Evening star., 1909-04-21
Experiments With Williams
Device in Berliner Shops.
TRIAL OVER WATER LATER
Lifting Power to Be Increased by
Breadth Of Propellers.
PARACHUTE FOR SAFE DESCENT
No Promises Made by Scientists,
Who, However, Have Hopes That
Something May Come of It.

"A new nellOcOpter Is 10 De lTle0 out at
the laboratory of Emile Berliner in
Washington. 1t is one Of the machines
of ]. Newton Williams of Derby. Conn.
Mr.. Williams is an inventor of note.
and has been working on the heliocopter
problem for long time. Mr.. Berliner
is also a heliocopter advocate. believing
the problem of flight will be developed
along that line more surely than by the
aeroplane, such as the Wrights are
using.
Mr.. Berliner. has we'll equipped labo-
ratory here He is putting that at the
disposal Of Mr.. Williams.
One Of the essentials Of experiments
is powerful lightweight motors. OF
these Mr.. Berliner has two of thirty-six
horsepower, each with a combined
weight of less than 200 pounds. These
will be used by Mr.. Williams in his
work.
1t is expected that Mr.. Williams will
come to Washington today.
For the benefit of those not familiar
with the different forms of flying ma
chimes, it may be said that the two types
promising the best results are the aero
plane, such as Is used with success by
the Wrights, and the heliocopter, which
seems to have great possibilities, but
which has not yet been developed.
like skater on thin ice, depending
upon it's planes, like the wings of a
bird, to sustain 1t. 1t has to get up
momentum by run along the ground
before 1t can go into the air, just as any
big bird has to get a running start be-
fore it can launch itself for flight
How Heliocopter Flies
The heliocopter on the other hand. has
it's aerial propellers set horizontally. like
the fly fans familiar in most res
taurants, and can rise. if it rises at all.
straight from the ground into the air
Lateral motion is given it by inclintng
the vertical propeller shaft, when part
Of the lifting force is translated into lat
eral pull which carries the machine
along.
ter so far has been the lack of an en-
gine powerful enough to lift it's own
weight and that of the operator. This
resolves itself again into the problem OF
getting the most efficient aerial propeller.
Mr.. Berliner has been experimenting
with many sorts of propellers. About
year ago he designed one seventeen feet
in diameter. with almost fiat solid blades
that gave a lift Of $50 pounds with
1O0-pound motor. The propeller was
braced with wires to keep it from dis
torting at high speed. But 1t was badly
made, according to the researches OF
Sir Hiram Maxim, in that 1t had pro-
jections on the surface that absorbed
good deal of the running power
1t showed some interesting results.
however with tilt OF fifteen degrees
1t lost only per cent OF its lifting power
and gave lateral pull of 25 per cent
of the lifting power.
Mr.. Williams is working on something
the same plan, fitting the shaft Of his
propeller to get g. horizontal pull He
has used a different form of propeller In
some of his earlier experiments. however.
that have proved quite efficient.
Nature Of Propellers.
They are not fat surfaces, but curved
from edge to edge like the wings Of an
aeroplane. The section nearest the shaft
is left open to do away with the drag
that interferes with the efficiDncy Of
many solid prOpellers.
His propellers are also seventeen feet
in diameter, but have more area than the
Berliner propellers and work at a lower
speed. In this respect they are some
what like the propellers of de Luytens,
the Belgian inventor. who. with large,
slow-moving propellers, got great lift
There are two two-bladed propellers on
the Williams machine. working on con-
centric hollow shafts. They work In
opposite directions to prevent the plat
form carrying the operator from being
whirled around In the air.
One of the great objections to the
heliocopter. pure and simple. Is that If
the engine stops in midair. as gasoline
motors have a habit Of doing. without
notice. the machine comes down on the
run. This is to be obviated in practice
by the use of parachute attachment or
by affixing gliding planes that will enable
the machine to make a gradual descent.
No promises are made by the Williams
Berliner combination as to what they will
be able to do. But Mr.. Berliner stated
that when something had been accom-
plished there would be no objection to
giving out a statement. He said. how
ever, that he did not believe In dealing
in futures with inventions any more than
he did in wheat.
1t is probable that the first experiments
with the free machine and an operator
on board will be made over the water
to reduce the likelihood Of accident.