The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-07-09
wHEHn IT FAILED.

which he was forced to come down to
earth after having made two success
full circuits Of Fort Myer, or VI the
grounds where the experiments were
being made. A Washington dispatch
to one Of the Northern papers has this
Interesting paragraph:
OryilIe sat quiet In his car. working
his planes to keep the machine going
on It's steady course. He realized that
his engine was In distress, but he did
not know what the trouble was nor
did he have any time to md ndt. He
the most favorable conditions possible.
The engine went still further wrong,
and knowing 1t to be utterly useless
Orville cut on the power. intending to
float down TO earth and take his
chances On landing safely on a level
green spot which stretched out below
him.
This brief statement is well worth
reading. because in 1t 10 contained " hat
we may call the vital point Of the
flying problem. The Wrights have
spent much time in study and expert
mentation with a view to constructing
"a perfect flying machine" The ore
was constructed on the aeroplane prin-
ciple. 1t was intended to glide through
the air as a bird does. but also was
provided with O motor to give II mo
ton. So far as could be foreseen tits
machine was perfect. as far as any
human work can be perfect. and its
practicabiiity as a flyer had been de-
monstrated by successful flights.
And yet, as shown in the paragraph
we have quoted. the machine, like all
other work of human hands, was not
perfect. 1t had its weak spot, end
that one weak spot was sufficient -
bring 1t to grief. Owing to the con-
struction of the wings and the condi-
tion of the air, Orville was enabled to
glide gently forward and downward
until he reached the earth. Forum
ately also for him ne practically had
the privilege Of choosing the place OF
descent. and SO escaped injury.
But 1t Is allowable to suppose
case" in connection with this adven-
ture. II he had been at a great height
he might have found 1t impossible to
choose his own place Of alighting. If
a violent gust of wind had come along
IT would have wrecked his crippled
machine and perhaps caused fatal re-
suits. II he had been flying over some
wide expanse Of water the machine
would have come down just the same.
If he had been flying over some thick
and tangled forest the aeroplane would
have been wrecked and himself injur ed
or killed.
It may be said that these ara all
suppositions, and SO they are, but not
one of them Is impossible or even I'M
reasonable. He thought he had safe
take a flight across the continent or
over the seas he might start In what
he would consider a safe conveyance.
Then the motor would give way, cease
to work or become unmanageable and
there would be an end. The weak
point In the business Is that nan CEN
not construct a motor. an engine or
other machinery which win be abso-
lutely secure against failure.
The washington Times is quite cp-
timistic on the subject 1t notes that
the Wrights have been studying the
way great birds glide through the air
and have caught their methods. This,
1t says, "is the very essence OF hying.
The knowledge OF how to do 1t came
to the Wrights from studying the
gliding of great birds. To know the
theory OF the thing. however, is vast
ly different thing from making a ma
chine which can do 1t; and making
| the machine is still long way from
training the operator SO that he may
instinctively manipulate his levers and
| adjustments to produce the right ef-
| fects The man who flies in an aero
| the feel of the thing. He must know
his machine, and the air which Is its
element; and he must know ,hen SO
perfectly that he does instinciively the
| thing which needs to be done, as a
bird does It, or as a man walks erect,
maintaining his equilibrium by the
wonderfully delicate balance and ad-
| tustment of muscular strains, without
thought or even without realization
that he is doing such a thing. That
Is what flying means. 1t is what the
Wrights are in the way of accomp-
fishing: II 10 what their machine las
made possible: and 1t is the thing
which markstheirmachine as the great
achievement in aeroplane invention and
management"
That is all very nice in theory. but
where are we to find the man VINO
can or will have the perfect control
over mind and muscle that will enable
him to do what the fowls do? We
walk without generalization. and with
out having to think about putting enc
footbefore the other. because our legs
are part of our bodies and we DO not
reflect before moving them. The fowl
sails. scars or flies because the wings
are part of the body and instinctively
adapt themselves to any position re-
quired of them. If a man could make
motor or engine that would be pert
of himself and act Just as required
without thought or effort on his part
such mishaps as that OF Orville Wright
| would not occur. In short. does not
that very incident prove most conclu-