Aeroplane Galling

Western Star, 16 November 1909, Page 2

Aeroplane Galling

.M'. Santos-Dumont, ,w-Jio was the pioneer oi the itying men,. i# still \ among- the most popular of the plane experts. Mis little • machine,- the Urogon I‘ly,. is Said to ho ta model pi stability and oliioioncy, and on© on two picturesque incidents, have lately, brought it into special prominence. Starting out from St. Cyr one ovenrng recently, he made a crosscountry, flug-ht, and failed to return, lirsl telegraphed far and wide, and scoured tjie country-side in motor cars lodging rhi in in win, and when a heavy thunderstorm came on everyone pitied him. The mprnktg brought the that ho had spent the night happdl^^^

in a pretty chateau. “I was flying high,” he said. subsequently, “and intended to go farther, but some mis“ics in my motor gave mo warning l . 1 must have, joen some four or five htmdred feet above the ground, as I Bailed over tlie tops of very high trees a nd deep valleys, so that I felt s a fe, 'in ease 1 should have to land unexpectedly. This was the case, and on seeing a beautiful lawn dm front of a chateau I took advantage of the opportunity to com© down at once, only regretting that I intruded on other people’* grounds without being announced, Btitf ' 1 landed in the property of a charming host, and spent the night comp fortably.” A day or two later, when , he was practising he declared that he /felt quite safe with his eyes shut and I his hand® oh the steering wheel, bo stable was the Dragon Fly. Someon© dared him. to try. Ho 'borrowed a handkerchief and set ofl over the trees and after a brief excursion he returned. “He came along steadily,” says the narrator, “like one 0 f th© Lohengrin birds sailing through the e'ky, ank.l as ho passed over the hoadis of the spectators he held out a handkerchief in each hand, to show that he was not holding the Steering wheel, and then dropped them to the crowd. An enthusiastic cheer greeted this performance, an(d everybody rushed for the handkerchiefs. They were tom into the tiniest bits and eagerly snatched up to be kept as Santos Dumont

souvenirs,” Little incidents like this

may appear foolhardy, but they go far towards convincing the public tihia-tj the age of the aeroplane has arrived. &HHL u £7 iij“■ r\ %