Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1906-12-05
BAR HARBOR FLYER.
Machine With Which A. v. Wilson
Expects tn NAVIGATE tho Air

Expects to Navigate the Air.
A. V. Wilson, of Bar Harbor, is hard at
work on his flying mao hine, viii b he
hopes will solve the vexed problem which
has been puzzling men from time imme-
mortal. He is building a working model
OF his machine for exhibition at the
Crystal Palace from Dec. 1 to Dec. s. He
has just returned from Pittsfield, Mass.
where he attended the auto and balloon
race, and also from Washington, where
he has been in communication with the
ordinance and fertilization department
concerning aerial torpedoes. He also
attended in New York the meeting of the
Aerial club Of America.
Mr.. Wilson believes he has solved the
problem OF aerial navigation. Not only
this, but he has succeeded in convincing
number of hsrdheaded business men Of
Bar Harbor, who have formed a company
to assist him in his investigations, and to
patent and put his machine on the market
After working for four years on model
embodying his ideas, Mr.. Wilson is en-
gagged at present on a fall-size model of
his machine which he is certain will work
satisfactorily, thing which has been the
trouble of so many other inventors.
Mr.. Wilson has always been interested
IN the subject OF aerial navigation, and
for years and years he has devoted him
self to the problem of how it would be
possible for machine to initiate success
fully the flight of bird. He noted all
the peculiarites of the manner in which
birds use their wings, and finally sue
ceeded in constructing a small model
which worked in the same manner as a
pilot balloon. This model had spring
for its motive power, and made fight of
1172 feet, with rise of twenty-seven feet.
Encouraged by this experiment, Mr.
Wilson proceeded with his work, and
built model sixteen feet wide and five
and one half feet long, which convinced
him Of the feasibility OF his ideas. 1t was
then that he decided to build a machine
that would have enough strength and
power to carry man. He hopes to COM
plete his machine by the middle of the
winter, and is assured of its perfect di-
rigibility as well as its reaching any
height desired by the aeronaut.
| The complete machine will be a trifie
over thirty feet wide and some six
teen feet long, with tail or rudder eight
feet long by fourteen feet wide in its
widest part. This will be shaped some
thing like the tail Of a bird, and indeed
the whole machine will resemble bird
somewhat, the resemblance to which is
one Of the principle features which Mr..
Wilson has endeavored to make use Of;
The machine will have two wings with
eight blades or feathers in each wing.
The length Of each blade will be sixteen
feet, with width Of little over foot.
The motive power of the machine is to
be an air-cooled, four-cylinder, gasoline
engine capable of generating about
twenty-four horsepower. The motor will
weigh about seventy-two pounds, and the
machine itself will weigh about 75o
pounds, which includes the weight of the
| aeronaut. The materials of construction
are cast steel tubing and aluminium.
Mr.. Wilson is thoroughly in earnest as
to the success of his machine. and il a
hard worker. Bar Harbor people who
know him and his labors in the new field
of navigation, have the earnest desire that
his work may be crowned with success.