The Washington herald., 1909-05-30
HISTORY OF THE AEROPLAEE.
Development of the Flying ME-
chine in the Last Six Years.

chine in the Last Six Years.
Tie Wright invention Is Acknowledged
supreme among its sort, not only in ths
country Of its origin. but IN France The
rival nation is foremost 20 admit the In
feriOTity Of its attempts in mecnanicaI
flight The Wrights' victory over tlie
French i incontestsbls. impossible to
deny French aeronaufists have been
forced 10 express their unconditional
surrender in cheerful admission OF ne
supremacy OF the American machine
No man to-day challenges the WCights
in the air.
Before the President Of France and
ministers OF the French government the
Americans have shown what they could
do. King Edward has been an interested
watcher Of their fights King Alfonso
jOurneyed 20 Pau from Spain 10 watch
them last winter. and 70 learn something
Of aeronautics. the nev branch Of the
science OF national defense. The invea-
tors jOurneyed 10 Italy and fevv before
King Victor Emmanuel With them they
bring 20 their Own country the premier
trophy Of GeTOlautics given for the long
est flight in the year 1s1S the Michelin
Cup- They have received medals from
the French government. numerous prizes.
decorations. and many other distinctions
The honors so lately reaped are bound
up with the more substantial rewards
The privilege OF building and using the
Wright flyer has been purchased by sew
eral Of the military nations. or Is being
negotiated for The price Of the right To-
governments is going up France bought
in October. 1S0S. for Slo0-o9. Italy bought
in April. 1919. for twice that SUN. Ger
many Is seeking the German rights. Ths
United States Is likely 70 purchase here,
and Great Britain is contemplating doing
as much
important above all as a result Of tbs
European trip. the Wrights have proved
their machine 20 be not insure for the
passenger and hard 20 navigate but safe
and easy There are now three men IN
France who can fly the Wright machine
unassisted. They are pupils OF the
Wrights, and learned 10 operate IN each
case-in about fifty hours Of practice. per
haps three times as long as It would take
to learn 70 ride a bicycle; hardly longer
than Il takes 20 make q man into re-
liable city and road chauffeur
Their Triumph of Past Year.
The Wright brothers set out on their
task Of making good before the world
year ago. They had hard task before
them. and everything to be proved. Il IS
indeed Just year since the brothers
started making their public fights az
Msnteo. y. c These formed the first
positive evidence given 70 the public that
the Wright machine could even leave the
ground
All the more is their return to America
after their triCuphs abroad a striking mo-
ment in the progress Of the science OF
fight. The moment holds the realiza-
ticn that an epoch has just been made
The science may grow into an element
OF the future more potent than any
prophets suspect. However far flight
progresses In times TO come. and It has
already changed the face Of things on the
military maps, Il can never rise clear of
the names OF the Wrights. nor OF the
memory of their achievements IN the
months Just past The Wrights return
very different figures from what they
were when they left for Europe They are
assured Of places. at the least. with
Morse. Fulton. and Edison. among the
list OF American inventors
Our Crucial Problem of Flight
An invention, so-caned. Is always really
an aggregation OF contrivances. It Is 50
with the aeroplane. Many problems had
to be solved to make machine fy. The
Wrights solved one-but Il was the crucial
one without their contrivance all the
rest Of the apparatus OF flying was OF
little worth.
II a mechanical bird we're made with
its wings spread. a taUt wire could hs
run from one wing tip 10 the other. pass
ing. say. through the claw Then. when
the claw moved 50 as 10 pull the wire and
draw down the LEFT wing tip. Il would lst
up the right wing tip 10 an equal degTee.
AS the Wrights' big artificial bird could
not move its wings OF itself as a bird
can. they ran such a wire. as a substitute
II ran from the rear edge OF one blunt
wing tip OF the aeropiane 70 the rear edge
OF the other tip. And on the way &
passed down through the claw. which
was. Of course. q sort Of clutch and
wheel. held in the grip OF the human
master OF the mechanical creature.
\ bird in fight. even whea soaring. has
Continued on Page 2, Column 4.