Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-29
Wright AeropIane Would Fly
Still if Half Shot Away.
so INVENTOR DECLARES
Confident of Surprising Any Flight
Yet Attempted.
ANXIOUS FOR OFFICIAL TRIAL
Tells Why Damage to Greater Part
Of Machine Would Not
Prove Fatal.

Army officers. while witnessing the ini-
tial tests of Orvi.le Wright's aeroplane at
Fort Myer next week. will make A special
study Of the effectiveness of the aero
plane for military purposes. as compared
with the dirigible balloon.
In view of the anticipated appropria-
tons of 81 900 600 or more for aeronautics
by the rext Congress. the Signal Corps is
anxious to ascertain whether the dirigible
or the seroplane should receive first at
tention.
Tests of Baldwin's dirigible have af-
forded excellent opportunity for the army
experts to study this type of fighting
aerial craft. and the coming demonstra-
tons of the Wright aeroplane will give
good opportunity for comparison. Both
types ii airship have their advocates.
Some Amy officers say that the dirigible
could b3 more easily damaged by a shot
In the air than an aeroplane-
Mr.. Wright's statement that goodly
part Of his machine might be shot away
and the aeroplane still be able to navi-
gate Is. particularly interesting to army
experts. who. while recognizing that it
would he difficult TO hit. have assumed
that, owing to its delicate nature. it could
be placed hors de combat by a single
shot.
Darsage Would Not Be Fatal.
The tips of the two planes of the Wright
machine are pulled from their normal
straight line by the use of the lever TO a
curve which is helicoid. Altering the
shape o. the tips of two planes on one
side of the aeroplane in this way adds to
the '1ift'' on that side and swings that
side higher In the air and allows it to
~ do IHry md 70
of it's q urse without sliding sidewise. as
II would do If it attempted to turn a cor
her on san even keel But this helicoid
curve dies more than merely make steer
ing Will the stern or perpendicular rudder
possible II is by altering the shapes of
the tips of the planes that the balance is
preservs d In the air. and it is due to this
feature of the machine that a part 0f it
might ee shot away without totally dis
abling Il.
For toe tips as Mr.. Wright terms
the ends of the aeroplanes, are not as
the VOID would indicate. the extreme
ends of .the planes. but extend down fully
a third >of the whole plane on each side.
Thus. two-thirds Of each aeroplane. both
upper and lower, are technically tips
which II to say that two-thrds of bot h
planes are controlled by the levers. 1t
would be a clever shot which would car
ry away two-thirds of both planes.
The r&ar or perpendicular rudder is op-
Grated ~ a lever which is grasped stimuli
taneousE with the tip-controlling lever.
but these two levers can be set in any
relationt to each other and still be oper-
ated together or apart. Should one end
Of one Zip be shot away. for instance. 1t
would &c necessary for the remaining tip
to assume a greater helicoid curve when
used either for steering or balancing. and
in such: a case the direction of the two
levers might be altered
In any case. only a shot which demol-
ished tie propellers. or a very large area
Of the Flames themselves, or the operator
would bring the whole to the ground.
All Balloons Hard to Hit.
AS has been pointed eut. it is extremely
difhcult to hit either an aeroplane or a
balloon in the air with either a rifle or
any SOFT of field piece, because there is
no way OF getting a range upon it and no
means ut telling whether the shot is high
or low, long or short. Moreover. any
thing progressing at the rate of forty
miles an hour is a hard target. If a
hunter Of birds on the wing had to use a
rifle ard one bullet. army officers say.
he would bring down pretty poor bag.
and fQ- the same reason cunning for
aeroplssles. particularly If they were fly
ing high and fast, will be precarous
business.
emf to the hour flight he has to make,
and seems perfectly confident of perform
ing an faeronautical feat which will sur
pass anything hitherto attempted. The
speed tSst, which will take him five miles
and ba3k, over broken country, seems to
give hisn far more concern than the ap-
parentiy more difficult task. but he can
not be; said to be very much troubled
about either.
1t is expected that teaching the army
officersito run the machine will develop
some Interesting Incidents. Mr. Wright
has never attempted to teach any one to
manage IL, and thinks 1t will take some
little time, but does not look for great
difficulty. Presumably Lieut.. Lahm will
be his next pupil. with Lieut.. Selfridge,
who has had aeroplane experience with
the June Bug. and Lieut.. Foulois. as
next recruits.
A SLIGHT hitch occurred yesterday which
may retard the first flight. While testing
the engine trouble developed in the trans
mission, Parts of the supports were bent
and they chain had tendency to stick and
whip Rself around the axle Oryille
Wright said he could not understand the
exact cause OF the accident. we have
used this mechanism for many flights
and have never had trouble with il be-
fore" ae said.
Coy Their First Airship.
In sr.ite OF all that has been accom-
pfshed; by the Wright brothers as the
first p+actical flying machine operators
the se:eral public knows little OF their
early history and the methods by which
they have developed the machine that Or
Vile Wright is now preparing to demon
strate before the army airship board at
Fort 1syer
In several conversations with a Star
reporter Wright has touched on some of
these earlier experiences and they give q
good idea of how the brothers. from mere
recreation. were drawn into flying as a
regular business.
Wright says their first introduction to
the subject of aerial fight was the pos
session Of little toy heliocopter bought
for them by their father when they were
mere boys. This was the same ingenious
toy that almost all people have seen at
one time or another, continuance of
cork and bamboo in the shape of a but
terfy and operated by twisted rubber
bands and two revolving propellers in the
shape OF antennae on the butterf1y's head
This. in fact. was the first practical
flying machine ever made and is referred
70 by Prof. Langley in his memoirs as
his first introduction to a power-driven
flying Gnachine.
Built on This Principle.
The Wrights. while still boys. built
several of these machines. but found
that their flying ability decreased rap
idly with their increase In size Finally
they cropped them and let the whole
subjec: lie fallOw till the general squirt
Of interest in aerial navigation between