The present military Parseval dirigible is made in one of
these five standardised classes, experience having established
their efficiency for the specified military services for which
they are built. In point of speed they compare favourably with
the latest types of Zeppelin, the speeds of the larger types
ranging from 32 to 48 miles per hour with a motor effort of 360
to 400 horse-power.
So far as the French airships of war are concerned, the fleet is
somewhat heterogeneous, although the non-rigid type prevails.
The French aerial navy is represented by the Bayard-Clement,
Astra, Zodiac, and the Government-built machines. Although the
rigid type never has met with favour in France, there is yet a
solitary example of this system of construction--the Spiess,
which is 460 feet in length by 47 feet in diameter and has a
displacement of 20 tons. The semi-rigid craft are represented
by the Lebaudy type, the largest of which measures 293 feet in
length by 51 feet in diameter, and has a displacement of 10 tons.
One may feel disposed to wonder why the French should be
apparently backward in this form of aerial craft, but this may be
explained by the fact that the era of experiment had not been
concluded at the time war was declared, with the result that it
has been somewhat difficult to determine which type would meet
the military requirements of the country to the best advantage.
Pages:
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75