July tie The Century of Progress Fair at Chicago has received a grace~ ful Fascist salute from the 2:3 flying-boats which, under the command of General Italo Balbo left Orbetelio on July 1 and, flying by way of Amsterdam Londonderry, Rejkjavik, Labra~ dor, New Brunswick and Montredl, reached Lake Michigan, at the point where Chicago towers to the sky, on Saturday: nooi—a journey of fifteen The essence of General operation lay in the completeness of the organisation for a journey from Europe to America. No speed record was attempted. The object was to transport the original flight of 24 seaplanes from Italy to America will: the preservation of formation and the maintenance of perfect control. One unfortunate sea-Plane, "the Udini, met. with mishap at Amsterdam so the Journey was completed with 23 Seaplanes. Difficult weather conditions were encountered and delayed the airmen in the cumstances. governing th direction. Their journey from Ireland "to Labrador will go down to history as the most magnificent triumph by a team of airmen over appallingly fierce hostility from an ice-ridden atmosphere, Low-lying clouds, dense fog, bitter cold, unfavour= able winds imposed' on every airman of the gallant company the highest tort of physical fitness and courage. The acoplane wings were shrouded in ice, The pilots had to keep at the low altitude of 300 feet until. towards the end of the 1506 stage, the fog banks were passed and ¢l udies skies again met.
airmen have before those and perils, but General Balbo's feat derives its "prestige from the efficient training and splendid morale which enabled 23 chines to beat, as it were, 2% records and remain at the ebd a team of routine service, The adventure must have been exceedingly costly, from the financial point of view. Organisation which can so smoothly cope with the grim uncertainties the North sAtlantic's weather and provide so lavishly for the human factor of error cannot be improvised at_a moment's notice. It may indeed be said that the intrepidity of the airmen and the skill of the pilots. were minor points. The outstanding merit of the performance is General Balbo's clear mastery of technique, groundwork "and staff control. There is more in the epic than that. The demands made on the personnel wer great. General Balbo's qual ties of leadership have been able to. draw on the inspiration fine: spirit of national di cipline and) when he gave Chicago that Fascist salute he was able in a single gesture to indicate the moral force of which his air journey. was the symbol. Whatever may be the criticism of certain aspects of the Fascist rejuvenation of Italy, it cannot be denied that that' movement has testated to a world, mud need of the lesson, the essential virtues, of self-sacrifice for the common good. Signor Mussolini has brought to young Italy the quickening spirit of discipline which in the space of a few years has accomplished "a verity miracle of nation-building.
jam has no monopoly that qualify' but under Signor Mussolini it, has received from Italy more impressive attention than from many other countries to-day. The Italian Air Force will be the first to recognise that has worthy rivals in. Burope and America, but they in their turn will generously acclaim an jovement which adds yet notable laurel to the new arm of service given to humanity in this present contury.
For it is chiefly in its power to speed: up communications that air-transport derives its appear to-the imagination.
The Ttalian [Armada which is now in Chicago is composed of machines design-Jed for warlike action. For. the present, so long as the nations Jeannot' agree on a _common measure of disarmament, this} use of the aeroplane to rain death from the air will: be-a factor in national defence, General Balbo's flight has added little to knowledge of the offend sive capacity of the aeroplane over long distances. 1f anyiting, it hax seemed to prove that Jong: distance bombing has distinct limitations in unfavourable lwenther conditions. It has shown that masses of aeroplanes can be moved in formation under perfect control, but this informa. ion has been readily fortheonsing from the manoeuvres of the American and French air] squadrons. to say nothing of tests by the Royal Air Force of JGreat Britain. General Balbo. has made a dramatic gesture in revelation of the marked advance lof the work's airmindedress.
When his seaplanes can leertainly fly from the Mediterranean to Lake Michigan it is plain that the mastery of the air is coming within the scope 0 the ordinary every-day undertaking. Here in China, without mich advertisement, the use of the flying-boat ami aeroplane has become already a commonplace. Extension of that means lof transport can. be limited only. by moral and material resources though it should be noted that! ill-considered attempts to force the pace may actually set back the clock, In all continents aires are linking up ccunies and cities. The Italian lots have given an extra flourish of enthusiasm which is jereatly appreciated by all. who see in air-transport one of the important assets to progress. in the future. On that account the congratulations now being relived by Italy on this wonderfal flight "will be echoed the world over. The same of Italo Balbo will surely replace in the schoolboy's mind the renown of that other Balbus who, accord ing to the records of the fourth form, was unflaggingly persistent in adventure and. usually successful in accomplishment. So may General Balbo. and" his team have a pleasant sojourn in the United States. of America and a smooth recrossing to their Jown side of the Atlantic in due course.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.