Page:O que eu vi, o que nós veremos (1918).pdf/80

 Nowadays, an airplane engine needs to be relatively light and, at the same time, withstand a lot of continuous work.

Already steel has been improved and made stronger by special processes; no one knows how far we could go in improving it still further. If inventors like Edison, Tesla, Henry Wise Wood, Spery, and Curtis, etc., devoted their energy to this subject, I am convinced that in a short time we would have a perfectly satisfactory motor.

Another difficulty, which presents itself to air navigation, is the ability to locate the airplane. It is now impossible to use the sextant in the air.

I believe that an artificial horizon, produced by means of a mirror, held in a horizontal position by a gyroscope, will solve this problem. With the application of the gyroscope, scientists have achieved wonderful results. Not only can an airplane be kept in balance today by means of a gyroscope, but also a great steamer.

With its improved engine and precise means of guiding its course, the airplane is certainly predestined to figure as one of the most important factors in the development of com-