Omaha daily bee., 1909-04-04
ENGLAND SEEKING AIRSHIPS
Great Increase Noted in the Popular
Interest in Aviation.
DEVELOPMENTS MARK AN EPOCH
OmciaIs wake IN TO Fact that France
and Germany Arc in Lead, Hence
Many Tests OF Flying Ma
chimes VIII De Made.

AahN hN lAA1N
LONDON. April 3.-This year will mark
An epoch in aviation as far as England is
concerned. The most important event will,
Of course, be the arrival Of the brothers
Wright in this country for the purpose Ct
demonstrating before the War office au-
thorities the capabilities Of their aeroplane.
The invitation extended TO the American
aeroplanists was the result of the report
OF a special officer sent to Pau by the War
office to Investigate the practicabillty of
their machine. Details Of their visit are
not yet settled, but it is understood that
owing to engagements in Rome in April
they will not arrive in this country until
May or June. The scene of the flights,
too. is at present unfixed, but it is prob
able that the Messrs. Wright will declare
the War office grounds at Marlborough
too confined for their purpose and will
conduct their experiments on the new
ground Of the Aero club at shellbeach, on
the Isle of Sheppey.
Shellbeach, the headquarters Of the Aero
club. promises to be the principal flying
ground for aeroplanes in England. The
club has secured enough land to permit an
uninterrupted flight of pver ten miles in a
VI ~ ~ AAAaNg win " ehAAO NBoAA
Of country for circling. The ground is in
the vicinity of the sea, and at low water
there is a large extent of hard sand also
available.
Providing Buildings.
A huge construction and repairing shed
is already being built, and there will be
garage sheds for the accommodation of
twelve aeroplanes. A number of villa resi-
Japrng u+biob ~ 20 ba lot avcIuo;yalu 20
members of the Aero club, are being
erected. The idea is that an enthusiastic
aviator will find 1t just as necessary to
keep a villa at Shellbeach as a man de-
voted to other branches. OF sport does to
maintain a shooting or hunting box.
Wealthy spprtsmen will then spend week.
ends on the spot. either flying or watching
others fly.
The Inauguration of this aerodrome takes
place early in April, and at least five avia-
tors will at once essay flights, including
J. T. c. Moore-Brabazon the only Eng
lishman, with the exception Of Farman,
who has made any notable flight in a
heavier-than-air machine. AS the sport ad-
vances prize meetings and races will be
held.
Many members of the club are acquiring
flying machines, and arrangements are
being made by which these will be placed
at the disposal of the government for
experimental purposes. Sneerness, the
naval station, is less than ten miles from
Shellbeach, and 1t is understood that the
admiralty officials welcome the opportu-
nifty offered them of ascertainlng how
aeroplanes may be employed in c%onjunc-
ton with torpedo craft for scouting and
other purposes.
Harold Perrin, secretary of the Aero
club, is convinced that as soon as flights
in England have become an accomplished
fact there will be an extraordinary demand
for aeroplanes in this country. The max
ing of aeroplanes will be a business taken
seriously in hand by motor car makers,
carriage builders, yacht builders and firms
who make motor boats. Sportsmen will
buy them with a guarantee Of a flight of a
certain distance or time.
To Make AeropIanes Cheaper.
A Wright machine now costs 5000. Mr..
Perrin asserts that aeroplsnes will soon
become cheaper, and It should be possible
to secure a first-class machine before long
for $3.50, or even less.
The Wright brothers have given an order
to Messrs. Short, an English firm, for
the immediate construction of six of their
aeroplanes. They will be built on the
Aero clubs ground at Shelibeach. When
the factory is finished 1t will be possible
for the Messrs. Short to turn out one
finished aeroplane a fortnight,
In addition to these six to be built in
England, four other Wright aeroplanes
are coming TO this country. Jarrett &
Let's, an automobile firm, having secured
the machines from the Astra factory at
Billancourt in France. where the holders
of tho French patent rights OF the Wright
aeroplane nave the construction work car
ried out. These four machines are all that
can be sent to England rom France be-
fore next October. Two of them will prob
ably be delivered in May, oNe in June and
the last in July.
The first will be offered to the govern
ment. upon the second an Australian has
acquired an option, the third will be used
by Jarrett & Let's themselves. and the
last one is open to be purchased, the price
being $1,000. The aeroplanes will be exact
duplicates Of the machine used by the
wrights and each will be guaranteed to
fly for twenty minutes at least. A pupil
of the wrights will demonstrate this with
each of the four aeroplanes.
INFESTED shown.
| Al the aero eNnlDitlOn at olympia IN
London there are on show specimen flying
machines by English makers which can be
bought for as little as $3.50. but as none OF
these machines has flown they must be
regarded as doubtful bargains. Mr.. Moore
Brabazon says the fact that the Wright
brothers hold what he considers to be the
master patent for the warping OF wings IS
likely seriously TO handicap others who are
trying to solve the problems OF flight.
He has been seeking to get similar results
in another way, but he found IT difficult
to attain the proficiency which the Wright
patent gives. He has nevertheless sue
ceeded in flying distances OF three or four
miles with his aeroplane.
The exhibition contains a collection OF
fourteen full sized aeroplanes. all different
In design, including monoplanes. biplaEes,
triplanes, quadruplanes, hellocopters. ortho-
piers and other contrivsnces with weird
names and weirder shapes. Among the
eighty-five model flying machines and
d~irigible balloons are to be found many
small specimens OF the Wright, FarmAn
and other types.