The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-02
FLYING MACHINE IN no YEARS.


Try at the Gsme tnmsetf.
LONDON, Jan. ie.-Sir Hiram Maxim
contributes the following article to q daily
paper:
whether Santos-D umont succeeds in
making O practical dirisible balloon which
can be successfully nAvigated or not. he
| certainly has done much 20 start the ball
rolling, and to again call attention TO the
subject Of aerial navigation. The would-bo
navigators Of the air are. and always have
been, divided into two distinct groups
those who seek to navigate the air by ma
chimes lighter than the air, balloons; and
those who believe In machines heavier
than the air; that 10. true flying machines.
"A balloon Of the ordinary type. which
merely rises In the air and travels with the
wind. Is an exceedingly simple apparatus,
but an elongated balloon, provided with
motive power, although II cannot be con-
sidered as q complicated machine, il never
theless q very delicate n fragile APP
paratus: but as the apparatus is lighter
than the air In which II ioats. II does not
have to be provided with any outside lift
ing apparatus. which u q necessary part OF
q true flying machine.
when a balloon 10 once In the air, the
aSronaut has plenty OF time TO experiment
with his motors n screws. He can stop
or start. 60 fast or slow. and steer 70 the
right or left at will. without any danger OF
q sudden drop to the earth; but with 4 true
flying machine the lifting effect must be
produced by wings. blades, or aeroplanes,
which run over the air at q very high speed,
and raise themselves and the machine by
pressing the air downwards after the man
high speed Of the planes or blades Is a sine
qua non otherwise ne lifting effect Is pro-
duced. and as the apparatus 10 very much
heavier than the air Its natural tendency
Is always toward the earth, and any hitch
or stoppage In the machinery must result
In a fall moro or less rapid In proportion TO
the size Of the blades or aeroplanes. More
over, q true flying machine has to be stored
in a vertical as well as In a horizontal d.
rection. 49,.
Guilty in producing q true flying machine
IA Infinitely greater than that encountered
in producing a dirigible balloon. Still. !
am OF the opinion that the dirigible balloon
Of the santoe-Dumon type will lead TO the
development Of a true fyiog machine In
which the gas bag will he eliminated.
Experiments nave shown that there area
great number Of days In the year OIL which
the wind " blowing upward Of twenty
miles an hour at only a short distance above
the surface OF the earth, and unless an APP
paratus Is made which will travel at a We
locity considerably greater than this, 1t
would. oil course. be impossible to make
any Roadway against such a wind.
admitting that q machine would have to
travel through the air Mt a rate Of thirty
miles an hour In order not to be at the mercy
Of the wind. we should find that at such a
speed 900 pounds Of ~aeroplsne would lift
quite as much as 1000 pounds OF material
in n balloon. and, moreover, the aero
planes would require vastly less power
TO drive them through the air than the
balloon, even admitting that a balloon
49, 90 CaAHA N
wind velocity Of thirty miles an hour, which
is extremely doubtful.
"In nearly all the early experiments with
elongated navigable dirigible balloons. cleo
tricity has been employed a. the motive
power, n on account OF It's great weight
the power at the disposal OF the seronaut
has been extremely small. With the adj
vent. however, Of the very light petroleum
and Rasolene motors for motor carriages
which have now reached a very high degree
OF development, IL ~ possible 10 obtain
light motors developing a great deal of
power-that Is. we are now able TO pro-
duce motors which Will give on the power
Of a horse while having only the weight OF
a large barnyard fowl.
"A goose. which IL much heavier than q
fowl, manages TO fly very well with an
expenditure OF about one-tenth part Of
a horsepower.
tn 10 a few years z steel was the
strongest material for it's weight which
could be obtained, but resent experiments
with aluminium ls We shown that this light
metal can he inadequate as strong As wrought
iron by the addition OF a smal percentage
OF another light metal magnesium; that
the compound IL lighter Than pure alumni
mum, and that IL has the tensile strength
and stiffness Of wrought iron. Thus the
engineer is put In Possession OF a very
light and powerful motor. and a light and
strong material quite u~nobtainable only n
few years ago
with these improvements II now be-
comes a relatively easy matter 20 construct
a true flying machine. aud ! feel sure that
such machines will make their appearance
and become q part Of the military armament
Of the nation inside 81 the next ten years
Experiments with Aging machines are
enormously expensive; In fact, the eN-
pense IL too great 90 he borne by a single
Individual 81 moderate means
4 think We ran truly say with Lord Ray
leigh that hying machines are only a ques-
ton 81 lot 81 time aud y lot of money,
and a. The present moment ] am saving
up my pennies IN order 10 enable ts 10
have another bite ~ the same old cherry