The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-17
Langley's Accomplishment
 With Aerial Navigation

Washington. Aug. 1s.--( Special )--At this time when general interest has been stirred in things aeronautical by the arghips tests at Fort Myer, Vir- gtnia, and elsewhere, the Smithsonian Institution has brought together ard published, to meet the consequent de- mand, four papers by the late S. P. Langley. issued originally. two in 1887, eleven years ago. and the others in 1902 and 1905. which tell concisely and accurately just what was aecomp mplished by him and his associates In the con- struction and testing of an actual fly ing machine.
 Professor Langley was admittedly the pioneer investigator and experi- menter with machines, heavier than air that were supported in flight only by their own mechanical energy. He designed and built several small mod els. and a quarter size model of a larger man-carrying machine. which repeatedly made successful flights of over half a mile each. keeping in the air as long as fuel lasted. The first of these long flights was made on May 6. 1896. over twelve years ago. The three small aerodromes. two driv- en by steam and the third by gaso- line engines. have for some time been on exhibition in the United States National Museum.
 The later large machine, built not long before MT. LangIey's death. has never been launched, a break occurring in the launching apparatus at each of the two trials. October ' and Decem- Der 8. 19o3--a fact that was evident to the officials of the War Department and to other close witnesses.
 A few figures relating to the large machine, given by Mir. Langley, are in- teresting in view of the present tests:
 The flying weight of the machine complete with that of the aeronaut was S30 pounds; its sustaining sur- face. 1.040 square feet. It therefore was provided with slightly greater sustaining surface and materially greater relative horsepower than the quarter-size model, which flew sue cessfulIy. The brake horsepower of the engine was 52: the engine itself. without cooling water. or fuel, weighed approximately one kiiogram to tho horsepower. The entire power plant, including cooling water, carburator, battery, etc.. weighed materially less than i've pounds to the horsepower"
 The underlying principle of Mir. Langleys experiments, worked out through years of exact scientific study, is explained Tn one or these papers, published in 1897:
 What is popularly known as the flying machine is literally machine. without gas to support 1t. in no way resembling balloon. and which its inventor has called the aerodrome. The aerodrotne tfrom words signifyipg afr runner') fs, then, the name given to this apparatus by Mir. langley to indicate the principle of it's action, which in no way resembles that of a balloon that floats, because 1t Is light CT than the air. while the aerodrome is hundreds of times heavier than the air. The weighty machine owes~its support to another prTnetple-that Is, to the rapidity with which 1t runs over the air. like skater on thin ice. This machine. built almost entirely of steel. is far heavier in relation to the air than a ship of solid lead would be in relation to the water. and could