The penny press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1859-1860, 1859-10-20
How to Navigate the Air.

A correspondent, "vespertilo," writes to the
London Times as follows: &,
believe it can not be too absolutely stated
| that balloons are, and must be, incapable Of
being directed. They are, and must be en-
tirely at the mercy Of the air in which they
float. This is a necessary condition OF their
buoyancy. All the analogies by which in
ventors have been encouraged in the deluslye
hope of being able to guide balloons are false
analogies. The rudders of ships and the tails
of birds have been misquoted sadly. Ships do
not float suspended in ono element alone, as
| balloons float In the air. On the other hand,
birds are not buoyant, nor do they guide them
selves by their tails. A ship does not foat IN
tho water. but on it; and another element, on
which she does not float, ia that in which she
mainly meyes. A bird does not float at all,
either in the air or on it, in the proper sense of
that term, that Is to say, it is not lighter, as
balloon is, than the element in which it moves,
but immensely heavier. The condition Of
hsh under water is more nearly like the condi-
tion of balloon In the air; but there are also
essential differences. We may depend upon it
that If we are ever designed to navigate the
air it will be by strict adherence to the prin-
cple, and close imitation Of the means which
have been designed by the Creator for effecting
the samcspurpose in flying animals. ,l ai
The problem Of serial navigation will never
be solved until the principles of flight are
clearly understood, nor until we recognize
precisely what are the obstacles which pre-
vent as from acting upon them by artificial
means.i at is, Of course, possible that these
obstacles may prove to beinsuperable. ! en-.
tertain different impression; but, at all
events, they cannot be overcome until they
are exactly known. | believe them to be all
summed DIP in one great deficit ofour present
mechanical knowledge--a lightmotiye power.
/ haye very little hope that, until a
lighter motive power than steam is discov-
cred, erial navigation will be accomplished.
But even with steam some experiments
might be tried which would test the princi-
Piles of flight, and at least lead the way in o
right direction for the progress of discovery.
I assume that it would be easy to derive
from steam-engne the perpendicular ac-
ton of birds wing In truth the direct ac7
ton of piston would give this movement.
rather think this is tho simple principle Of
Nasmyth's steam-hammer. Would there be
any difficulty in making such o piston worka
pair of wings, constructed on some such model
as the wings of o bat? What is the maxi
mum velocity with which such piston
could be made to work given area of wing,
or conversely, what is the maximum area OF
wing which such an engine could be made to
work at given velocity?
When these questions have been answered
by calculation or experiment, the next step
would be to ascertain the lifting power of iuch
action. have no hope that any steam engine
can be made so light and SO powerful as to
work wings capable Of lifting its own weight
In default Of any other means of dealing witt
it, would suggest that 1t be balanced by thu
lifting power Of balloon. In this combina
ton, be it observed, the whole machine woult
not be buoyant. Even this modified use of {
balloon is open to great objections, because
the power exercised over it by the slightes
current of air would be very great, and tn
experiment could only be tried in Tranquil
atmosphere; but, in default of any machine
capable Of lifting the whole Of its own weight
there seems to bd no alternative but to taxi
off part of the weight by a balloon. My be
lief is, that such machine, when it aros
from the ground, would be found capable o
being directed, and that the direction of it
flight would be determined by that in whicl
its wings were set,