Omaha daily bee., 1908-08-09
NAWeATORS OF THE AIR
Activities In the Development of Air.
ships aud Their Optimistic
Operators.

Though America was the first country TO
construct and NY q msn-carrying machine,
II remained for France TO bring about a
popular realization OF the fact that a new
era had dawned.
Among the pioneers in aviation Is Lilien-
thai. the German. who experimental with
a flying machine minus the propelling
power. Chanute. IN Chicago, and Herring
Of New York took up the work and made
rapid advances, Herring being the first
to make a man-carrying, motor-driven ma
chine Langley later made a steam-driven
model. The Wright brothers followed the
double-deck plan Of aer1plane introduced
by Herring and Chanute and at last flew
after several years Of gliding. The work
OF the Wrights stimulated work abroad and
many experimental with gliders.
At last, though in this particular case
without experience with gliders, Santos
Dumont accomplished a short flight at
Bagatelle. France. Then Farman flew 10
meters at Issy les Moulineaux on October
Is. 1897. Then came to the front Della
grange. On January IS, 1895, Farman won
$1,000 by a flight of 1000 meters. Two
months later he more than doubled this
distance. About a month later Delagrange
nearly doubled Farman's last record and
made nearly 1000 meters in six minutes
and thirty seconds. Another month and
he stayed in the air nine minutes and
thirty seconds and a week later over fiji
teen minutes.
All the machines abroad that have done
good work are practically duplicates Of
the Wright brothers to a great extent or
are built on the Chanute type.
DIR. Alexander Graham Bell during 1907
had been experimenting with tetrahedral
kites at his summer home near Baddeck,
NovIa Scotia, and had with him as cngi-
neers f. W. Baldwin and J. A. d.. McCurdy,
young Canadians. Lieutenant Thomas Self
ridge watched these experiments for the
United States army. Then DIR. Bell called
in G.. II. Curtiss. the motor expert and
manufacturer of Hammondsport, N. Y,
and the holder OF the worlds speed record,
q mile in 2G7s seconds.
While they were all together at Baddeck
Mrs. Bell made the suggestion: "Why don't
you organize yourselves into a scientific
association? - Mrs. hell proposed to supply
the capital to carry on the experiments,
and thus the Aerial Experiment associa-
ton was formed.
Three flying machines have now been
built by the association. all'of which have
made successful flights. Each of the mem
bers Of the association will have a chance
to build a machine according to his own
ideas.
The Red Wing was the first machine
to be built, under the supervision Of Lieu
tenant Selfridge. on March II, 1908. It made
its first trial at Hammondsport, n. Y.
with F. w. Baldwin as aviator. Starting
from the Ice after a short run, it covered
nearly 8S feet. The machine was some
what damaged in landing.
Instead of repairing the damage to the
Red Wing the association started TO
build the second machine under the super
vision of r.. w. Baldwin. 1t was named
the white Wing This machine had
wheels instead Of skids to aid it in it's rise
from the ice of Lake Keuka. The first
flight of the white Wing was made on
May Is, carrying Mr.. Baldwin ninety-three
yards. On the following day Lieutenant
Selfridge made two short flights.
On May ~, with Mr.. Curtiss in the ma.
chine, 1t accomplished 1,Ol7 feet in nineteen
seconds, the longest public flight up to thai
time that had ever been public in America
1t is also the longest flight ever made any.
where by an aviator on his first trial. Or
May %, J. a. ID. McCurdy essayed to max,
the flight and he accomplished 900 feet
The landing proved disastrous to the ma
chine, and work was soon begun on tn,
June Bug" the third Of the association.
All three machines have been practically
the same. In the June Bug" the from
plane has been extended forward a lttl,
more. This machine was built under tn,
supervision OF @. II. Curtiss. The Jun,
Bug" also differs from it's predecessor,
in having a box tail instead OF vertica
and horizontal plane crossed like a plu
sign.
On June 81 the first flights were made
the first of 456 feet at twenty-eight miles a
hour, the second OF AZ feet at thirty-on
and One-half miles an hour, and the third
l.26 feet, I'm twenty-five seconds, or at tn
rate OF thirty-four miles on hour.
On the morning Of June %. the Jun
Bug with Mr.. Curtiss aboard. made
flight Of 1920 feet, the longest thus ia
made by the association, in sixty seconds
Two concerns in Europe and one Il
America are already offering for sal
aeroplanes under a guarantee of a flight o
a kllometer.-New York Times.
DESPERATE FIGHT FOR LIFE