Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-03
WRIGHT
EXCELS RECORD
AERONAUT GOES HIGHER AND
FASTER THAN EVER
Slight Mishap Occurs When Motor
Stops, but Prior to Accident In.
Ventor Surpasses All Former
Successes

WASHINGTON, July 2-After maxi
ing two successful flights today, the
Wright aeroplane met with a slight
mishap which will delay further tests
until next week.
The machine, with Orville Wright at
the helm, was on it's way around the
Fort Myer drill grounds for the ninth
time in the second fight when the
motor stopped suddenly, sixty feet
above the earth.
The great bird-like machine came to
standstill, then glided to the earth
without injury to it's occupants landing
exactly at the same place where the
fatal accident occurred last Septem-
ber.
In gliding to a stand the machine
struck tree and swerVed around with
such force that the skids were broken
and the right wing badly ripped
After the mishap Orville said he
would not be ready for another fight
before Tuesday at the earliest.
The motor on the aeroplane had
been missing explosions for some time
before it stopped. Evidently some
change had been made either in the
sparker or the motor, as 1t was devel-
oping more power than on the previous
day.
other Trials Surpassed
Despite the mishap, the two flights
today were the most successful that
Orville Wright has made at the fort
since his return to complete his trials.
On the first attempt he flew about
the field twelve times in IL minutes and
so seconds, and on the second trial he
had gone around S1a times when the
flight was terminated.
n WY ,t.,-I,k
higher and faster than in the trials of
the two previous days. 1t was esti-
mated that his speed was about thirty
seven miles an hour on an average.
although the machine probably eX-
ceeded forty miles when flying with the
breeze.
Orville got away in splendid shape
on the first trial. the machine travel
ing with greater steadiness than in
former trials. On the first flight the
aviator landed within 200 feet of the
starting tower, and the aeroplane
came down "as light as a feather"
Would Rather Fly
ST would rather fly over that coun-
try in our aeroplane than ride over it
in your automobile said Wilbur
Wright yesterday to a scouting party
preparing to traverse the dusty red
Virginia roads between Fort Myer and
Alexandria along the course over
which his brother was soon to fly.
The automobile did puncture a tire
and the sitting heat along the clay
bottoms and through the woods was all
but intolerable.
The course over which will be made
the official fight for which the Wrights
are preparing begins at Fort Myer
across the river from Washington on
high plateau and extends somewhat
east of south five miles to the turning
point on a hill west of Alexandria,
which will be made visible from Fort
Myer by a small bright yellow balloon,
marking its location.
The country between is broken and
rather heavily wooded. but at inter-
walls there are open fields offering land
ing places in case of emergency. This
will be the first flight across broken
country in heavier-than-air machines.
Last evenings flight over the open
level parade ground at Fort Myer ex-
hibited curious effects of buildings and
foliage upon the atmospheric currents
and the conditions over an extensive
and diversified area will be studied by
the Wrights and the army signal
corps officers.