New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-11-03
L4NGLEIes PIONEER WORK.

| Recognizing the growing interest in the means
employed for aerial navigation The Popular
| Science Monthly" reproduces this month an ac-
! count Of his work written by Professor Langley
shortly before his death but after the final at
| tempt at fight with his aerOdrome. The story
should correct some of the false impressions
which have been entertained on the subject and
| explain certain features of his plan which have
not been fully understood.
Langley's arship differed from many others
of the same general type in having the support
| ing surfaces all the same level. He used
two planes. but one was ahead Of the other.
not above it. The tWO-stOry arrangement of
| the Wrights facilitates the stiffening Of the
wings with guys, as Langley himself discovered
| by experiment, but he also found that 1t gave
him less lifting power He bent his surfaces so
| that viewed from the front or rear, each looked
| like q very fat letter V. In that manner the
centre of gravity was left considerably lower
than the tips of the wings, and remarkable
stpadneSS was secured.
The Smithsonian expert used steam to propel
his earlier models but perceived the possibilities
of the gas engine, and made long and earnest
efforts TO obtain an internal combustion motor
before Santos Dumont was heard of. Two small
engines which were ordered in 1898 failed to
come I'D to the contract requirements aud be
tween four and five years spent in getting
what was wanted. Neither in the United States
nor in Europe could an automobile builder be
persuaded to guarantee an engine weighing only
ten pounds to the horsepower. Accordingly
Langley gave the necessary instructions to his
engineering assistant (dr. Manly to construct
one for him in Washington The product was Il
triumph of mechanical skill 1t developed %
horsepower with a weight Of less than five
pounds to the horsepower The failure of the dry
batteries employed for sparkling, the breakage
Of propellers and the necessity for building
houseboat for indoor well outdoor tests
were q few of the many causes of delay after
the motor was finished. Not until October
and December 3, 1903, were the public trials of
the machine made for the government.
With all his models Langley used a launching
mechanism which it required several years to
perfect 1t operated so successfully with the
small aerodromeS that he wisely decided to
employ a larger one of the same design for his
more critical ventures. Unfortunately, acct
dents interfered with full realization Of his
hopes both In October and December. On the
first occasion a guy post on the airshlp became
entangled in the launching car after flight had
actually begun. On the second the rear of the
airship WAS caught In the same manner, and a
plunge into the river resulted. Only trifIng
repairs were needed to fit the aerodrome for an
other trial, but no money was available and it
was unduly late In the season for further ex-
pertinent Though the criticism elected by the
final mishap probably offered additional dis
enlargement IL Is now evident that the only
trouble was with the launching apparatus. An
instantaneous photograph taken October {,
1903, few seconds before the accident on that
day showed the aerodrome supporting itself
by motion alone. Moreover, there were many
witnesses to the flight OF d model August s.
the same year, and there can now he little doubt
that an seroplane had never before been sue
cessfully operated with an engine.
This chapter Of history is pathetic. No one
else ever gave so n'-ch theoretical and practical