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VARIETY OF BATTLE PLANES American battle planes are now beginning to make their appearance on the western front and while no details are available at the present moment re ¬ garding the types in use it is of interest to note the changes undergone by widely known types of domestic machines Certain of our machines have taken on characteristics of German battle planes such as the tapered front propeller pot and fishlike fuselage while others have taken on the character ¬ istics of the French Spad and the British Sopwith fighter The American machines in several in ¬ stances are inclosing the Vshaped engines leaving only the exhaust pipes showing and these are grouped into one pipe on either side which leads back and ends in a perforated taper One widely known type of American airplane has been so ma ¬ terially changed of late that it is at first con ¬ founded with the French Spad the engine is entirely inclosed the wing arrangement is similar to the Spad and the strut arrangement is identical to the French machine Scientific American
