Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1910-07-15
THE "GYROPLANE" NOW
Will Carry 100 Passengers And
Co 100 Miles An Hour.
From the st. Louis Times. J.


Aerial Navigation Company fora IL
cense to conduct business in Missouri
has revealed plans for commercial
passenger airship that rivals the Wild
est dreams OF Jules Verne. Officials
of the company declare that within
wear they will have ship sailing the
skies that will carry up to 100 passen-
gers in a 4O-mile wind and at a speed
of 100 miles an hour, if desired.
The machine is the invention OF j.
w. Oman, formerly OF San Antonio,
Texas. but at present a st. Louisan'
One is in progress of construction in
the shops OF the inventor for exhibit
ton at the October aviation meet. The
location of the shops is being closely
guarded.
The inventor claims that his ship
can start either from the land or wa
ter. He declares it will ascend straight
into the air or can be launched IN
the manner of an acroplane.
The new airship is called a gyro'
plane, so named from the fact that 1t
is combination of gyroscope, the
helicopter and the aeroplane. Its
promoters say it can be built in any
size, from a two-man "runabout or
seven-passenger touring car" to
monster of the air that will carry oO
or 100 passengers.
"a 80 or 10 mile breeze would be
help rather than hindrance to our
machine" said the inventor to
Times reporter. "We will maintain
absolute equilibrium in anything short
of cyclone. The usual obstacles
that prevent the hight of an ordinary
airship will be as nothing to this ma
chine of ours"
It is planned to construct machines
that will maintain a regular passen-
GER service between cities and States,
and even countries. The gasoline
supply NAV be unlimited sufficient to
carry the airship and its passengers
thousands of miles.
The gyroscope and the hellcopter
are familer principles in heavier than
air navigator, but never before have
they been applied in the manner en-
p,oyed by Oman. The model OF his
ship Is fitted with huge propellers,
II feet in diameter, which may be used
IN turn for drawing the machine from
the ground or carrying it through the
air.
The officers of the company say the
machine has been inspected by Gov
ernment engineers and many experts
in machinery and navigation OF the air
They all have pronounced it the great
est invention of the kind that eyer has
been seen, the inventor declares.
Ten patents have been granted by
the Government, covering almost
every feature of the machine. Foreign
patents will be applied for at once.
The machine is to be constructed
entirely of aluminium and macada-
mite. There will not be strip OF can
vas or cloth of any sort about it, eX-
cept that used in the parachutes, fas-
tened TO the machine for use in case
of emergency.
The machine, besides carrying four
propellers, is fitted with two engines
both of which will be used to lift the
machine. One of them will be shut
down when the machine is in the air
and carried in case of accident to the
first one.
The propelIers are helicop:ers while
the machine is raising, and they are
gradually turned from an upri ght 10
a horizontal position to get the ma
chine under way.
The sole feature of the machine thai
resembles an aeroplane is the huge
single plane fastened to the car 10 fee'
above its upper edge. This is used fol
sailing and for maintaining equili
brim. 1t is also claimed that in case o
accident to the machine it may be used
| for brin ging it gradually to the ground
by tilting it at different angles.
The inventor asserts the machine CAL
| be made to stand still at one spot in tn
air for an indefinite time. ,, We coulC
droO |. 900 bombs on warship from
height OF two miles without moving
foot" he declared.
The body of the machine, which ma.
be left open or closed and made water
tight, will carry any number OF people
liz is said The airship will float on tn
surface of the water for an indelinit
,period, it is claimed, and may reasce
from the surface.
The company is incorporated unde
the laws of Arizona and is capitalize
at So, ,OOO, 900 +. A. Siefert st. Lou
= isan, IS president of the compan.
which has a board Of directors ana
i corps of officers composed of st. Lou1
business men. Meyer Isaac is secr'
tary AID treasurer and the inventor
II. w. Oman, is general manager.
Oman declares he has studied aeri;
navigation 20 years and that ne file
his first plans l. years ago.