Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-09
new WORLD RECORD
IS MADE BY WRIGHT
Closed KiI0meter Covered in
So 3-5 Seconds at COL
Iege Park.
TIME is NOT OFFICIAL,
BUT SPEED WAS THERE
Aeroplane Columbia Goes at Rate Of
55.82 Miles an Hour.
ONE FLIGHT WITHOUT WEIGHT
Another Similar Attempt Unsuccess-
ful-No Army officer Goes Up, as
Extra Levers Are Wanting.

Wilbur Wright got out at College Park
this morning soon after breakfast and
broke worlds record just for an eye
opener
He made altogether three flights. One
was off the monoral without the start
ing weight. Another trial without the
weight was unsuccessful.
The record broken was for the closed
kflometer. which was done in IS 3-5 sec
onds. This was not officially timed. and
consequently will not stand as a worlds
record. But the speed was there all right
and the spectators were satisfied as to
the reliability of the record The time
over measured kilometer straight away
was little under IS miles an hour. or
approximately "a kilometers
The early morning at College Park
was ideal for flying. There was scarcely
any breeze stirring. When Wilbur Wright
and army officers arrived at the aero
plane shed. soon after $50 O'Clock It
would have been hard to pick better
day for flight
Extra Levers Not at Hand.
1t has been intended, ever since the les
sons were undertaken. to put extra levers
on the machine SO that the officer-pupils
would be able to feel the manipulation OF
the levers instead of merely watching
them. These levers have not yet arrived
and Wright made all the flights this
morning by himself.
When the machine was first taken to
the rail an attempt was made to start
without the weight. There was scarcely
any breeze and what there VS. blew
straight up the rail-. The machine start
ed on at fair pace, but refused to rise
at the end of the rail. After sliding
about 80 feet on the ground 1t came to
a standstill.
Three big iron weights were then swung
under the derrick. Wright started with
out difficulty on his record-breaking trim.
A base line of 500 meters had been meas
ured of.
Lieut.. Lahm stood at one end with a
stop watch. Lieut.. Humphreys was at
the other end. Wright made q swing
around the field at very low altitude
and then shot by Lieut.. Lahm at a
height Of scarcely more than six feet.
The time was caught as he passed At
the end of the 500 meters he was timed
again. He made a short turn and came
back lower still. the machine sometimes
brushing the tops of the grass, which was
not very high.
Makes $500 Miles an Hour.
It was from these two straightaway
flights. which aggregated a kilometer.
that his speed was figured out. It came
to $3.50 miles an hour.
In figuring out this speed one Of the
curious characteristics of the Wrights'
mental makeup was indicated. They
used as the basis for the calculation a
standard work on aviation with CONVEX
sion tables.
Wright declared after the calculation
had been made that there must be mis-
print in the table. as he remembered the
figures differently. Lieut. Lahm worked
out the calculation independently. 1t was
found that the table in the book was
wrong and Wright's memory was correct.
1t was on the same fight that the rec
ord was broken for the closed kilometer.
In this flight the time of the start was
taken at one end Of the measured 500
meter course. The machine was sent
around the opposite end of the course
and no time taken out for the turn.
This was the flight which totaled So as
seconds. 1t was close to the ground and
the landing, as in al the other cases. was
gentle and showed complete mastery Of
the machine.
There may have been one flight in
France a fraction of a second faster than
this, but there was NJ record Of 1t avail
able at the time. The best time credited
to Leo Delagrange for his now famous
fight was 1 minute and 10 seconds.
Starts Without Weight.
The start without the weight was tried
at the conclusion Of the mornings flight
and was successful. 1t was the second
time in this country that such thing had
been done.
Orvile Wright made one start OF the
same sort at Fort Myer during his trials
there It was, however. with considerable
wind blowing up thu. rail. The start this