable it
to rise. When it did so, it was only just able to skim along above the
ground. Compared with present-day aeroplanes, it was an unwieldly,
unsatisfactory machine; and, to make matters worse, its motor became
overheated after only a minute or so’s running.
As a machine for military purposes, it would have been useless. But it
represented a definite stage in the progress of aeroplaning. From this
machine of the Voisin brothers, which Farman first flew, developed the
great school of biplane construction in France.
Also experimenting in France, at the same time as the Voisin brothers,
was another great master of flight—M. Louis Blériot. His methods were
original. He pinned his faith to the monoplane.
II. First practical flights—The Wright brothers; the Voisins; Farman—The
cross-Channel flight.
Hastening our review, in order to reach matters of more definite
interest from the military point of view, we find that, in 1908, the
Wright brothers made aerial history by a series of magnificent flights
which were, however, unfortunately marred by a tragedy.
Coming to France, Wilbur Wright flew for a couple of hours, without
descending, at Le Mans. At about the same time, in America, Orville
Wright was carrying out a series of demonstrations before the military
authorities. He achieved remarkable success, particularly from a war
point of view, by carrying a passenger in his machine for quite a long
flight.
[Illustration: THE NIEUPORT MONOPLANE.
Photo, M. Branger.
This exceedingly interesting machine, which won the great French
Military Trials, is generally admitted to be one of the most efficient
flying machines in existence. A similar machine can be seen at work in
Hendon, where it is piloted by Mr. Grahame-White.]
Then, when taking up Lieutenant Selfridge, of the American army, he met
with disaster. One of the propellers of his machine broke; it crashed to
the ground from a height of about 100 feet. Lieutenant Selfridge was
killed, being the first victim of the aeroplane, and Orville Wright
broke his thigh. The accident, as may be imagined, cast a gloom over
flying in America for a long time.
Longer flights by Henry Farman, on an improved Voisin biplane, were also
to be noted in the year 1908; and thus the way is cleared for a
description of the wonders achieved in 1909, when it may be said that
the importance of the aeroplane, from a military point of view, was
first demonstrated, and the attention of nations seriously directed
towards the possibilities of this new "arm."
Early in the summer of 1909, after innumerable disappointments, and the
breaking-up of many experimental machines, Blériot began to achieve
success with a simply-constructed monoplane, driven by an equally simple
three-cylinder petrol motor; and, at the same time, another French
monoplane, the Antoinette, larger than Blériot’s, and having an
eight-cylinder motor developing sixty horse-power, was also flying
surprisingly well.
It was in July, 1909, that these two machines, representing a distinct
type, when compared with the biplane, were brought down to the French
coast at Calais with the intention of invading England by air, and
winning a prize of £1000 offered by the _Daily Mail_. Piloting his small
monoplane was M. Blériot himself, while the Antoinette was flown by Mr
Hubert Latham, an airman already famed for his daring.
The method of Blériot’s arrival at Calais gave promise of the eventual
utility of his machine from the military point of view. The two wings of
his monoplane could easily be detached. They were then folded on either
side of the body of the machine; and, thus dismantled, it could be
placed for transport upon an ordinary railway truck.
In this fashion it reached Calais, greatly to the surprise of those who
had, hitherto, only been familiar with the huge cases needed for the
transport of biplanes. When taken from the railway van, the monoplane
was tied with ropes behind a motor-car, and ran upon its own
pneumatic-tyred wheels to the shelter prepared for it near the
sand-hills of Les Baraques, a mile or so from Calais.
Blériot, as history records, won the £1000 prize by flying across the
Channel from France to England, just after the dawn on 25th July, 1909.
He landed near Dover Castle, after a flight of thirty-seven minutes.
Latham, unfortunate with his engine, made two attempts at the crossing,
but fell into the sea on both occasions.
Blériot’s feat made a deep impression upon all thoughtful men, and
particularly upon the military authorities in France. If such a flight
could be achieved with a small, crude machine, what might not be
possible with a perfected apparatus? This, naturally, was the question
which was asked.
In the next important demonstration of the possibilities of flight,
which was made at the Rheims flying meeting, held in August, 1909, the
French Government took a very active interest. They sent special
representatives to this meeting—the first of its kind—to study the
various types of flying machines which took part in the contests
organised. As a further instance of the practical ideas already being
displayed by military men in France, it may be mentioned that one of the
competitors at this memorable flying meeting was the French officer
whose work has previously been mentioned—Captain Ferber. He flew a
Voisin biplane. It was not, unfortunately, very long after the Rheims
meeting that this enthusiastic military airman met with his death at
Boulogne, his loss being sincerely mourned by the French Government. His
biplane overturned in a ditch, and he was killed by the heavy motor,
which was torn from its bed, and fell upon him.
III. Aeroplanes at Rheims, 1909—Wright, Voisin, Farman, Blériot,
Antoinette—The Gnome engine—First military orders.
Seeing that the Rheims meeting of 1909 was the first occasion upon which
a definite military inspection of aeroplanes was made, it should be
interesting to describe the machines which were then available. Let us
take, for example, the Wright biplane, of which we have previously
spoken. This machine, as piloted at Rheims by Lefevre, Tissandier, and
the Comte de Lambert, undoubtedly proved itself one of the best
all-round machines then in existence.
The aeroplane represented the usual biplane form of building, having one
sustaining plane fixed above another, the two being held apart by wooden
struts, made taut by cross-wiring.
In front of these main-planes, upon outriggers, was a small double-plane
elevator. At the rear of the main-planes, also carried upon outriggers,
was a double-plane vertical rudder. The engine of the machine, set upon
a wooden bed on the lower plane, actuated two wooden propellers,
which—driven by chains—revolved in opposite directions behind the
main-planes.
The pilot’s seat was on the front edge of the lower main-plane, and his
control of the aeroplane, when in flight, was effected by means of two
levers. One, moved forward and backward, actuated the elevating planes,
and the other was given a dual motion. Moved to and fro, it operated the
rudder of the aeroplane. Shifted from side to side, it warped the rear
extremities of the main-planes, and so controlled the lateral stability
of the aeroplane.
This wing-warping mechanism was, as a matter of fact, one of the salient
features of the Wright biplane. The system is considered to be the most
efficacious method of combating the effect of wind-gusts when an
aeroplane is in flight.
In operation, this wing-warping device was simple. When the airman
discovered that his machine was tilting over one side, owing to a sudden
inequality in wind pressure, he quickly warped down the plane-ends on
the side of the biplane that was depressed. The result was that there
was increased wind-pressure under the plane-ends warped down, thus
tending to force the machine back again upon an even keel.
The pilot who distinguished himself greatly at Rheims, when flying the
Wright biplane, was Lefevre; but this daring airman was, unfortunately,
killed shortly afterwards at Juvisy, when testing a new machine. At
Rheims he circled in the air, and effected sharp turns, in an altogether
remarkable way, demonstrating an absolutely complete control over his
machine. So impressed were the representatives of the French Government
by the performance of the Wright biplane, that they ordered several
machines for military use. This represented their first definite order
for aeroplanes for war purposes.
The chief drawback of the Wright biplane, in comparison with other
machines flown at this time, was that it needed to make a start into the
air from a launching rail, as has previously been mentioned.
The advantage of this system of starting—in which a weight, dropped from
a derrick, gave the aeroplane its initial impetus along the rail—was
that the machine could be fitted with a lower-powered engine.
But the disadvantages were obvious. Were an involuntary descent made at
a point some distance away from the machine’s rail, it had to be carted
back to the starting-point, or a rail and derrick brought to the place
where it lay. However, the French Government did not regard any
aeroplanes at this time as representing serviceable war weapons. They
took the wise view that they were purely instructional craft, upon which
military airmen could gain experience, and so fit themselves for the use
of the more perfect machines which were likely to be evolved as time
went on.
After describing the Wright biplane, we may now consider the Voisin
machine. This aeroplane represented an improvement upon the type first
piloted by Farman at Issy-les-Moulineaux. It had two main supporting
planes, like those of the Wright biplane, fitted one above another. In
front of the main-planes was a single horizontal elevating plane. At the
rear of the biplane was a large cellular stabilising tail, made up of
horizontal and vertical planes, and resembling a box-kite. In the centre
of this cellular tail was the rudder, a single vertical plane.
Instead of adopting a wing-warping device, for maintaining lateral
stability, the Voisin brothers fitted vertical planes, or curtains as
they were called, between their main-planes. These, when the machine was
in flight, resisted any sideway roll and, in conjunction with movements
of the rudder, gave the aeroplane a certain amount of automatic
stability.
The biplane rested upon a chassis made of hollow metal tubing. It had
pneumatic-tyred bicycle wheels, mounted in connection with heavy
springs, to resist the shock of landing after a flight. Small wheels
bore the weight of the tail when the aeroplane was running along the
ground.
An engine of sixty horse-power, fitted upon the lower plane, drove a
two-bladed metal propeller, placed behind the main-planes. The pilot,
seated midway between the planes, operated a wheel like that of a
motor-car. He pushed it away from him, or drew it back, to operate the
elevating plane, and turned it sideways to actuate the rudder.
This machine had the advantage over the Wright biplane that it was not
dependent upon a starting rail. But, in general comparison with the
Wright machine, it was heavy and sluggish. It required a long run before
it would lift into the air, and its engine-power, although twice that of
the Wright biplane, was only just sufficient to make it fly. In a side
wind, owing to the influence which the gusts exerted upon the vertical
panels which were fitted between the main-planes, it made an appreciable
amount of "lee-way," which rendered steering difficult.
Altogether, regarded from the point of view of experts to-day, it was a
heavy, awkward machine. But it flew, and flew steadily. And anything
that flew, in the year 1909, represented a triumph. Several famous
airmen were piloting the Voisin biplane at the Rheims meeting, notably
M. Louis Paulhan and M. Rougier.
From a military aspect, the Voisin biplane had many drawbacks. It was
not at all portable; it could not rise quickly; it was slow-flying. But,
with the very laudable intention of encouraging such ardent pioneers as
the Voisin brothers, the French Government gave orders for certain
military machines of this type.
Now we may turn to what was undoubtedly the most successful biplane at
the great Rheims carnival—that designed and flown by Mr Henry Farman.
This famous airman had, it will be remembered, first learned to fly upon
a Voisin biplane. After piloting this machine in 1908, he turned his
attention, early in 1909, to the design of a biplane which should be
lighter and more efficient.
In this endeavour, he certainly succeeded. The biplane which he first
flew in public at the Rheims meeting represented a distinct step forward
in the development of this type of machine. In general construction, it
was lighter than the Voisin machine, and it had other excellent features
as well. Instead of the heavy, cellular tail, as fitted to the Voisin
biplane, it had a lightly-constructed tail made up of two horizontal
planes, with a vertical rudder fitted between them. In front of the
main-planes, upon light wooden outriggers, was placed the horizontal
elevating plane.
One of the features of this machine, was its method of obtaining lateral
stability. Farman recognised the disadvantages of the vertical planes,
as used in the Voisin machine. So he fitted small flaps, or horizontal
planes, at the rear extremities of his mainplanes. These were hinged to
the main-planes, and were termed "ailerons."
Their operation produced the same result as in the application of the
wing-warping device of the Wright brothers. When the biplane tilted
sideways in flight, the "ailerons" were drawn down, by means of
controlling wires, on the side that was depressed. The air pressure,
acting upon the surfaces of the "ailerons," forced the aeroplane back
upon an even keel. When not in operation, the "ailerons" flew out
straight in the wind, on a level with the main-planes.
The control of the Farman biplane was effected by means of a hand and
foot lever. The hand lever, when moved forward or backward, operated the
elevating plane. When shifted from side to side, it actuated the
"ailerons." The pilot’s feet rested upon a pivoted bar, which he swung
from side to side to move the rudder of the machine.
[Illustration: BRITISH-BUILT SCOUTING MONOPLANE.
This aircraft, an exceedingly fast, single-seated machine, represents
the type of machine now favoured by French authorities for urgent,
rapid, general reconnaissance. Its constructors are Messrs. Short
Brothers.]
Another constructional feature of this first Farman biplane was notable.
This was the landing chassis. Appreciating the disadvantages of the
Wright launching rail, and recognising that the Voisin chassis was
heavy, Farman aimed at something lighter, and at the same time more
efficient.
Again he succeeded. He devised a chassis which was a combination of
wooden skids and bicycle wheels. Below his biplane, upon wooden
uprights, were fitted two long wooden skids. On either side of each
skid, were two little pneumatic-tyred bicycle wheels, connected by a
short axle. The wheels were held in position on the skid by stout rubber
bands, which passed over the axle.
Normally, the skids were raised off the ground by the wheels, upon which
the biplane actually ran. But, in the case of a rather abrupt descent,
the chassis was so designed that the wheels were forced up against their
rubber bands, thus allowing the skids of the machine to come into
contact with the ground. Then, when the force of the shock had been
absorbed, the wheels came into play again. With this biplane, Farman
achieved fine flights at Rheims.
Apart from its constructional excellence, the biplane was fitted with a
motor which was destined to have a remarkable influence upon the
development of flying—and upon military aviation in particular. This was
the seven-cylinder, revolving "Gnome." To-day, the application of this
wonderful engine is practically universal. In August, 1909, it was
regarded quite as a freak, and was seen for the first time upon Henry
Farman’s biplane.
Up to the time when this motor was introduced, makers had, in designing
aeroplane engines, followed very largely upon motor-car design,
constructing motors with fixed cylinders, either upright, or in "V"
shape, and with their parts lightened wherever possible. Some were
water-cooled; others air-cooled. But with both systems, and particularly
with the latter, the tendency—owing to the high speeds at which the
engines had to turn—was to overheat, and either lose power, or stop
altogether.
The specially-lightened water-cooling systems which were devised gave a
great deal of trouble; and, in the case of air-cooled engines, it was
usually found almost impossible to prevent overheating, after the
engines had been running for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour.
In the case of the "Gnome," the designer struck out in a new line.
Instead of making his cylinders fixed, and his crank-shaft revolving, as
was the method with other engines, he set his seven cylinders revolving
around the crank-shaft. Petrol and oil he fed to the cylinders by way of
the stationary hollow crank-shaft.
The internal complications of this engine, in the opinion of experts who
first saw it, were such that it could not be expected to achieve
reliability.
But it did, nevertheless; and it ran so well, in fact, that, at the
Rheims meeting, Henry Farman remained in the air, while using it, for
more than three hours, and won the prize for the longest flight.
The advantages of this remarkable engine proved to be many. In the first
instance, its method of construction enabled it to be built remarkably
light; and the fact that the seven cylinders revolved, generally at a
speed of 1000 revolutions a minute, effectually disposed of cooling
difficulties. In fact, the engine automatically cooled itself; and its
fly-wheel effect, as it flew round, gave a smooth, even thrust to the
propeller.
From the very day of its first introduction, the "Gnome" motor gained
overwhelming success. It represented a piece of mechanism made specially
for the work in hand, and not a motor-car engine adapted to aerial
purposes. This fact was the secret of its success.
As rapidly as they could acquire them, other aeroplane makers fitted
"Gnomes" to their machines. It proved all-conquering. Fixed-cylinder
engines did not languish completely, however. Some of them were steadily
improved, and performed reliable work. But the "Gnome" was then, and is
now, regarded as _the_ aeroplane engine.
The Farman biplane, being so good a machine in itself, and being
equipped, in addition, with so excellent a motor, naturally aroused keen
military interest; and it was not long before the inventor received
Government orders for his machine. At this time, before the monoplane
had assumed the commanding position which it now holds, the Farman
biplane certainly represented the premier aeroplane of the day.
Two more machines, which were flown at the first carnival of flight at
Rheims, merit careful description. These were the Blériot and Antoinette
monoplanes. Blériot’s machine, of the type upon which he crossed the
Channel, was especially interesting.
Its simplicity was, as has been stated, its great recommendation. Upon
either side of a tubular body, built up of light woodwork, and partly
covered in with fabric, were the two supporting planes, outstretched
like the wings of a bird, and supported by wires, above and below.
In the front of the body was the engine, which developed about
twenty-five horse-power, and had three air-cooled cylinders. At the rear
extremity of the body, which projected some little distance behind the
lifting planes, was a small stabilising and weight-carrying plane, the
end portions of which, on either side, were capable of being moved up
and down. Behind this plane, fitted to the end of the body, was a small
vertical rudder.
The pilot sat in the body of the machine, a little behind the engine,
and on a level with the rear extremities of his wings. His method of
control was extremely simple. Rising up between his knees was a metal
_cloche_, or lever. This he shifted forward or backward to make his
machine rise or fall, the movement of the lever actuating the
extremities of the rear stabilising plane.
For maintaining the lateral stability of the monoplane, he moved the
same lever from side to side. This action drew down, or warped, the rear
portion of the supporting planes—effecting the same action, in fact, as
produced in the case of the Wright biplane. When wishing to make a turn,
the pilot pushed from side to side a bar upon which his feet rested.
This moved the rudder at the rear of the body.
Already, as can be seen, the control of an aeroplane in flight had
become more or less standardised. One lever was usually employed for
elevating and lowering the machine, and also for controlling lateral
movements. Steering was effected, as a rule, by movements of the pilot’s
feet.
Another machine, representing these first types, which it will be
necessary to describe, is the Antoinette monoplane. This machine had,
and has still, many original features. It was, to begin with, a very
ambitiously-designed machine. It had very large and strongly-built
wings. These were set at a dihedral angle, so as to increase the
machine’s stability. The engine, developing sixty horse-power, was fixed
in the bow. The body of the machine, which was appreciably longer than
that of the Blériot monoplane, ended in fixed horizontal and vertical
planes, or "fins," rather resembling the feathering of an arrow. Hinged
horizontal planes, at the extremity of the tail, provided means for
elevating or lowering the machine. Vertical rudders were also fitted.
The controlling mechanism was original. On either side of the pilot, as
he sat well back in the body of the monoplane, was a wheel. These wheels
he turned when he wished to rise or descend, or correct the lateral
stability of the monoplane.
By means of this wheel control, which locked the planes in any desired
position, a very fine adjustment was possible. But the manipulation of
the wheels, with which separate movements had to be made with each hand,
was declared by many airmen to be difficult to learn. On the first of
the Antoinette machines, it should be mentioned, "ailerons," or
balancing flaps, were used to control lateral stability. Afterwards,
however, wing-warping was adopted, and adhered to.
Such were the first aeroplanes, as seen at Rheims in the year 1909.
Other more experimental machines there were, too, which did not figure
prominently at the time, but which were destined to play a prominent
part in future work. In this regard should be mentioned the R.E.P.
monoplane, designed and built by M. Esnault Pelterie, and the Breguet
biplane, designed, built, and flown by M. Louis Breguet.
IV. The human factor—Growing skill of airmen—Feats of 1910, as compared
with those of 1909—Cross-country flying.
What the aeroplanes which we have been describing could not do was to
combat a wind. No flight was essayed, indeed, unless weather conditions
were quite favourable. A notable exception must, however, be made in the
favour of the Antoinette monoplane. This aircraft, owing to its weight
and stability, and the skilful and daring handling of Mr Latham was, on
several occasions in 1909, and notably at the Blackpool flying meeting,
able to remain aloft in very high and gusty winds.
Apart from the question of wind-flying, which was, of course,
all-important, there were grave structural drawbacks in connection with
many of these early machines. Some were too light; others too heavy.
Save with those upon which the "Gnome" engine was fitted, there was
almost constant engine trouble.
Above all, however, the human factor entered into the question. Men were
_learning_ to fly. Apart from any consideration of the good or bad
points of their machines, they were invading a new element. As one
shrewd observer, at this time, remarked: "The men who fly now are like
those who first ventured upon the sea in frail cockle-shells. They
tremble at their own daring."
More might have been accomplished in 1909, in fact, had men possessed
greater confidence.
Take, for example, the attempts which were made, at the Rheims meeting,
to win the altitude prize. To the amazement of spectators, one pilot
rose until he flew slightly more than 500 feet high. This feat was, in
1909, considered a marvellous one. In 1911, only two years later, a man
rose to an altitude of nearly two-and-a-half miles! The heights attained
in 1909 could, indeed, have been appreciably increased had men possessed
the necessary confidence in themselves, and in their machines, to force
them higher.
But, in these pioneer days, a height of 150 feet or 200 feet from the
ground was considered quite an appreciable altitude. Nowadays, when
carrying out a long cross-country flight, an airman will fly several
thousand feet high. Thus it can be seen what definite progress has been
made in this aspect of flying alone.
High-flying has considerable importance. The airman who does not soar
high, when going across country, meets the worst of whatever wind is
blowing. It eddies from hill-tops, and around woods. The higher he
flies, therefore, the steadier the wind blows, because it is unaffected
by any inequalities of the ground. This is why the great cross-country
flyers invariably ascend to a considerable altitude.
In the year 1909, it may truly be said, men were really learning to fly.
Their machines were crude, and they were invading a new element.
Therefore they made comparatively short flights, and confined nearly all
their operations to aerodromes, where there was always a smooth place of
descent below them, should the failure of their engines compel a hasty
landing.
But, in 1910, a new and more daring spirit developed. With growing
confidence, airmen soared higher and higher. Breezes no longer made them
hasten to descend; and, with this new spirit of adventure, came the
desire for cross-country flying, instead of monotonous circling round
the aerodrome.
With the commencement of long flights across country from point to
point, came the first practical opportunity for applying the aeroplane
to military reconnoitring work. The first cross-country flights marked,
indeed, a very definite stage in the development of the aeroplane; and
it was in 1910 that the possibilities of the flying machine, in this
regard, were demonstrated, on a convincing scale, by such aerial
contests as the flight from London to Manchester, and the Circuit de
L’Est in France—the first taking place early in the flying season of
1910, and the latter towards its end.
Two machines had, by this time, emerged as representing the best of
their type. One was the Farman biplane, with the invincible "Gnome"
motor; the other was the Blériot monoplane, now also equipped with the
"Gnome." So far as distinction can be made, the Farman machine stood for
ease of manipulation and general "air-worthiness"; while the Blériot
represented the development of a small, portable, high-speed machine.
It was on the Farman biplane that M. Louis Paulhan flew, with one halt,
the 183-miles aerial journey from London to Manchester; and Mr
Grahame-White (one of the joint authors of this book), who also piloted
a Farman, had the distinction of competing against him in what is now
regarded as an historic contest.
In the Circuit de L’Est in France, Leblanc, the winner, flew some 400
miles on his Blériot monoplane, passing over all sorts of country, and
finding his way accurately from point to point by means of his map and a
special compass. He made frequent landings, without damaging his
machine, and demonstrated its reliability in a most convincing way.
One question naturally arises, in any consideration of such flights as
these, seeing that they were so greatly superior to anything that had
been done in 1909. Had the aeroplanes which these pilots used been
improved to any remarkable extent? In reply, it is certainly accurate to
say that they had not. The "Gnome" engines with which they were fitted
had, it is true, been strengthened in small ways, and perfected in the
manufacture of certain delicate parts, the result being an even greater
reliability in running than had first been attained.
As regards the aeroplanes, they were, in essentials, the same which had
been flown in 1909. Their controlling mechanism was, for instance,
unaltered. Their method of construction was practically the same,
although experience had taught manufacturers the need of strengthening
certain parts. Landing devices had been slightly improved, from the
point of view of everyday wear.
Although aeroplanes and engines had both been improved a little, neither
had been altered sufficiently to account for such a vast stride forward
as was made in 1910. It was not to the machines, indeed, so much as to
the men, that this striking progress was due.
Practice had begun to make perfect. Pilots now felt more comfortable
when they were in the air. They had growing confidence in their
aeroplanes. They had learned how to maintain stability when assailed by
wind-gusts. Thus, they were ready to attempt far more ambitious flights.
SECOND SECTION FIRST EXPERIMENTS WITH AEROPLANES IN THE FRENCH AUTUMN
MANOEUVRES, 1910.
I. The historic Picardy tests—First official report upon movements of
troops, as gleaned by aeroplane.
After these introductory notes, intentionally brief, we are led to a
consideration of the first practical tests to which aeroplanes were put,
so far as their military use is concerned.
During the summer of 1910, the French authorities were instructing
officers in the handling of machines. They had purchased several Voisin,
Wright, and Farman biplanes, and possessed also a few monoplanes,
including Blériots and Antoinettes.
For the autumn army manœuvres of 1910, which were due to take place in
Picardy, it was decided to make as complete a test as possible of the
value of the aeroplane as a scout in time of war. Ten or fifteen
machines were requisitioned for the experiments, some being stationed
with each of the manoeuvring forces.
To augment the military pilots, several civilian airmen readily gave
their services, notably Mr Hubert Latham with his Antoinette, and M.
Louis Paulhan, flying a Farman.
Although this was the first time aeroplanes had been used in mimic
warfare, and although the airmen themselves, and the military
authorities, were naturally unacquainted with the best methods of
utilising the new "arm," astonishing results were nevertheless obtained.
Two French officers. Lieutenant Sido and Adjutant Menard, were highly
successful in their work. This was due to the fact they had gone through
a careful course of training and were, in consequence, familiar with the
task of compiling precise and informing reports of all that they saw
when upon a reconnoitring flight.
Lieutenant Sido acted as observer upon the Farman biplane which they
were using, and Adjutant Menard undertook the work of pilot. The former
carried maps with him, and made frequent notes as the machine flew from
point to point.
The value of the work these two officers were able to perform, is best
indicated by setting forth the actual result of two of their
reconnoitring flights. On the first occasion, acting under definite
instructions, they left a place named Poix at 6 a.m., and flew over a
sixty-kilometre course, being an hour and five minutes in the air,
before returning to their starting-point.