for, whereas in the latter case the size of the engine must increase
as the cube of the speed, in the flying machine, until extremely high
speeds are reached, the capacity of the motor increases in less than
simple ratio; and there is even a decrease in the fuel per mile of
travel. In other words, to double the speed of a steamship (and the
same is true of the balloon type of airship) eight times the engine and
boiler capacity would be required, and four times the fuel consumption
per mile of travel; while a flying machine would require engines of
less than double the size, and there would be an actual decrease in
the fuel consumption per mile of travel. But looking at the matter
conversely, the great disadvantage of the flying machine is apparent;
for in the latter no flight at all is possible unless the proportion
of horse-power to flying capacity is very high; but on the other hand
a steamship is a mechanical success if its ratio of horse-power to
tonnage is insignificant. A flying machine that would fly at a speed
of 50 miles per hour with engines of 1,000 horse-power would not be
upheld by its wings at all at a speed of less than 25 miles an hour,
and nothing less than 500 horse-power could drive it at this speed.
But a boat which could make 40 miles an hour with engines of 1,000
horse-power would still move 4 miles an hour even if the engines were
reduced to 1 horse-power. The problems of land and water travel were
solved in the nineteenth century, because it was possible to begin
with small achievements, and gradually work up to our present success.
The flying problem was left over to the twentieth century, because in
this case the art must be highly developed before any flight of any
considerable duration at all can be obtained.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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