Other notable events in aviation in America were the New York-Toronto air race and the trans-continental race from New York to San Francisco and return. In the first-named contest, the winner was Lieut. B. W. Maynard as re gards actual net flying time. He aver aged more than two miles a minute for the total distance of 1,042 miles. The same aviator won the trans-con via India, which had been begun on Nov. 12. The altitude record was made by Major R. Schroeder of America, who rose to a height of 33,113 feet on Feb. 27, 1920.
Aerial mail service has been established in the United States between important cities, and regular cargo and passenger service is maintained by air from London to Paris, Rome to Milan, and from Berlin to various cities of Germany.
Aviation in the World War.—The conflict that convulsed the world for over four years differed from any that preceded it, in the use of aviation as an offensive and defensive arm of military service. The airplane had been demon strated as really practicable for navi gation of the air only since 1908„ when the Wright brothers had given their tests in Paris. For some time after that, it was thought of chiefly in con nection with sports, and realization of its great importance in war was slow in coming. Even when the military authorities of the various nations took the matter up, they thought of it taking advantage of darkness for with drawals and renewals of troops. Two notable failures of aerial observers occurred when the Germans were able to concentrate vast masses of men on a Verdun sector in 1916 with the French generals all at sea as to the direction from which the attack was coming, and again when Hindenburg was able to withdraw his men from the Arras salient in March, 1917, without the Allied aviators having learned of the movement. The reasons for these chiefly as an aid in reconnoissance. It could go where human spies or scouts could not. No trenches or entangle ments could hinder it from seeking out the location and movements of the enemy. But its enormous value for other work was apprehended dimly if at all. This was shown by the com paratively small number of planes possessed by the belligerents when the war started. Germany, the best equipped of all the warring nations in this re spect, had not quite 1,000; England had only 250, and France had barely 200.
As a scout, the airplane may be said to have met expectations. The move
ments and concentrations of the enemy were detected with a fair amount of success. It was not wholly and always reliable, however, especially as the war progressed, and both sides grew expert in camouflaging their movements and occasional failures can be readily un derstood. The aviator has to fly so high to avoid attack from anti-aircraft guns, or so fast to escape the attack of enemy airmen, that his opportunities of obser• vation are lessened. A height of less than 10,000 feet was considered unsafe, as anti-aircraft guns developed in range and accuracy during the progress of the war. Under such conditions, to which must often be added unfavorable weather, accurate observation was often impossible. Still, with all these han dicaps the aerial service justified itself as a valuable observation arm of the service.
At sea also its value was demonstrated. The seaplane soaring in the air could detect the wake of a submarine more readily than it could be seen from the deck of a vessel. The "mother ship," fin which the seaplane could descend, from which it could rise, and where it could receive repairs and supplies, enabled them to operate a long distance off the coast and made them the "eyes of the fleet." They could give warning of the approach of a hostile squadron miles. He had time to study a suspicious thicket or clump of trees, and see whether it really marked a concealed gun position. He could keep constantly in touch with his batteries by telephone.
To be sure, his work was extremely long before it hove in view. They could announce to France and England, as they frequently did, the coming of raid ing Zeppelins and airplanes.
For photographic work, the airplane proved invaluable. The camera was truthful and never in a hurry. What the airman's eyes frequently could not see was recorded by the camera, to be carefully deciphered at headquarters later on. In this way, trenches and fortifications could be clearly traced, and operations could be intelligently based upon these records.
At first the airplane was chiefly relied on by both sides for an aid to the artillery in directing its fire. But gradually it fell into disuse for this purpose. The height at which it had to fly made its directions often in accurate and then too the increasedly skillful use of camouflage in concealing the gun locations of the enemy thwarted the observer's efforts.