On June 6th last the French military aviators with their armoured and
armed aëroplanes were reviewed at Villacoublay by General Joffre and
General Bernard, the director of military aëronautics. Amongst the
types of aëroplanes present was the Dorand biplane, having two Gnome
motors driving separate screws, armoured in its vital parts, and
armed with a Hotchkiss mitrailleuse. This was mounted on a pivot,
and could be fired in almost every direction. There were, too, the
Morane-Saulnier, Blériot-Gouin, Nieuport, and Breguet-Bristol types.
M. Raymond, in his speech before the Senate in February last, said
that Germany was in possession of armoured aëroplanes, but that France
had none. The June review at Villacoublay showed what vast strides in
military aëroplane construction the French had made in a few months.
The French military aëroplanes consist of Farman types, and many other
leading French forms. In 1913 there were about 500 French military
aëroplanes and a few naval hydroplanes.
France manufactures a great number of aëroplanes, of late years about
1,000 per year. These include Government machines, those of private
owners and export machines. There are at least twenty-nine French
flying grounds, many of them flying schools and trial grounds of the
leading French airship and aëroplane makers.
In 1913 Italy appears to have had about a hundred military aëroplanes,
including those on order, Blériots, Bristol (monoplanes), Farmans,
Nieuports, and others. She had six or eight naval aëroplanes. She is
well provided with military flying schools and other flying grounds,
nearly all fitted with hangars.
There are military airship hangars at Rome, Milan, Verona, Venice, and
Bracciano.
Belgium has a military school of aviation near Antwerp, and in 1913
she had as many as twenty-four military aëroplanes--H. Farman, 80 h.p.
Gnome. There are in Belgium about half a dozen flying grounds, and as
many aërial societies or clubs.
As already stated, Germany, in the first instance, looked to
Austria-Hungary for her aëroplanes, and the Etrich was an Austrian
machine. In late years, however, Austria’s aëroplanes were mainly
Lohners; the Government favoured this make and discouraged others,
consequently enterprise and invention languished. After the accident to
the Aspern the Lohner was condemned as of too feeble a resistance, and
meanwhile discouragement had effaced all the other systems.
Aëroplanes are used both in the Russian army and navy. Those of the
navy are hydro-aëroplanes, or capable of being so arranged. In number,
the Russian navy has about a dozen. Of military aëroplanes Russia has
probably from 250 to about 300, many of them of modern type, and built
in Russia, the principal types being Rumpler, Albatross, Aviatik,
Nieuport, Farman, Bristol and Deperdussin.
Bulgaria has a number of aëroplanes, mainly Blériots and Bristols.
SYKORSKY’S GIANT AËROPLANE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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