The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-01-07
THE FLIGHT Of AN
AERIAL WONDER
How the "FIyer' Breasted
the Gales.
(By the Associated Press.)

Dayton, o., Jan. 6.-The Wright Broth
ers, inventors of the flying machine
which has attracted such widespread at
tention have prepared the following which
they say is the first correct statement
of the two successful trials made by them
''On the morning of December II be
tween 10: 30 and noon, tour flights were
made, two by Orville Wright and two b!
Wilbur Wright. The starts were all made
from a point on the level and about 20(
feet west of our camp, which is situated
a quarter Of a mile north of Killdevi
sand hill, in Dare county, North Caro-
lima. The wind at the time of the flights
had a velocity of q miles an hour at II
o'clock and "a miles an hour at noon as
recorded by the anemoter of the Kitty
Hawk weather bureau station. This ane
moter is 80 feet from the ground Oul
own measurements made with u hand
thermometer at height of four feet from
the ground, showed a velocity of about q
miles when the first flight was made and
221s when the last flight was made. The
flight was made directly against the wind
Each time the machine started from the
level ground by it's own power with Nc
assistance from gravity or other sources
whatever. After a run Of about forty
feet along mono-rail track which held
the machine eight inches from the ground
it rose from the track and under the di
rection Of the operator climbed upward
on an inclined course until a height OF
eight or ten feet from the ground was
reached after which the course was kept
las near horizontal as the wind gusts and
the limited skill Of the operator would
permit.
Into the teeth of a December gale the
Flyer made its way forward with a speed
Of ten miles an nour over the ground and
of thirty to thirty-five miles an hour
through the air. 1t had previously been
decided that for reasons of personal safe
ty these first trials should be made as
close to the ground as possible. The
height chosen was scarcely sufficient for
maneuvering in so gusty wind and with
no previous acquaintance with the con
duct of the machine and its controlling
mechanisms. Consequently the first fight
was short. The succeeding flights rapidly
increased in length and at the fourth trial
a flight of SO seconds was made in which
TIE. machine flew a little more than hall
a mile through the air and a distance of
more than $50 feet over the ground The
landing was due to slight error Of judg-
ment On the part of the operator. After
passing over a little hummock Of sand in
attempting to bring the machine down to
the desired height the operator turned
the rudder too far and the machine turn
ed downward more quickly than had been
expected. The reverse movement of the
rudder was fraction of a second too late
TO prevent the machine from touching the
ground and thus ending the flight The
whole occurrence occupied little if any
more than one second of time
"Only those who are acquainted with
practical aeronautics can appreciate the
difficulties in attempting the first trials
Of flying machine i'll a % mile gale AS
winter was already set in. we should have
postponed our trials to a more favorable
season. but for the fact that we were de.
tcrmined before returning home to know
whether the machine possessed sufficient
power to fly, sufficient strength to with
stand the shock of landings and sufficient
capacity of control to make flight safe in
boisterous winds as well as in calm mir
When the points had been definitely PC
tablished we at once packed our goods
and returned home. knowing that tho aoe
Of the flying machine had come at last.
From the beginning we have emnlovodI
entirely new principles of control and ne
all the experiments have been conducted
at our own expense without assistance
from any individual or institution wa DO
not feel ready at present to give ont anv
pictures or detailed description Of tho
machine"