So prophecies, I think, should follow this lead, because it seems probable that actual development will. If so, increasing speed will be of paramount importance. Aviation has nothing much to sell unless it be this. Today the world’s record is more than 400 miles an hour, attained in a specially built racer. But already there are some commercial airlines in the United States which use airplanes capable of more than 200 miles an hour. Certainly it will not be long before this speed is a general thing—and higher and higher ones will be reached in sporting events.
A physician has recently completed tests which show that apparently the human body can travel up to 700 miles an hour and beyond with no ill effects. Such word is encouraging if I am right in believing the inhabitants of this planet want and will attain increasingly greater speeds as time goes on.
Already several gentlemen are trying to think out ways and means of accommodating. I can tell you of one who has reached the point of considering airplanes projectiles. Beyond certain speeds the wings of a plane tend to retard forward motion. He proposes to design retractable wings which can be operated by the pilot. If it is desired to go very fast, the wings would be pulled in. In landing, or taking off, or just cruising along, they would be spread for needed lift. Of course, this is in addition to pulling in the landing gear, as done on some types now.
