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Fig. 6. Nieuport Biplane Scout with Machine Gun Pivoted Above the Upper Wing. This Gun Fires Above the Propeller.

Night flying in squadrons always introduces the danger of collision, and to minimize this danger, by decreasing the number of machines, the size and carrying capacity of the bombers has been continually increased. Again, bombing requires the steady platform that only a large machine can give, and for accuracy the span and area must be greater than that of the reconnaissance type. In night flying a large machine is safer to handle owing to its lower landing speed and ability to come to rest quickly after landing, and this is of the greatest importance when landing outside of the aerodrome. For daylight work at comparatively short distances the smaller bomb carrier used at the beginning of the war is probably preferable as it has better maneuvering qualities, and as the bombs are divided among a greater number of machines they are not so likely to be defeated before accomplishing their object. Because of their great size, these bombing aeroplanes are nearly always of the "twin motor" type with two, or even three, independent power plants. The use of a twin power plant is an added insurance against forced landings in hostile country, or over unsuitable ground, and even with one dead engine the machine can be flown home at a fair speed.