Show Airplanes Treble Speed in 3 Years V When the war began the highest type pe of aeroplane could not bo ho depended upon to do much more than fifty miles s san an hour Today tho the speedier war planes make malo miles an hour In long flights Where the best machines formerly carried carried car car- ried ned two men or their equivalent in weight the larger machines of the tho present will safely carry a ton or more of car cargo o. o V At the beginning or ne standard army machine of the British was capable of doing fifty-eight fifty miles an hour at its lH best bost St St. By August 1915 a new aeroplane with horsepower had been developed But it il was vas heavy and anti not much faster taster than the other type though somewhat larger with in ln- creased carrying capacity In May 1916 the British brought I forth a horsepower machine that could make male seventy five miles an hour It had great stability and was an ex excellent excellent ex- ex fighting plane Many of the type still sun are in use But In the spring I of 1916 the tho Germans suddenly produced i ithe the Fokker Folker which could do ninety-five ninety miles mile an hour This Fol Fokker also carried car car- ried ned the first machine gun to fire through the propeller The Fokker car I outclassed outclassed outclassed out out- classed the British planes and superiority superiority superiority supe supe- in the air ur began hegan to swing toward the Germans Then the French quickly quick quick- quick quick-I ly introduced three types of machines that were all of a match and something something some some- thing better for the Fokker The British BritIsh British Brit Brit- ish adopted these machines and again were on an equal footing with perhaps a shade to spare These machines pushed up the speed limit to about miles an hour But they were monoplanes monoplanes monoplanes mono mono- planes difficult to handle and always alvas dangerous Now the biplane is in al almost almost almost al- al most universal use because of its su superior superior su- su perlor stability Again the Germans forged forward with a seated t machine doing I miles an hour The French came back backwith backwith with a plane carrying a horsepower I motor that could shatter distance at atthe atthe atthe the rate of miles an hour Meantime Meantime Mean Mean- time lime the British had lagged somewhat I and did not quickly adopt the new French cre creation tion So the Germans took I heavy toll among their fliers But the British swung around and got on an equal footing again Then the French produced a machine that could do miles and hour in a pinch That was J Jin in September of last year and almost I coincidentally the Germans brought out outa a machine of approximately the Ole same I speed There the contest stands at the j I present time Some exceptional ina-i ina machines machines ma- ma i chines crawl up to a speed of miles I Ian an hour I |