The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-07-26
TESTS WITH AIRSHIP
NOW CLOSE At HAND
First Trial by Langley S
Men Probably This Week.
WING OF BIRD" NOT TO FLAP
Will Be Stationary and Serve to Bal
ance Body of Ship-0bservations
Made at Former Experiments.

WIDE WATER. July 25.-The coming
week viii proba bly, see the first test of
Prof. Langley's bird at Wido Water,
II not Of the large man-carrying aero
dromc, at least Of a model. The same
industry was shown by the wOrkmen on
board the ark today. who are now put
ting the finishing touches on the ma
chine.
Careful tests are being made of the en-
CINE and the propellers which are to
drive the bird in its flight. Through
the open windows OF the ark IL was pos
sible yesterday to see the large two
bladed propeller in rapid motion.
The speed of the airship will depend
entirely upon these propellers. The
wings of the bird" are stationary. and
when the machine is driven at a high
rate of speed through the air, act as the
wings o. an eagle and keep ii ahOat.
Prof. Langley has discarded the idea OF
building an airship with wings that flap.
The successful construction and manipu-
lation of such wings he has come 10
regard as impossible
EIOl. Langley Argument
He has said. with great justice 1t
seems. that just as man has not followed
nature in the construction of vehicles
that travel on land and water, neither
is 1t necessary for him to do so In the
construction of flying machine. Had
we attempted TO construct machine
with four legs. like a horse or an OK,
-
tanned? Yet men travel swiftly over
Hand in steam cars and automobiles. The
sailboat or the twin screw steamer do
not resemble the fish In it's methods of
travelling through the water.
Prof. Langley, therefore. conceived the
idea of swiftly moving planes which
should be supported by the air as the
swiftly moving skater is supported by
thin ice. He proved in his preliminary
experiments that the faster plane of
metal or wood moved through the air,
the more easily It was supported.
The next great difficulty was to get a
machine that was light and at the same
time powerful enough TO drive the air
ship at sufficient speed for the wings to
support the whole. Steam engines, en-
gines run by compressed air and by
gases were tried. Prof. Langley has now
pitched upon the gasoiene engine as the
lightest and most powerful.
Problem Of Balance.
But the difficulties in his path did not
cease with building the wings able %
support the machine. and a suitable en-
min Hrfr hu
he learn to balance the machine in air
so that it would neither dive nor soar
straight upward Anyone who has
watched great birds sailing through the
air with outstretched wings, has seen
them sway from side 20 side and urn
ing upon first one wing and then the
other. They were exercising this bal
ance power. They sail so close to the
wind that a slight change would bring
the wind against the top OF their wings
and tumble them downward
The same misfortune would attend the
airship II Il were not well balanced
This difficulty has been overcome by a
sensitive rudder In the rear Of the air
ship; a rudder that is made of two
| planes intersecting each other perpen-
dicularly. Such a ruddeT viii steer the
machine and keep IT steady in both hort
Zontal and vertical flight This balanc-
ing of the machine IL air so as TO main
tain a steady flight has been perhaps the
greatest problem with which Prof. Lang
/ ley has had to contend.
Must Be Launched Horizontally.
He has found that to insure a sue
cessful fight. the bird" must De
! launched horizontally into the air. and.
/ guided by the rudder. must maintain
/ this horizontal flight The difficulty OF
launching the airship has been great
/ Il has been found impossible to launch
J the machine unless II was firmly faster
cd to the launching car. If II was no,
fastened it Immediately turned turtle
/ The large car which has been put IN
running order on top OF the ark "Buz-
/ Yard" IS built like an inverted book
shelf. and the airship Will be fastened
TO the partitions Of the car.
Another difficulty has been 70 make
the wings sufficiently strong so that they
will not give one iota wnen hurled into
the air and thus lose their horizontal
( position aud cause the machine to dive
1 Immediately or scar.
Prof. Langley. 1t viii be remembered
in 1896 so tar succeeded with his expert
mopts that he few an aerodrome four
teen feet long and twelve feet from winG
TO wing a distance Of three-quaTters oil
q mile he not only did this once, but
several times. and the only reason thai
the machine settled down or the water
as II dId was because the fuel which raT
tho engine gave out. In these tests The
machine few at the rate Of twenty @
4 thirty miles an hour. Today his as
Il sistants have great faith in the bird
which has been conceived by Prof. Lang
Iey's brain and has grown Up under theii
hands.