The Washington herald., 1909-04-04
ARE SOLD
London Exhibit of AerOplane
Finds Buyers.
DESIGNED LIKE A BIRD
Prices Mount Into the Thousands.
Aero Exposition Is First OF Kind
in British IsIes-Free Tuition Goes
With Sale of Flying Machines.
Weird samples Are shown.

From hths Chief Europesn corrc~porasas Of the
LAfan Ners Burean.
London, April 3.-The aero exhibition.
the first or its kind held in the British
Isles. opened at Olympia. London. on
Friday last. and the vast building has
since been crowded with visitors.
The inventor OF a flying machine Is
surely the most optimistic individual IN
the world: so optimistic indeed that Oft
sary 10 test the practicability Of his In
vention- Thus some OF the exhibitors az
Olympia are offering for sale machines
which have never flown, and yet are
guaranteed 10 conquer the air with the
ease and freedom of a bird And, more
over, they are selling them.
In the absence of a Wright machine
the aeroplane which is receiving the most
serious consideration is the biplane,
made by the firm OF Voisin Freres, the
constructors Of the machine in which
Henry Farman made his successful
flights.
Next TO the VOisin in interest is the
Robert t-Esnault-Pelterie monopIane, also
French. II has actually flown 1910 yards
at a height of 1Sl feet and at a speed OF
hfty-six miles an hour. The price is
5000. the same as that asked for a
Wright aeroplane.
Designed Like Bird.
The only other monoplane shown IS
the Weiss, an English made machine.
designed on the lines Of a bird without a
tail The Weiss has flown 300 yards. Il
is offered 10 intended av4ators for $500.
at which figure several machines have
been sold.
It would seem. indeed. that aeroplanes
are selling briskIy at Olympia. The
principal English exhibitor, Howard
Wright. is getting q good share Of the
orders. His machine has never flown.
so the half dozen or so sales he has ne
gotiated are provisional. and 10 be con-
firmed II he satisfactorily demonstrates
the practicability Of his invention when
the exhibition is over. The price is
S6.O00, which sum includes free tuition.
Capt. Windham is exhibiting a biplane.
IN which he hopes 10 cross the English
Channel some time this year. As yet
II has not lifted itself from the ground
TO any great extent. but it's inventor has
booked an order to build q machine for
$3.50
The makers Of the Breguet bipIane
intended to carry two persons. are offer
ing it ready for air at 5000 They
say that its normal speed is 49, miles an
hour. but inasmuch as it has not yet
left terra frma OF its own accord, the
statement is based on theory
A Weird COntrivRnce.
The de la Hault aeroplane belongs to
the fapper type. and Is the weirdest
contrivance in the show. The metal
frame is shaped like a pyramid, the 100
horsepower engine being situated az the
base and driving vertical shafting BY
an inEenius mechanical movement, a
figure OF eight. action is given to two
wings ar the top or the pyramid, and
this, it is hoped. viii AFFORD birdlike ris-
ing and travelling power. The machine
bears a strong resemblance TO a skele-
ton windmill. The inventor states that
hts invention has flown five miles in Bel
GUM. The price is 5000.
But il is not necessary 10 pay so
much for a flying machine One fitted
with an automobile motor OF about
Is horsepower, which. 1t is de-
clared, is sufficient for purposes OF ordi-
nary fight, can be bought for $3.50. II
is possible even 20 purchase an aero
plane on the installment system. One
firm undertakes 70 supply machines on
the condition that completion Of pay
ment shall be deferred until a flight
over a stipulated distance has been car
RED out