The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-07-07
To START A|RSHIP
IS NO EASY TASK
Great Care Must Be Exercised and
Much Labor Spent Before
Flight Is Made.

DAYTON, o.. July 6.-You've seen
buzzard take wing from the ground:
IL you have you know how laborious-
ly and awkwardly he luns and jumps
and beats the air before he Is able
TO get into the air.
But when he is once In the air and
begins TO climb the stairway or the
skies, turning long loops on rigia
wings, you forget how awkwardly and
with what effort he began his flight.
It's much the same with an aero
plane. When IL Is trundled from tue
aerodrome, you say To yourself that
II is commonplace looking contriv-
ance. Nothing graceful about II, moth
ing birulike. Just four-cylinder en-
CINE set between two rectangular
frames covered with Inbleached cam
brio. It's anything but beautiful.
Five men conduct the plane to the
monorail track, one pulling at eac !
wing tip, one at each OF two detach-
able wheels like enormous casters,
and one supporting the tail" You
say to yourself that IL is absurd to
have a machine that must needs be
started from a track.
The plane is placed on the rail,
which is just board on edge, faced
with strap iron. A fanged wheel on
a cross-piece in front rests on this
track In the rear.
A man stands AZ the tip OF one OF
the wings to keep the nicely balanced
machine from tipping to one side or
the other. Two other men go to the
rear, one to each OF the big propellers.
A mechanician goes TO the front of The
machine. worming himself in between
taat piano wires, and begins To test
the motor.
Then some one else gets under the
frame and makes the plane fast TO the
track by wire that is anchored to
the rail. This wire, which can be
thrown by a trigger, is to hold the
plane while the motor is working up
to full speed
Orville Wright comes up and looks
the machine over. He tests wires and
peers into oil cups and tries to control
levers. Then he crawic in between
the wires and pulls himself up into
the little seat beside the motor. You
say to yourself that an airship is ar
awkward creature TO mount
The men at the rear reach up and
kIhhD IlC ouloluO vi NlC plO-
pellers. The man at tie wing tip
grasps the end stay and braces him
self like a sprinter preparing for n
hundred-yard dash. You begin TO take
mild interests in the proceedings.
The men at the prope,lers begin to
count In unison:
"One--two-three!"
iAa~At the word three they pull down
49,. -.......-.1s .A..tg ~ 49,, - .t,,-,,
over" the motor. Yffere Is a cough
gin to whirl. The grass behind the
machine bends before a perfect gale
Of wind.
Orville takes last look at the
motor. He mods TO the man at the
wing tip, whose duty II is to run with
the machine TO hold II level till il
gains momentum. Last he reaches
down and pulls the trigger which re.
leases the wire that anchors the aero
plane.
The machine begins TO slide down
the track, slowly at first, but with
ever increasing speed. Ten-twenty
thirty yards II glides, still clingins
TO the rail. The runner looses his
hold on the plane and drops behind.
Then the forward control planes are
tilted upward a few inches.
AS gracefully and sure as wild swan
ever rose from the water, or as eagle
ever took TO air from his crag, the
aeroplane rises from the track and
climbs the air.
And when you see II a thousand feet
aloft, circling like a falcon in the
blue, you say 10 yourself that few
things under the sun ere more beau.
tiful than an aeroplane in flight.