The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-11-20
MAN ANGEL" IS \ NEW AERIAL CRAFT Was Built by a Los Angeles,
 Cal, Inventor IS SOMEWHAT LIKE A BIRD New Machine Is Provided With a Pair of Wings That Are oper- ated by the Arms of the
 Aeronaut.
IS SOMEWHAT LIKE A BIRD
BY MERWIN M. SMELL.


 cigar-shaped gas bags, and derive their motive power from gasoline engines. But one of the other aerial nayigators at the Worlds fair differs from them in all these respects, having a machine heavier
 than the air, with bird-shaped gas bag
 and no mechanical motor whatever.
 This is the flying machine, Man
 Angel" invented by Ava L. Reynolds,
 originally from Michigan, but now from
 Los Angelese, Cal. He nas heen an in-
 ventor and student of atmospheric phe-
 nomena and action all his life, but It
 was only within the past year-since the
 opening of the Louisiana Purchase Ex-
 position. infact-that he has taken up the
 question of aeronautics Since he went
 to work on his first experimental ma chine last May in Los Angeles. he has
 greatly altered his system a number of
 times, so that the present Is his sixth
 full-size working model the preceding
 ones having been destroyed unsatis
 factory.
 Not an Aeronaut.
 Mir. Reynolds insists that, unlike all his
 competitors, he is mot an aeronaut, but
 merely an inventor" but that he has
 determined ito stick to the aerial navi-
 gation problem until he has effected its
 complete and final solution. He Is
 firmly convinced that the only true
 method of navigating the air is one that
 involves the study and application of the
 principles involved in the flights of birds.
 He has made some private experimental
 trips at his home city, and expects to
 satisfy the public of the superior value
 of his apparatus.
 All the peculiarities of his vessel are
 derived from the fowls of the air. It
 has a gas bag large enough to reduce
 the weight to a minimum, but not to al-
 together counteract or overcome 1t; and
 therefore the apparatus must be kept in the air by it's own motion. MT. Reynols lays great stress on the design of the gas bag That of his machine. instead
 of being oblong, like the Baldwin or an ellpsoid, like the Benbow, is of the
 shape of a Krag-Jorgensen rifle bullet, consisting of two cones with coincident bases, the rear one twice as long (from vertex ito basel as that In front, so that
 a vertical section taken longitudinally through the center would resemble an ld-fashioned kite flying on edge. The object of this form Is to increase the dirigibility by throwing the center of gravity into the front portion, and at | the same time to increase the speed by | reducing to a minimum the loss of en- | ergy arising from the friction of the surface of the bag with the air. A gas bag of this shape, which Is approximate | ly that of a bird. while In position for l flight, shoulders it's way, as 1t were, l through the atmosphere. and when the l air Is once broken by the forward DOT tlon, where the diameter Is the greatest, | there is no further friction. The taper | ing of the balloon towards the rear does away completely with rear suction, as well as with friction, behind the point of mean diameter.
 Lessons From Birds. The rest of the craft is constructed
 with equal regard to the lessons of pro-
 lessor bird. Just as every living crea- ture that flies does so with its flat sur face towards the earth and directly in the plane of the flight and parallel with 1t, so the occupant of the Reynolds ve- hicle must lie face downward. with his feet to the rear. By means of his upper
 limbs he operates the two wings, which are extended on either side in a hori-
 zontal plane like the pinions of bird. They are under perfect and separate con- trol, so that the machine can be turned to the right or the left by their means, without the aid of a rudder, the princi- pie, in this particular. being the same as that employed in the Francois airship. The objection made to the use of a rudder is that it is of no value except when the vessel is being propelled at a
 high rate of speed; so that when it is progressing slowly it is helpless, as it's direction cannot be controlled. Those however, who have witnessed the won' derful exploits of Baldwin's sky racing gig" are inclined to reply that this may be all so In theory, but the facts are against 1t; for the "California Arrow appeared to yield readily to its helm, even on its first trip after the pro polling apparatus became altogether in- | capacitated Of course, in the lack of | either motor or breeze the objection would hold good.
 Strokes Like Flying. The vertical direction is determined by | the rapidity of the wing-stroke; a quick stroke sends the vehicle up and a relax aton of effort causes 1t to gradually de- | s,And.
 In the flying machine the operator is | able to descend with the same amount of | gas that he went up with. It is not nec- | essary for him either to throw out bal | last to assist ti.n.,i T in de icerd.;'g CT | to let out gas in order to return to earth | His position in the air depends alto | gether as in the case of all animals | possessing the power of flight upon the | manner in which he manipulates his | wings and he can therefore aight with | perfect ease at whatever point he selects | The inventor claims to have entirely | eliminated the element of danger. He | does not pretend that man-power is the | only proper means of propulsion. What | ever can be done by the human muscles | can be done by machinery; the first thing | necessary is to navigate the air safely | and successfully a.-d the question of mo | tive power can be considered later. l The gas bag of the Reynolds machine is | about thirty feet long and has maxi | mum diameter of twelve feet and a ca pacity of 5000 feet. The wings are of
 Lansdale cambric, stretched on a spruce | frame braced with piano-wire. The weight of the whole apparatus, including | the uninfated gas bag, but exclusive oi | the operator is not over a hundred 1 pounds.
 l The experience which the visitors to the | exposition are now having would lead tc | the conclusion that the air Is navigablt | in all sorts of ways and on a great varie | ty of principles so that the problem oi | the future will be to choose from the
 many good systems that which is, al | things considered. the best and cheap | est and most adaptable to practical needs l