New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-10-16
WRIGHT'S FIVE FLIGHTS
4 EROPLANE rs IWPROVED.
Changes Make 1t Steadier-Takes
Up Lieuts. Lahm and Hum phreys.


Washington Oct. 15-Wilbur Wright made some
essential changeslin his aeroplane this afternoon
and afterWaTd conducted a series OF flights that
continued long after dark 1t, was in many ways
the most interesting series he has attempted since
the government accepted the aeroplane The trou-
bic with this plane all along has been that il
not steady in the air. fore and aft Mr.. Wright
spoke of this several times. and recently said
that it was because the plane was. if anything
Over-engined. and that he could take the same
power plant and build plane for 1t that would
make from sixty to seventy miles an hour. Il
was noticed in the flights made by OrviIIe Wright
at Fort Myer and others made by Wilbur Wright
at College Park that the machine had a tendency
to bob UP and down in the air.
After two flights had been made to-day Mr.
Wright dismantled the horizontal rudder, which
is in the front of the machine. and put one Of
these planes at the rear. just in front OF the
vertical rudder This front horizontal rudder Is
a bplane. less like the main planes of
the machine. The upper one of these was taken
of and installed in the rear Of the machine as
fixed horizontal rudder. This left the two semi
circular turning planes in the front Of the ma
chine without any support at their upper end.
and made the whole cOntrivance look though
II had met with accident The fixed rear plane
set about eight inches above the axis of the
prOpellers, and did not turn with the rear rud-
ders. but simply preserved the fore and aft sta
bility of the craft.
The first flight after these changes was made by
MI wright dlOue near SHUTDOWN Inc H1dCnlIe ola
not leave the rail than it usually does but
seemed to obey the single plane the front rud-
der we'll as ii obeyed the double planes II flew
steadily and Mr.. Wright kept within a few feet
of the ground without apparent variation When
making the turn he began to climb. and was soon
at altitude of over fifty feet The plane seemed
steady high in the air it had been close to
the ground and the aviator made three circuits of
the field remaining in the air not quite
minutes. On the last turn of the field Mr. Wright
took his hand off the steering lever and waved TO
spectators around the starting derrick showing
that the machine was under exceptionally good
control This the first time that Mr.. Wright
has ever been seen take his hands or the steer
ing levers in a flight.
Lieutenant Lahm was then taken up for the
longest fight that the aerOplane has yet made at
College Park He handled the extra steering lever
which controls the vertical motion Of the aero
plane. and on several Of the turns it seen
that Mr.. Wright sitting with one hand on MS
knee. leaving the elevation of the machine en-
tirely under the control of his pupil When the
rounds of the field had gone up to. eight it was
quite dark Mr.. Wright called for Lieutenant
Humphreys. who had timed the svi US flight al
fourteen minutes and took him into the passen-
gers of the aerOplane. II was then so dark
that IL was impossible distinguish the machine
the length OF the field away. but the sound OF
the engine could be heard the turns were reeied
off, and now and again the biplane would fash by.
looking like a great white ghost in the gathering
gloom Mr.. Wright brought the machine the
ground after six-minute flight.
There were two fights IN the early morning, in
of which Lieutenant Humphreys the pas
senger and in the other Lieutenat Lahm. They
restricted TO three and five minutes. respect
lively. On neither of them was the passenger al
lowed do more than keep his hands on the
steering levers. Both of these fights were made
in six-mile wind. which ten -efore the
machine was brought down and put in the shed