The Paris Salon Show of Flying Machines.

Progress, Volume IV, Issue 7, 1 May 1909, Page 235

The Paris Salon Show of Flying Machines.

Excitement, Astonishment, and Optimism. We publish to-day diagrams of many aeroplanes and the pictures of several. These serve to illustrate the exhibits at the "Grand Palais" where was held the first show of actual machines. There was a set of models as well but they were described as fanciful and it was said of the inventors that they were extremely seedy persons who looked as if they were praying for the appearance of some philanthropist to find them the funds for the further prosecution of their ideas. Of the rest the big dirigibles were very striking, but the public interest was practically monopolised by the aeroplanes. Vast crowds of people were always in attendance around the stands, and determined efforts were made to induce the authorities to keep open after the announced date of closing, which the authorities refused. Among the visitors there were many school parties and one set of travellers was practically remarkable who spoke to one another in Esperanto, and were addressed by an aeronaut about the various machines in the international language. One of the directors of the Exhibition also addressed them in the same speech. The place of honour was accorded to the machine of M. Ader, the pioneer who flew 300 yards in 1907. He failed to convince the army officers at Satory of the safety or practicableness of his design, because his machine flew off the course and came down in a hurry. But she flew for the distance named and the ground which was wet and gave no evidence of the wheel marks was a good witness of the fact, better than those who were present and saw. Evidently the machine flew low. That happened at any rate to M. Alder's spirits for the officers declined to recommend and the Government of the day refused further advances. But he was the first flier and the fliers of to-day honour the veteran accordingly. His machine in the place of honour is described as a "wonderful bird-like structure stretching uncanny wings in silent benediction over all who enter. ' ' The aeroplanes were many and of the well-known makes. The number of the familiar names in all mouths is already astonishing. The Wrights were there with a full sized model, and the Farman and Delagrange with the machines in which they have flown. Breguet with his helicopter, made a special sensation. There were monoplanes of E-.E.P. (Esnault Pelterie), Bleriot, in several examples, Antoinette, Santos Dumont with "La Demoiselle", Vendome, Pishrat, and Clement-Bayard.

There was the double monoplane of Kapferer, and the biplanes comprised the Wright, the Farman, the Delagrange, the Bleriot No 10 and the Lejune. These will all be found in our illustrations or diagrams. They vary in some points and are alike in others In the screws there is a difference, some mounting them in front as tractors, others in the rear as propellers and there are good names of authority on either side; Maxim for the propeller on the ground of taking advantage of the air set in motion by the

machine as a means of neutralising some of the normal slip ; Pelterie for the tractor as creating a higher effective velocity under the wings of the machine. On all the machines the framework is of wood. Of the surface materials it appears that the fabric made of Egyptian cotton treated with rubber is popular as readily obtainable in any weight and impervious to wet. Some owners prefer vellum-like paper. One has varnished silk, find the Antoinette lias varnished linen, hand polished with a glossy smoothness

very remarkable. For the control system most depend on rubbers and elevators and they differ one from another as do the screw partisans as to the front and the rear positions. The monoplanes all have in addition a system of warping or flexing the wings, occasionally relying on this method exclusively both for steering and for rising and falling. The application of the control differs also, some preferring the hand, others the foot, and some combining the two. It seems strange to be writing in cold

blood of these varieties of flier, all successful. Such was also the feeling of the people who attended even though prepared against surprise by the frequent exhibition of aeroplanes and dirigibles in flight at the various grounds near Paris. In this connection one of the most distinguished aviators present, M. Esnault Pelterie, one who has invented more forms of motor than any other, is reported to have ■said: "Everywhere to-day I hear the same expressions of surprise and wonder at what is on view," adding with suggestive caution

"followed by optimistic conclusions of further wonders to come immediately, ' ' and concluding with the salutary warning "I am afraid they are going to go too fast: they forget our past laborious work." A fact was made widely public for the first time during this exhibition. It is that neither Farman nor Delagrange who made the sensational flights before the public flight of "Wilbur Wright at Lemans demonstrated his superiority, were the inventors of their machines. The inventors were the makers, the Voisin Brothers, who have never been in the air in their lives. They made the machines and sold them with a guarantee of their flying capacity, which the buyers verified. The serious ring of these events is for the Britisher not an agreeable contrast to the only important transaction recorded on the British side. It is announced that the well-known entertainers, Messrs J. and N. Tait, have secured the Australasian rights in Wilbur Wrights aeroplane, or one of them — the one now being used by the Wrights at Pau. While the rest of the

world is attending to the business of aviation with grim earnestness, the only practical announcement from the British side comes from the region of comic opera. Which reminds us that the kinematograph shows now in the Dominion give very realistic presentments of the flights of the various aeroplanes. Of course to see the real thing is very much better. But when the real thing is thousands of miles off, the next best thing is a good counterfeit presentment, and this one is good enough to give a most realistic notion of flight as accomplished by the skill and cleverness of man. When the Taits come here we shall see the real thing. In the meantime, let us look often into the kinematograph shows.