FLYING MACHINE'S SUCCESS

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13749, 11 September 1908, Page 5

FLYING MACHINE'S SUCCESS

— — ♦ A LONG DISTANCE FLIGHT. THIRTY-EIGHT MILES IN AN HOUR. By Electric Telegraph.— Copyright. (Received Sept. 11,- 8.10 a.m.) , PARIS, Sept. 10. . Orville Wrights aeroplane travelled through the air for sixty-two minut«j continuously. In this time it covered ,thirty eight miles. / - SOMETHING ABOUT WRIGHT'S h . MACHINE. .. ' ■ GLIDES LIKE A BIRD. Capta'lii H. J. Coningham, writing in an English paper, says: -r"This is no ordinary flying machine, and if the inventors? claims are er«ntu: ally justified — as I aui convinced they will be — writers ou military tactics will have to add to their works a fresh chapter, dealing with the strangle new factor that is destined to make its debut in the jiext groat .war. t . "The Wrights claim that their machine is capable of flying beyond the reaoh of any projectile; ascending in any weather, provided the wind does not exceed twenty-five miles an hour in velocity; and describing a circle of at least twenty miles. , They also guarantee > that 'the aeroplane will carry two men. "It would be unwise, until further details are forthcoming, to jump to the conclusion that because the Wrights have accomplished' long-distance nights, compared with which the exploits of Farman and Delagrange appear insignificant, therefore the American machine is infinitely superior. ' The maintenance of »tability, or equilibrium, is the crucial problem in aerqplaning, and the Wright brothers have admitted tliat much practice was required before they learnt the art of balancing their 'flyer.' The Wright machine, moreover,, does not^ appear to fly so automatically as Mr Farman's, but it is very satisfactory to note that the greatest drawback to' the former — namely, the prone position of the operator — hasj been overcome, for the luxury of a chair is ndw provided. This change from tho jaiifi ,ajid familiar position may paTtly|account for the regrettable accident Mcrh^ch Mr Wilbur Wright met with, recently, but the- inventprs will soon 'gei&accustonied to altered conditions! ' ( , '?There appears to be a general impression that a cessation of the motive power in an aeroplane necessitates its tailing headlong to tie ground, yet, although this is perfectly truo as regards some machines, the; Wrights are able to alight without shock. In other words, cutting off the motor ., supply causes the aeroplane to be converted into a temporary 'glider' or aerial toboggan. They prefer, however, to 1 retain some headway tt> the last because control remains easier,' and, consequently, the exact spot on which to alight can be selected before-hand. "Tho fundamental principle of the Wright aeroplane — as of all among those that -can really fly — is the enjoyment of superposed planes. It is also called the 'box-kite', or 'doubje.decker system.' This idea:^— which enables a heavier-than-air body to leave the ground — did not originate in America or on the "Continent, as many suppose, but was first . advocated by an Englishman (Mr F. H. Wenham) in a lecture read before the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain so far back as June, 18661 Incidentally it -may be remarked that he also first >used the word 'aeroplane.' The advantages of the box-kite arrangement are twofqld. In the first place it Holds the air, so to speak, better than an^ equivalent surface would if m one plane, and secondly, it renders the whole machine more compact. ' « • "Although the body of the Wright machine is not unlike Mr Farman's 'double-decker,' there is one limb «in which they differ, and that is the tail. The Wrights have been able to dispense with the awkward box-kite appendage that is such a conspicuous feature in tho Farman aeroplane, and have in its place a vertical rudder not unlike that used in ships. "I cannot help thinking that in this respect the Americans have, the advantage, as' Mr Farman's trailing tailpiece acts like a drag on tile speed, which is practically the life of an aeroplane -n in the air. This probably accounts i&r the Wrights being able to travel so fast, although we must be careful not to lose sight of the fact that the hind part of the Farman machine works as a counterpoise, and thus relieves the navigator of much anxiety in connection wiih balance. i • "This leads- up to a very important question in the consideration, of aeroplanes: Will they ever attain such a state of perfection that the art of navigation can be acquired as easily as the handling of a bicycle, a motor, and even a yacht? Or will their manipulation rank as an acrobatic performance, attended with danger -and only successfully achieved after infinite and laborious practice? It must b© admitted that when we recall the fact that thr brothers Wright have spent so many years in acquiring facile,handling of their machine, and that Mr. Farman has been equally painstaking in v shorter period, the • immediate future does not look too hopeful for the -amateur who craves for such a novel mode of transport. "But, on the other hand, while avoiding the too often unpractical forecasts of the aeronautical visionarj^-rsuch startling developments have taken place during n)y own exp'er^ence in aeronautics as to lead to a conviction that, befofre very long, aeroplanes will be at least as common a& submarines, and that they will continue to call for a^ike amount of careful, if risky, hand* ling." -