Aircraft : $b its development in war and peace and its commercial futureDavid, Evan John
History
Aircraft : $b its development in war and peace and its commercial future
David, Evan John
Aeronautics; Airplanes
At 8.35 A. M. the R-34 became visible from Mineola Field, looking
at first like a splinter split off from the bluish horizon in the
northeast. A thin line of light beneath it made it distinguishable at
first at a distance of about twenty miles. Slowly it disengaged itself
from the blurring lines where the earth and sky met, and gradually its
bulk began to develop. As it approached the field it rose for better
observation, and at about 9 o’clock stood out in the sky in its full
super-dreadnought proportions, its painted skin responding to the sun,
which had become bright a few minutes before, and giving off a dull,
metallic gleam between lead and aluminum in tint.
It glided through the air with such smoothness as to give the
suggestion that it was motionless and the spectator moving. Like
the buzz of a midsummer noontime, the hum of its motors produced no
disturbing effect on the quiet.
The ship approached the landing-place at a height of about 2,000 feet,
coming from the east-northeast, and passing first over Mitchel Field.
It swung around the skirts of Roosevelt Field, while its commanders
studied the details of the landing-place. The manœuvres for observation
took the dirigible three times around the field before she came to a
stop. After 9.11 it shut off its motors, and hovered, like a fixed
object, 2,000 feet above the ground.
The time of the R-34 for the transatlantic crossing is slightly
greater than the steamship record made by the _Mauretania_, which, in
September, 1909, made the trip from Queenstown to New York in 4 days,
10 hours, and 41 minutes. This is better by approximately 2 hours than
the time of the dirigible, which took 4 days, 12 hours, and some odd
minutes. The R-34, however, starting from Edinburgh, covered a much
greater distance. The rate of speed of the R-34 in covering the 3,200
miles was 29⅖ knots per hour.
AIRSHIP LANDED
The crew sent the cable on and it made a bull’s-eye in the drop,
falling squarely over the main anchor. The workmen, who rushed to catch
it on the bound, were flung to the ground and rolled about, as if by
the lash of a gigantic whip, but they subdued it in a second and rushed
with it to the iron ring. An instant later it was dragged through this
opening and the gas-bag was secured. A few moments later the crews of
men were pinning it down like Gulliver, attaching anchors all along the
hull to prepared anchorages of concrete and steel, sunk deeply into the
earth.
The British officers, accompanied by their American guest,
Lieutenant-Commander Zachary Lansdowne, climbed out of the gondola to
receive the official greetings of the government of the United States
and the hearty congratulations of brother seamen and flyers in American
and British uniforms. Those who expected to find them worn and wan from
their unparalleled experience were astonished to see them all in the
finest fettle and spirits, ruddy and vigorous, wide-awake, and full of
fun.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account