The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-05-12
The FLYING WRIGHTS BACK
40 TEACH OUR ARMY TO HAN.
DIE .AEROPLANES.

Wilbl Wright. who has been teaching
the military aviators OF France n Italy
the art Of flying In the Wright eeroplane.
arrived Yesterday by the North German
Ilovd steamship Kronprin zessin Cecilie.
almost as i~mperturbable but not quite as
,aoiturn as he was while abroad. He
vas accompanied by his brother Orville.
who was more communicative, Gsa BY
his sister. Miss Katherine Wright. Orville
and Miss Katherine answered most OF the
questions OF a throng Of nterviewers
Including some reporters. who boarded
the ship at Quarantine from the Health
Officers BOAT and the revenue cutter.
The brothers were much tickled with
their greeting and the salutes OF steam
craft whose shippers knew that the avia-
tors we're on the Kronprin zessin, Wilbur
shook hands heartily enough with repre-
sentstives of aero clubs to indicate that
he was a man Of feeling II he did lack ex-
nression. Orville Wright walked with a
sIipht limp, due to the accident at Fort
Nyer, Va, last year, when his aeroplane
was wrecked and Lieut.. Selfridge, his
shipmate, was killed
The Wrights we're unanimous on n
thing and did not hesitate to utter 1t, and
that was that they were glad to be back.
After referring the reporters 10 mis- brother
oryille, Wilbur seemed to have the i'm
nression that he would be requested to
answer no more questions. Finally. after
much urging. he said. not all at once. as
hare set down. but on the instalment
plan;
NV longest flight in the year that l
have been away wa ? ! hours and II min
utes. In Italy / made about sixty flights.
There was not the enthusiasm manifested
In Italy that there was in France, where
thew have been flying several years.
Aeroplanes, or flying machines. will not
In nv opinion ever take the place Of trains
and steamships as passenger carriers.
I believe a transatlantic flight will not be
tried for some time
That was about all that Wilbur cared
20 cay. again referring all questioners
10 Orville, who he said knew all about
the programme. Orville Wright said:
My brother has taken two p~asseng gers
In his fights in France. and he could have
taken three. He took my sister up three
times. once taking at the same time the
Count ss de Lambert. Other women
who made trips with him we're Mrs. Leon
Bollee, Mrs. Lazar Weller and Mrs. Hart
Barge and two young English women.
Every woman who went up with my
brother was cool and displayed more
self-command than the men who accom-
panied him.
We have made no special changes in
ont aeroplane. Practically all hat we
have realized from our experiments is
the $4,000 paid to US by the Government
Of France. i do not want to make COM
PARSONS Of our own and the most success
fnl French machines. | can simply say
that we are satisfied with results 80 far.
While it Is unlikely that the %aeroplane
on a large scale, | believe that it will
TAXI the place eventually Of special trains.
automobiles Int despatch boats.
Military experts hold that the aero
plane cannot get beyond the limit OF
effectiveness Of rifle fire. believe hat it
will be able to do so. We have already,
in the stage of development just beyond
the experimental, attained a height Of
$40 feet. and | do not see what is to pre-
vent us from going up a mile. ! believe
that at that height our machines can be
handled all right.
While We are here we will make-at
least it is our present intention to make
only the experimental flights called for
by our contract with the Government.
We will use a machine OF the same model
We used at Rome. Our chief work at Fort
Myer will be teaching army officers the
art Of handling the a%eroplane. The time
limit for our work there is June 20. but it
Is likely that we will be through long
before that and or our way back to
Europe"
Miss Wright was greeted with a kiss
by young man from Dayton as she landed
from the Kronprinzessin at the North
German Lloyd pier. The young man
said he had the right, as he was a former
pupil OF Miss Wright in hsr Sunday
school at Dayton. She did the lone share
Of mana ging the baggage and getting it
through the customs line The trunks
we're examined carefully. and ell Wilbur
Wright's medals were examined separ-
a'eIy and passed. A dozen photographers
persuaded the Wrights to pose while the
liner was coming up from Quarantine.
and many pictures were taken. Miss
Wright enjoyed the fun Of the interview
ing and picture taking moro than her
brothers. She sal she could not describe
her trips on the ~aeroplane except a. de
hghtfol sensations" that she was never
scared a bit" az she knew that Wilbur
would guide the machine safely.
1t was plain from the start that Wilbur
Wright was going to refuse to be lionized.
He resolutely declined to attend recep-
lions that had been planned in his honor,
consenting only to appear at ono function,
a luncheon to-day ut the Lawyers Club,
given TO him and his brother by the Aero
CIub of America. After leaving the Kron-
prinzessin yesterday the Wrights. in
gliding Miss Katherine, took luncheon
at the Waldorf-Astoria with A. Holland
Forbes, acting president OF the Aero
Club; Jerome Edwards and Alan Hawley,
directors Of the club; Robert Lee Morrell
OF the aviation section Of the Automobile
tiuh of America, and President Dosier
"t the Aero Club of st. Louis. The avi-
a,ors and their sister took an automobile
iIde in Central Park and Riverside Drive
10 the afternoon and registered later at
the Park Avenue Hotel. They will start
ihi, afternoon for their old home in Day
ton Dayton will have a Wright week.
1" celebrate their return. This will begin
on June II. and President Taft or Vice.
President Sherman is expected to be
there To present the Congress and Smith
ton,an medals. The Wrights will be in
Washington earlier in June.
I,-,1l-- Nit IL A.. A.