New-York tribune., 1909-07-18
W WRIGHT'S GOOD FLIGHT
4TT4TNS 4O-MILE KATIE.
4eropIane EncircIes Fort Niger
Grounds for 1bout II Minutes.
Lr-om ne Trhnne Rur.au. J

Washington Illv with just two weeks left IN
which to complete his official tests, Orville Wright
SCARED aloft with hts aeroplane al Fort MyeT ate
this afternoon and made aisht OF Il minutes ana
a seconds Il was the best fi.sht that had been
made IN the trials this year. and f0e HiaChlha
showed really great form.
Before he went up Orvlile said that he was sim
ply going 70 work out the bearings Httl" moro
and be would be Up about aftee7 minutes As a
matter Or fact be was up nearly seventeen min
ufas and made fifteen and three-fourtns circles OF
tb. field Hts circles - the held Nar.Hd IN size
from time 70 time and It WIS impossible 10 esu-
mate accurately the speed Sut TIE ina'Hlh' ""-
s,1axr3oparTy gsrs faster than It had done IN ans OF
ne r,revfoils trials and after the night OrVlle
Wright said that straiFfta"aF night II ""'-1
go better than forty-sJN miles an hour This Is
about the first prediction that has ever 'eeh "IN"H
from the aviators- go.
,-cr, close 20 the line in predicting a fast machine
with the engine power at their command Inc
,,,scr;-a viii Nv when r. gets into the air, ana
,rben IL does ~ II fast But how close It comes
m not rising in the restricted space OF the uIi'
field was shown by tho failure IN making 'he "iS'
start.
Tho starting rail had been heightened to about
eighty feet and the weight dropped from lhe COY
Of the starting derrick had 10 pounds adaea 70
When the machine was brought TO the ran LOT 'i's
Dr., triaI the front ruddcrs as usual. except
thar they, had two OF the little sern-clrcleS OF can
vas on them. instead of one. These small verucal
nIanes act something Ike the centreboard on d
boat and prevent. the machine from MAKING '''
rnucb ieevav when a turn Is made
The aeroplane was started at SO and rushed
5ou,n the rail- With the added impetus OF the heaNy
weight 10 what looked ike a good start hu' ~
was not good Orville Wight. in explaining II
sfterv-ard said that the front OF the machine was
TOO light and left the starting rail oetor"
,ne falling weight had reached tho ground. thus
robbng him Of something Of the initial impetus
The result was that the machine few low ana aS
It reached the end Of the drill hed II toucheu
on a high point in the ground and hao 10 oe
,.rd.d The landing was gentle enough. and no IN
iIrv was done The machine vas promptly
wheeled around and carried back to the ran TOT
fresh start.
This time the front runners were weighted hy
tu,o rieces Of iron weighing about nine pounds
The start this time little better and the
aviator managed clear the high point al tne
lower end of the field. although he seemed 10 pe
living periIously low. He swept south past the
qua I'd tent made q below the aeroplane shed
and got nearly as high the roof or the bulldlhg
When he Strengthened on his flight back up Ine
field ne climbed to a safe altitude above the uees
marking the edge of Arlington Cemetery once ne
was safely air there seemed to be no further
danger, except that the machine robbed Of three
feet of length in it's main planes, tilted on the
curves in decidedly disconcerting way
Passing the starting derrick, II was seen thst
the machine making good time. and when II
again bore away down the field II was doing
for the speed OF the display the straight
away course hardly long enough for the ma
chine 10 get into its stride before another turn
had 10 be made slowing down the aeroplane. But
there was nc question ability % stay aloft TO
the extent OF it's gasolene supply Round after
round was made of the big field average
height of seventy-fve feet. Each time the machine
came south II seemed TO be going faster than on
the northern Journey
Considerable hope was expressed in the crowd
that the machine would stay aloft for fun hour.
but Orvle Wright apparently oblivious or
evervthine except the need OF gently working out
the new engine bearings. He stayed aloft little
over his promised fifteen minutes, and then made
landing on the east side of the field, on ground
that had been picked out beforehand.
Both OrviIle and Wilbur Wright smiled quietly at
the reports of the flights of Glenn Curtlss in New
York and said that. flights unmeasured
course we're not the best ny which 10 judge the
performance of a machine. Asked what they
thought OF the chances of the American entry In
the international aeroplane races at Rheims. they
said that he would have TO meet there at least one
of their own type of machines, and that 1t would
be a good chance TO Judge the difference between
fheun