Page:O que eu vi, o que nós veremos (1918).pdf/77

 the enemy, and the other, of sand, is discharged in the opposite direction; these two simultaneous discharges result in the absence of a counter-shock.

Imagine the power of this terrible shot from an airplane!

If the airplane, gentlemen, has proved so useful in war, how much more should it be in times of peace?

Less than ten years ago, my aircraft was considered a marvel. There was room for only one person in it; I used an engine of less than 20 HP. My record was 20 kilometers. I carried just enough gasoline for a 15-minute flight. At that time the airplane was considered a toy. Nobody believed that aviation would reach today's progress. In those days we flew only when the atmosphere was calm, usually at sunrise or sunset.

It was believed that an airplane could only fly when there was no wind. Today, there are devices that can carry 30 passengers, capable of flying in the air for hours, of covering about a thousand miles without touching the ground, powered by engines totaling more than