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Show ing airships in coast patrolling in France. The government has recently taken up the use of these airships on" a more extensive scale than eTer before, which portends the training of many more young men as' pilots for this type of aircraft. BICl AIRSHIP Ifj RECORD FLIGHT y Flies From Goodyear Bal-i Bal-i loon Field to Dayton i With Two Pilots. The performance of the airship D-12 in a 360-mile flight from the Goodyear balloon field near Akron, Ohio, to Day-I Day-I ton, Ohio, and return, marks the first ! successful long distance airship flight made in this country. The accomplishment accomplish-ment is notworthy in that it is indicative indi-cative of the possibilities of a most important im-portant branch of our aeronautical service that has heretofore commanded but a small share of public attention, I because of the predominance of an almost al-most unlimited aeroplane program. The journey of the D-12 was the longest long-est in which any American airship has ever flown to a definite objective, made a successful landing and returned to its hangar successfully. The start was made from Akron with Pilots Ralph H. Upson and Herman Kraft in charge. Flvins over Springfield, Ohio, at an a altitude of 4000 feet, the big airship . was met. by two Liberty-motored aeroplanes aero-planes from the Dayton Wright flying field. Under convoy of these two plaues the D-12 arrived at Dayton, and, after circling above the city several times amid the blowing of whistles and ringins of bells, landed gracefully in the, flying field, where sufficient space L&t been cleared to receive it. Upon emerging from their car the two ' pilots were warmly greeted by the aviators avia-tors there, and great interest was shown both in their craft and their ac complishment. As there was no hangar at the field large enough to contain the airship, it was secured for the night under guard supplied by Colonel Deeds. . At 10:40 the next morning Pilots W. Pouchot and J. A. Boettner took charge of the airship and started on the homeward home-ward journey, accompanied by a squad of twenty-five aeroplanes that acted as a convoy for about ten miles. Secretary Secre-tary of War Baker arrived at the flying fly-ing field just as the ascent was being made, and watched the big airship soar away as long as it was visible. Dirigible Shows Class. In just four and one-half hours it was quietly resting in its hangar, having finished the longest flight of lighter-than-air craft of the dirigible tjpa ever made in America. The visit to Dayton was timed during dur-ing the convention of the Society of Automotive Engineers, and many aeronautical aero-nautical engineers who had not previously previ-ously had the opportunity of seeing an airship in action, took advantage of this opportunity to examine it. That the operation of airships of this type need not necessarily be confined to balloonists of great experience and reputation, is proven by the successful flight of the two pilots who accomplished accom-plished the return journey. These two young men were trained to fly balloons in the Goodyear Balloon school, just as thousands of other young men are being trained in our mammoth aviation camps to operate aeroplanes. Their flight was equally as successful as that of the two veterans who took the airship to Dayton-Aircraft of this type are playing a very important part in the war. As coast and harbor patrols their work has been effective. In the recent submarine subma-rine scare on onr eastern coast, aircraft of this type joined in the search for the elusive U-boats. In many ways such airships are performing creditable service serv-ice not as spectacular nor as widely heralded as that of aeroplanes, but performing per-forming efficiently and watchfully. Many pilots that have received their training in the Goodyear school, which is constantly training student officers of the United States navy, are now fly- |