The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-30
WINGS AND MOTOR FAIL
 ID WORK WHEN TRIED OUT
Aeroplane Makes FitfuI Efforts To Glide, But the Brothers Finally Postpone the Attempt to
 Some Other Day.


 three unsuccessful efforts to get his new aeroplane into the air today, Or vile Wright made a short flight, en circling the Fort Myer aerodome.
 Lack of power, due to loose spark control, was finally determined upon by the two Wrights as the cause for refusal of the machine to fly for more than a few hundred feet beyond the end of the starting rail.
 "A flying machine is like horse,' said Wilbur Wright after the trial. ''If it's new you have to get used to it before it will go just as you want it to. You have to learn its peculiarities. am glad we learned what the trouble is and after a few more trials you will see some fun"
 There was hardly a breath of air when the machine was taken out of it's shed and placed on the starting track shortly after o'clock The motor was given test and 1t worked very smooth ly. The weight was then hauled to the top of the starting tower and the rope to which 1t Is attached was fas- tened to the aeroplane.
 Start of Machine.
 Everything being in readiness Will bur Wright and Taylor, the mechanic, each stationed himself at one of the propellers, ready to turn 1t. like "crank- ingr an automobile. Orville Wright turned on the Ignition and his brother and the mechanic gave the propellers
 
 a great rate as Orville took his place in .he operators seat. wilbur sta tioned himself at the end of the aero plane and ran along with it when Or vile released the weight, which pulls it down the track and gives it momem- tum.
 The machine rose as it left the rail, but mounted into the air only few feet. The right wing veered and struck the earth at it's tip. The ma chine swung around so that 1t faced the starting apparatus. The damage was trivial and the machine was re- turned to the starting rail for another trial. It had travelled about 200 feet.
 If the wind had been coming toward me, would have got up. said Or vile. This machine, being somewhat smaller, needs more speed going down the track than the machine which I used last year. I haven't got it fixed so that l can use all of the power that the motor is capable of."
 Mishap Repeated.
 At 6;30 there was another trial and the first mishap was repeated. Thi5 1.ff d 4l Before the third trial, Wilbur Wright contended that the weight was not sufficient In front and he attached a vice on one of the skids forward, and an iron clamp on the opposite side. Or vile stuck to his theory that the power was not sufficient. He did not appear to be the least bit nervous or con cerned over the two failures. He jok ed with the nwspaper men, the only per- sons allowed within the field today and seemed confident that the machine would finally fly.
 On the third attempt the machine refused to rise at all.
 At 7:45 on the final trial the machine rose 15 or 20 feet. but lost headway. Or vile, however, kept on around the field, remaining in the air about 50 seconds, and landing almost in front of the start ing track As he stepped out he said: q found out this time what the matter was. The spark shakes back to zero.'
 MT. Wright explained that the sparker seemed to be loose and the vibrations of the machine caused 1t to move back 80 that little power was derived from the motor-not enough to sustain the machine in flight. Wilbur seemed to regard the difficulties as rather amusing, and being Orvilles "big brother" had a few criticisms to make of him. Wilbur refused to make any flights at Fort Myer, saying that 1t is his brothers job. Wilbur does most of the 'bossing' and most of the tinkering.
 Bishop Milton Wright father of the two aviators, watched the proceedings. Tomorrow the brothers will remove the obstacles encountered and if good wealth CT prevails will make further trials.