"HEAVIER THAN AIR."

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 172, 14 April 1908, Page 7

"HEAVIER THAN AIR."

.. AEROPLANE FidES OVER SIX MILES. . BY TELEGRAPH—-PRESS . ASSOC!ATI 3N—COPYRIGHT. , Paris, April 12. ■ Mv Delagrange, an aeroplanist,. coVcred 6} »miles .in-9min: Bsec., .the last 41 miles.-.with*, out touching the ground. < ■ MR. FARMAN'S PREDICTION. , ■' - The race between. aoroplani9ts . for "longest | (light" Rrows .keener and . keener.:, Mr. Henri i I'armani the other day travelled. a milo and ''?af-4alf.' ? %t^a^heightrof:'2oft.;'andl>-afte^;.iiiak- - iirig: three I,circuits! -descended-gently. .11/Leon . Dflagrange,;. ;who: has now covered .41 miles . without/descending, is/ill. the' front rank -of ■ , v ;aCToplahists. : ' -;The aeroplane is; a-type of- the, "heavier-thon-air" , ; system,.: :whicli .-. implies abandonment of the gas-filled bag,'and reliance - :'.uijon':> piirely.medhah'ical ? means-to' - attain flight . 1 Mr. Farman, than whom no one is better able to . prophesy, writes'"l am- perfectly sure - £ thafci>:r.wrthin ( twelve..months, .you,; will.f have , ; ; ,;,aeroplane's,,yhieh ..will ibe; able.-,to; fly from 1 fifty. •. to a. hundred miles quite easily, and at nn • v insignificant; cost as compared to ..the- cost of - ■ /running a . motor'. ear over the same. distance.. "If, i instead of . the drill ground at Issy,.l ; was;' able ■ to' fly. 'ovei-' the' plains' of,' thejßeauce, ; 'I .'thihlc.: oven iwith ;my ~ own ' primitive ' i . ;machine,> I could. fly over twenty or thirty ; niilos;jwithout'riiiy'. difficulty.;""j; :v< "It is necessary, however, : not to be ham-r * pered; ; by houses or- other .obstacles, > for, if • one'.'of tlie ; wings or any other portion of .the :• : apparatus ,'wero. to come' into collision, however. 9lightly, with tho roofiof;a house or tho . branch •of a. tree, the. aeroplane would in all ■ I probability , immediately' overturn. .'. \ minor,: but -none- the less a' real danger, , ; consists of - the propeller blades. : These 1 blades' \ i turn.Vat the: tremendous rate-''of 1400 revolutions*. a minute. . Tho othor day one . of -myblades, six feet in. length, of aluminium,, sua-' denlv snapped. while moving at full - speed. ' 1 ■ "rfappily it happened to snatf off in a down-vward-direction, .so no harm was dono, the blade- burying; itself three feet deep .in tho ' ''. ground, thits'; showingthe tremendousforce of its projection. . . Supposing, however,- the-blade"had broken : : : ;off: in an-upward direction?. What would have happened?' One' of mywings,would have been ■ - smashed-to;-:pieces,;, and I -should'.have-come heavily to the grourid... ' "If the blade broko off horizontally instead v of • vertically, it. would; travel like a cannon shot for a short; distance, and inevitably; kill • v,any-living being trajectpry.;'. . Every morning l -1 have my . propeller , blades eaiefully polished;' for the'blades Rafter use aro pitted like a person with ; the small-pox. The . aust 'and -tile: grains of sand and earth which' • tho trhizzing of the. propeller raises up actu•l become, embedded •.in the metal like so ; many, small shot in wood.' '' ' *' '.."In.' conclusion, . allow;,mo to say .that, though-Is', think aeroplanes are still in their infancy/; and must'for some time,to. come : re-,, . '-main 'purely' a.- sporting occupation, yet Fcan . foresee .the -'day-when, aeroplane omnibuses will travel'from, Paris to.Lonaon-in five, hours. . ;I myself' cherish the hope of travelling, in an -"'aeroplane from Paris to Mlouen, within' 'the next two;-years, in.. GO;,minutes." ■ ■.-'M.: Belagrango ..last''.-year'.;flew' 85yds. ■ A subsequent:flight ;seemed likely- to be 'success- , . • ful.vbut- wasspoiled by .encroachment of the ' , crowd. The* motor had to be stopped to avoid \ ■ collision with ;{somp J spectators,- and tho machine'; came down, :; 'ana -was; damaged.'