Show iw S Not Quite Obsolete ObsoleteS l S 4 THE HE loss of seventeen out of twenty three I t 5 seaplanes in a ia storm a Baltimore reS recently recently re- re S helps' helps illustrate the f futility of those enthusiasts who dream that the he airplane has I m de obsolete the rest of made a modern navy I Because B cause an airplane can destroy a battleship I say why have battleships We Well one rf lf Jf the reasons is precisely this accident u W That storm did not wreck any ships even F smallest Ships sail su such h storms a all the jine An attacking fleet might readily pick a m much ch worse day If it did airplanes would be helpless even to try to repel it Another illus Illus- illus I ration J ration On Navy day a naval plane plan flew flew- San Francisco to Fresno miles nilles inward in- in ward v It was not a bad day There was no no storm but San Francisco was foggy and th there thre re was was- an autumnal autumn 1 haze in the interior The plane had no illusive fleet to search trout tout t but only the the widespread city of f Fresno S Jy ying ng in the sun in In a known l location cahon The Tf pl plane got lo lost t in in the fog and was several hours finding Fresno which was invisible Indian summer haze until within three V m miles mIes les There are not enough aircraft in the infallibly to have spotted an enemy fleet leet on such a day Aircraft the are newest S and in many respects the fhe most important rm nn of the army and navy They should receive more attention than red tape tape- conser- conser k has hitherto given them But the worst 1 enemy of the development of the air service is he who pretends that it has made all other others services s obsolete te I. I b- b W t e 1 j r t il f j 6 |