GLIDING EXPERIMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 107, 7 May 1923, Page 8

GLIDING EXPERIMENTS

(Received 7th May, 3 p.m.)

LONDON, 6th May. M. Barbot glided back from the point he reached in England to Saint Inglevert in forty-four minutes. He commenced by rising to 5000 feet, and when he found. the wind he switched off his: engine and sailed through the air. When ho lost the wind he switched on his motor and sought an upward or horizontal breeze. At times he got along with only four horse-power, which is about that of the average motorbicycle, i

LONDON, 7th May. M. Barbot's double passage of the Channel was not strictly gliding or really an effort to win the " Matin's " 2500 francs prize, but was £or the purpose of demonstrating the possibilities of cheap • flying. The monoplane was light enough to be picked up by the tail and pushed along single: handed, and was equipped with a 15' h.p. engine. It is understood that M. Barbot used only four litres of petrol on the journey, chiefly for climbing and seeking favourable wind currents. The monoplane is really an air yacht. The aviator sat in the hull, with fixed, birdlike wings on each side. At the rear of the hull were the controlling planes for steering to and fro, arid from side to side. . . '