Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-06
AVIATOR MAKES
EXCITING FLIGHT
PAULHANS VOYAGE INSPIRES
TERROR FOR HIS SAFETY
NOTED FRENc HMAN WILL USE
HISTORIC MACHINE
Farman Aeroplane, in Which Danger
GUS Ascension Was Made, Will Be
Manipulated in Los Angeles.
Aviation Meeting Tonight

Paulhan, who is chief of the French
aviators coming to the Los Angeles
meet in January, is known as one of
the most daring of aNlators. AT the
English and French meets he has
stirred the spectators through his dash
ing style of handling his aeroplane
and in making flights when it was be-
lieved impossible to combat the winds.
He is a young man, and was an obscure
person until the Rheims meet, but. like
Willard, the American aviator, he has
made success from the very start.
An idea of Paulhan's methods may
be gained from the following account
of his exploit at the Blackpool aviation
week in England last October, as told
by writer for the Car, London
journal:
"Then followed a magnificent dis
play of pluck, daring and skill on the
part of Paulhan, which was worth go
ing hundreds of miles to see ana which
never will be forgotten by those who
were fortunate enough to witness It,.
Determined to establish the superiority
of the Farman machine over the Noisln
type he set off in a wind that was well
over fifteen miles an hour and 1t IS
not too much to say he provided the
spectators with many anxious mo-
ments.
lowing to the presence of a range Of
sand dunes between the sea and the
course the wind was at its worst II
the corner marked by pylon c. and
each time he rounded this the great
machine rocked, iurched, rolled and
pitched in a way to inspire almost ter
ror for his safety and the highest ad-
miration for his courage.
More than once as l stood, stop
watch in hand, TO time him as he
crossed an imaginary line between the
tower and a mark on the fence, l
thought he would be hurled on to he
pylon itself but sitting absolutely i'm
movable, save for the movement of his
right arm on the control lever, he
guided the machine round with mas
terly precision and at once received the
full force of the wind al his back and
sped toward the next pylon at neatly
sixty miles an hour.
Turn of Speed Rapid
His turn of speed, too over the long
straight on the east side of the ground
was also rapid. but when taking the
next corner and all the way back to
tower c he was again buffeted by the
high wind.
"As I 'clocked him for the eighth
time at tower c | felt sure that man
and machine alike had all but reached
their limit. BY now the wind had risen
to d velocity of twenty-five miles an
hour, and, as q matter of fact, Paul
han alighted at the conclusion of the
round. He was loudly acclaimed on
all hands. and his mechanics carried
him shoulder high to the hangar while
the band played the "MaTseillaise' in
recognition of the performance.
"Farman himself was greatly pleased
at his comrades achievement and said
that where the wind was concerned it
was the best fight that a Farman ma
chine had ever made. Total time,
32:17 40. Total distance covered fif-
teen miles, 1868 yards, at 1852 miles
ter hour"
The machine with which Paulhan
made this flight is one that he is
bringing to Los Angeles.
Work already has been begun by the
photographers on the aviation week
poster, and at least 10000 will be dis
tributed by December Is.
The machines which viii be used by
the foreign and American aviators i'm
the aviation week contests viii be IL
lustrated and explained at tonights
open meeting of the Southern Califor-
mia Academy Of Sciences i'm symphony
hail. when talk ON aeroplanes and
other air craft will be made.