The prow of the car follows
the lines generally adopted in high speed torpedo boat design;
there is a sharp knife edge stem with an enclosed fo'c's'le, the
latter housing the gun.
Another craft, designed for scouting operations, may be likened
to the mosquito craft of the seas. This machine, while a biplane
like the military aeroplane, is of lighter construction,
everything being sacrificed to speed in this instance. It is
fitted with a 100 horse-power motor and is designed to carry an
observer if required. There is no offensive armament, however.
The fuel tank capacity, moreover, is limited, being only
sufficient for a two or three hours' flight. While this is
adequate for general reconnoitring, which for the most part
entails short high speed flights, there are occasions when the
Staff demands more prolonged observations conducted over a
greater radius. This requisition can be met by eliminating the
observer, whose duties in this instance must be assumed by the
pilot, and substituting in place of the former, a second fuel
tank of sufficient capacity for a flight of four or five hours,
thereby bringing the term of action in the air to about 6 1/4
hours.
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