Both the lighter-than-air and
the heavier than-air craft possess distinctive features and
varying degrees of mobility. Taking the first-named, the
facility with which it can vary its altitude is a disconcerting
factor, and is perplexing to the most skilful gunner, inasmuch as
he is called upon to judge and change the range suddenly.
On the other hand, the artilleryman is favoured in certain
directions. The range of utility of the airship is severely
limited. If its avowed mission is reconnaissance and conclusive
information concerning the disposition of forces, artillery and
so forth is required, experience has proved that such work cannot
be carried out satisfactorily or with any degree of accuracy at a
height exceeding 5,000 feet, and a distance beyond six miles.
But even under these circumstances the climatic conditions must
be extremely favourable. If the elements are unpropitious the
airship must venture nearer to its objective. These data were
not difficult to collect, inasmuch as they were more or less
available from the results of military observations with captive
balloons, the conditions being somewhat similar.
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