Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-13
AMERICAN AEROPLANE
First Public Demonstration
Successful on Lake Keuka.
FLIES 319 FEET EASILY
Slight Accident Brings It to the Ice
= Again.
DESIGN OF LIEUT.. SELFRIDGE
Prof. Alex. Graham Bell One Of the
Backers Of the Enterprise-F. =,
:. W. Baldwin Aviator.
DESIGN OF LIEUT.. SELFRIDGE

HAMMONDSPORI. n. T.. Mdfcn 10
The aeroplane Redwing. in it's first trial
here yesterday, made the first public
flight. of a heavier than air" machine
in Anne RIGA. covering distance OF 31S
| feet at speed of thirty miles an hour.
| The trial was made on the ice of Lake
keuka. near Hammondsport The ma
chine left the ice before going 100 feet
and rose to a height varying from ten
| to twenty feet. 1t had perfect stability,
and the flight might have continued in
definitely had it not been for the break
ing of one of the supports in the rear
surface, causing the machine to swing
| to the right and come to the ice.
The aeroplane was built by the Curtiss
Manufacturing Company of Hammonds-
port for the Aerial Experiment Associa-
ton, with headquarters here. The men,
bers of the association are Alexander
Graham Bell chairman; G. P. Curtiss. di-
rector of experiments: f. w. Baldwin.
chief engineer j. a. D. 'McCurdy, treas
ure,' and Lieut.. T. Selfridge, secretary.
The distance covered in this fight was
greater than on the first flights of Far
man or other foreign experimenters.
Many Witnesses.
The machine was ridden by F. W. Bald
win. who weighs IT'S pounds The total
weight of the machine with the operator
was $50 pounds. and the area is 3SJ square
feet was driven by an eight-cylinder-
forty horsepower. air-cooled motor weigh
ing 145 pounds, being the lightest motor
for its horsepower built. Further trials
will be made within the next few days.
More than twenty-five signatures of wit
nesses were obtained to confirm the cor
RICHNESS of distance of fight, which was
carefully measured by tape DR.. Bell,
who has been in Hammondsport for sew
eral days superinte nding experiments with
his tetrahedral structures, is greatly
pleased with the result of the aeroplane
trials. The Redwing is Of original de-
sign. having quite different lines from
machines built by Farman and Wright
brothers. The plans for the machine were
States Army.
Work Of Enthusiasts.
The Red Wing was built by the Aerial
Experiment Association, in which Prof
Alexander Graham Bell is the leading
spirit. For several weeks the machine has
been undergoing trials on a race track
near Hammondsport. N. Y, but nothing
particularly promising was accomplished
until yesterday.
AS an experiment the machine was
the Ice. The operator got into his saddle.
the motor was started and. somewhat to
the surprise of all present. it glided grace
fully along for few feet and then rose
steadily, and ajestically into the air. 1t
travelled $40 feet on the first trial and
maintained an altitude of between ten and
twenty feet.
All parts of the machine worked per-
fectly. the equilibrium was sustained
throughout the short flight and those
hnl hot ol,E INv,rr ~
would have been made had 1t not been
for slight accident that caused a buck
ling OF the rear plane.
More Flights Promised.
When this has been repaired the ma
chine will have another trial. and it is ex-
pected its performance will come close to
that of the Farman aeroplane, which re-
Gently won the Archdeacan prize in Paris
The only other successful achievement
with aeroplanes ever made in America
was what the Wright brothers have done.
or have said they have done. They have
been at work more than ten years per-
fecting the aeroplane principle of aerial
navigation, but all of their performances
have been conducted in secret.
They say they have flown twenty-eight
miles. but evidence entirely satisfactory
to the public in confirmation of these
statements never have been produced. For
more than year the Wrights have been
in Europe seeking to sell their invention
to the governments. but SO far as the out
side world Is advised they have not sue
ceeded.
Their aeroplane and the one in which
Henry Farman has made his worlds rec
ord are similar IN general construction to
the Red Wing. They consist of superposed
planes. with steering appliances, propelled
by light. but powerful motor.
The operator of the Red Wing was F.
w. Baldwin of Toronto. The aeroplane Is
forty-three feet long. with two aero
curves or planes six feet six inches wide
They are placed one over the other and
have an aggregate surface Of 1856 square
feet. The machine. without its operator
weighs 3S5 pounds. Included in this weight
is a ,forty-horsebower eight cylinder Cur
tiss motor, which weighs 200 pounds.