From: Michael Christol <mchristo@mindspring.com>
Date: Sun, 7 Sep 1997 15:38:34 -0400 (EDT)
Fwd Date: Sun, 07 Sep 1997 15:59:49 -0400
Subject: Re: Aircraft/UFO Encounters Prior to 1942


>Date: Sun, 07 Sep 1997 15:48:42 +0100
>From: Don Ledger <dledger@istar.ca>
>To: updates@globalserve.net
>Subject: Re: UFO UpDate: Re: Aircraft/UFO Encounters Prior to 1942


>> I checked and found an article about lights being sighted
>> outside of town at night.

>Hello Mike, Jan and List

>A thought here. I might be wrong about airships and dirigables but
>during the years after 1903 and well afterwards, lights on airplanes was
>a luxury in expense and weight that could not be afforded. I'm almost
>certain that electric lights on airships of the periods mentioned from
>1894 etc. up until the early 20s would have been forbidden due to the
>danger of spark induced explosions. Generators were spark prone and
>spark free switches were virtually unknown for battery operation. That
>left gas operated lights and I'm sure they would have been even more of
>a hazard on hydrogen filled airships.

>Aircraft on the other hand did not begin to employ lights until the mid
>twenties on commercial passenger carriers. Generators, voltage
>regulators and batteries on smaller aircraft were a weight penalty
>luxury not deemed necessary where engines were already overweight and
>underpowered and adding a generator would load those same engines down
>robbing badly needed horsepower.

There were also carbide and oil lamps in use at that time.


>Don Ledger

REgards, Mike