Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-09-09
WRIGHT ON FLYING
American Aeronaut Predicts
There viii be Revolution
in Air Navigation.
HOPES TO ABANDON MOTOR
Thinks Perfect Flight May Be Oh.
tanned Without This Athletics
Case of the Buzzard.

my impression of fight in It's most
perfect FORM" said Wilbur Wright. the
American aeronaut, to New York
Herald correspondent at LIE Mans
France, the other day, SIS flight with
out the use of motor. At the present
time it is essential to employ some
method of propulsion through the air
because we don't know enough about
scientific flying to do otherwise
"Some day we Shall learn more about
the subject. Then will come the great
revolution | refer TO. If you watch
buZZard flying, and there are many of
them I'm our state in America, you will
see that under most conditions he ex-
ponds exceedingly little energy. He
does what he would like to do. takes
advantage of rising currents of air in
order to mount aloft and then when he
has attained a considerable height
planes forward with outstretched
wings, covering many miles sometimes
before he is near the ground. Then If
he wishes to go still farther he again
profits by rising eddy of wind and
again lets himself glide downward
when the moment has come.
His output of force is practically
nil He merely balances himself"
do you really believe man will be
able to do this some day." asked the
correspondent.
"Why not:" replied Mr.. Wright. at
is only question of time and study.
We already know that the wind trav-
els in eddies or spirals which are cone
like in form and on which all manner
Of objects are carried upward. The
currents of air are just the things
which disturb us when we fly under
present conditions, because we have to
pass through them by mechanical
means. When the art of flying is de-
veloped they will aid us rather than
| annoy us"
But it would be only when the wind
| is strong that such currents would be
useful" objected the correspondent
Just the contrary" replied Mr..
| Wright. 1T is when there is almost
an absence of Wind that these spirals
| become more pronounced. When the
wind is very strong. they do not take
the same form. As a consequence they
are not of the same value for lifting
| PURPOSES.
Avoids High Wind.
"a buzZard does not go out in high
winds. Indeed. you viii find if you
study the question that most birds re-
| main under shelter when the wind at
! tains anything like respectable force.
That is why we claim that with one of
our present machines we can remain
out flying as long as birds with reason
| able practice"
you are not at all discouraged by
your recent accidentF'
| Certainly not 1t is not an accident
it is an incident when one is learning
/ to handle any piece of mechanism
Practice is necessary. It rarely is the
mechanism which is to blame; it is the
man in charge. The machine does just
| what the man makes it do. If the man
makes an error, then the machine acts
accordingly.
| 'Flying is not the most simple thing
in the world, though it is by no means
so difficult now as it generally is mag
ined TO be. What is required is prac-
tice. Is there anything worth doing
which does not require certain
amount of study and practice? My
brother and l have thought out ma
chine which we find 1t difficult TO i'm.
prove for the time being.
I'VE are now presenting it to the
world, and in doing so we are showing
how to handle it. 1t is mistake to
think that we have been flying for q
long time. We have had far too little
practice. Had it not been that our bust
ness engagements forced us to aban
don our trials .yat MaDteo n. c.. we