The Garland globe. [volume] (Garland, Utah) 1906-191?, 1908-02-29
TIROWJ AR e1HZP -

This question has been asked time
and again in the past but It must be
asked again with increased emphasis
in view OF the recent remarkable feat
of M. Henry Farman, the French
aeronaut, who made a perfect circle
in his aeorplane at Paris, thereby
winning the Observation-Disclosures
prize of $4,000. The circle which
Farman described had q radius OF
one kilometer, almost five-eighths
Of mile, and during the en-.
tire flight the aeroplane appeared to
be under perfect control displaying
rare equilibrium and making the con-
tinuous turn on an even keel. The
Observation-Disclosures prize had been Of
fered to the aviator, or aeronaut, who
first succeeded in completing circu-
lar kilometer In the air.
AS second accomplishment M.
Farman demonstrated beyond doubt
that his aeroplane has solved for all
time the problem Of aeronautics. that
the heavier-than-air power kite, and
not the gas-bag flying machine, is the
airship Of the future. The flight Of
the Farman aeroplane marks a record
in aerial navigation.
The third thing NJ. Farman did was
to predict the speedy Inauguration Of
an aeroplane omnibus service between
Paris and London, distance of 2S7
miles. with the possibility Of the SER
vice being extended to all parts Of
Europe and even to New York. II is
simply question now Of determining
how large the aeroplane must be to
! fly thousands instead of merely hun
dreds of miles.
Wildly imaginative as It may seem
at the present time, the idea of con-
structing aeroplanes capable of flying
from New York to London or Paris
Is receiving encouragement from deep
thinking scientists and inventors in
terested in aeronautics whose opin-
ions have weight and who are gener-
ally credited with knowing what they
are talking about.
The Farman aeroplane, which has
opened a new field for speculation as
to the future OF aeronautics, resem-
bles huge dragon fly with upper and
lower sets of wings. On the under
side are four bicycle wheels upon
which the machine glides along the
ground until It has gathered sufficient
impetus to rise from the ground and
commence its flight, The motor and
operator are situated between the
two front lateral wings, and the
course of the machine is governed by
small aeroplane placed in front. The
machine is propelled by two revolving
blades in the rear These act on the
same principle as the screws of O
steamship.
II is interesting to note that the
late Prof. Langley is in reality respon
sible for the success of the Farmar
aeroplane. NJ. Farman went aheaC
just where Prof. Langley left off ant
has embodied in his flying machine
all the correct principles and theories
governing the Langley aeroplane.
Very little can be told at present as
to the size or capacity of the aero
planes for the projected London tc
Paris service. Each aeroplane will
necessarily have to be many times
larger than the machine with which
NJ. Farman won the Deutsch-Archdea
con prize.
AS stated above, the present type
of aeroplane starts by gliding alone
the ground until sufficient impetus has
been gathered to give 1t a liftinl
power. Then 1t gradually rises to BIZ
guided along in any direction desired
by the operator and propelled by the
motor-driven propeller blades behind
This method of getting a start, 1t has
been suggested, may be improved up
on by following out the idea of Prof
Langley. His plan was to provide {
launching platform several feet above
ground to be reached by an inclined
plane. The Langley idea was to hau
or propel the aeroplane up tho in
clined plane at a good speed and ther
to project II from the platform out In
to open space. where the aeroplan'
vss 10 take care OF itself by skimmini