Evening star., 1903-10-07
LANGLEY ON FLIGHT.
Inventor Of Buzzard Has Been Expert
menting for Years.

Special From y Staff Correspondent.
Underwater. Va. October 7-Prof.
Langley declares that the subject of aerial
flight interested him as long ago as he can
remember anything.
In 1856 his attention was more than ever
attracted to the study by communication
from Mr. Lancaster which was read at the
Buffalo meeting of the American Associa-
ton for the Advancement OF Science.
This paper contained certain observations
on the soaring bird. which resulted in d.
recting Prof. Langleys investigation to
possible analogy between the flight Of a
buzzard or such birds and the navigation
of the air by flying machines.
At that time he was engaged In the study
of astrophysics at the observatory at Ale
gheny, Pa. Looking into the subject OF me-
chanical flight he was somewhat disheart-
ened to find that it then possessed scarcely
any literature at all True. there were then
some publications IN this field of science by
certain French and English aeronauttcal
societies. but at that time very little could
be relied upon.
His Initial Effort.
In his own words. Prof. Langley speaks of
his initial effort in the field of aeronauticS
as follows:
Il went to work then to find out for my
self. and in my own way, what amount OF
mechanical power was requisite to sustain
given weight in the air and make it ad-
vance at a given speed for this seemed to
be an inquiry which must necessarily pre-
cede any attempt at mechanical flight,
which was the very remote aim of my CT
forts.
Really his first practical step was the
construction at Allegheny. Pa. in 1887, of a
large turn-table operated by steam en-
gine. This was used for three years in max
ing tests. At the conclusion of that time
the inventor had the following to say in re-
gard to his work:
II have now been engaged since the be-
ginning of the year 1887 in experiments on
an extended scale for determining the pos
sibilities of. and the conditions for, trans
porting In the air a body whose specific
gravity is greater than that of the air, and
I desire to repeat my conviction that the
obstacles in its way are not such as have
been thoughtful that they lie more in such
apparently secondary difficulties as those Of
guiding the body so that it may move in the
direction desired and ascend or descend
with safety than in what may appear to be
primary difficulties, due to the air itself"
Mechanical Flight Possible.
The most important inference from the
experiments on the whole, however, was
that mechanical flight was possible with
engines which could then be built. For In
stance. a one-horse power, rightly applied.
it was found. could sustain over 200 pounds
n the air at horizontal velocity Of some
THAT over sixty feet per second. Having
.-one this much. which Prof. Langley re-
ss1rded the first stage OF the investiga-
tion. he turned his attention to the second
stage that of the acquisition of the art.
This began with experiments with a stuffed
condor. an albatross and a frigate bird.
which he attempted to move at Allegheny
upon the whirling table
The tests were useful only in teaching
| the lesson that stuffed bird could not be
made to soar except at speeds which were
undoubtedly very much greater than that
which served to- sustain the living ones.
He then proceeded to experimenting with
models. some of which had wings something
| like Il bird: some were curved and some
| straight: in some the propellers were side
by side. and In others one was In front