Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-11
Between $1,000 and S. 900.
Including Price for Machine.
BUYING AN AER0PLAN6
Services of Mechanic Are Essential
to a Beginner. i
SHED CAN BE BUILT FOR $500
Considerable Damage Nay Be Done
by Awkward Descents, But Re-
pairs Are Not Expensive.

pairs Are Not Expensive.
LONDON, August L. Nowadays any
ordinarily active man, on deciding TO
learn to fly, may achieve his ambition
in less than a months time. provided he
is prepared to spend some money. II he
Is content to acquire the art OF airman-
ship without actually owning an aero
plane of his own, IL will cost him GOD
or slightly more. Should he buy a ma
chine his expenditure may be ESQ to
Fl 900, according to the make and repu
tation OF his aircraft To such a stage
of practicability has human flight al
ready attained. And 1t Is not surprising.
I'm view Of recent achievements In the
air, that many sportsmen-mostly young
men of leisure-are now discussing. and
for the first time, the buying OF aero
planes and the adoption OF flying as a
new and very exhilarating form Of motor
ing.
Purchasing a Machine.
The first thought Of a man who Il
thinking Of becoming an airman is nat
urally this How much does an aero
plane cost? Upon this point precise de-
tails are now available. Farman BIZ
plane, such as NJ. Paulhan and MIR.
Grahame- White steered in the memo
rable London-to- Manchester flight, and
fitted with the famous Gnome motor-to
which both airmen owed SO much of their
success-now costs f1, 130.
The aeroplane, when ready, is delivered
to the purchaser at Mourmelon, and he
must then buy very large wooden crate
to pack 1t in. il his intention Is to bring
1t to England. This packing case-its size
may be gauged when 1t Is remembered
that the biplane measures close upon
forty feet from one wing tip to the other
will cost nearly ESQ The carriage OF the
flying machine from France to England
will involve an outlay OF another E2A
Should a would-be airman decide to buy
a monoplane, or single-surface machine
instead of q biplane, such as the Farman,
he will find that the cost Of Bleriot
type craft, fitted with a three-cylindered
AnZani engine-the same pattern OF arr
craft and motor as that with which NJ.
Bleriot few across the channels f4SO.
Delivery of such monoplane as this may
be made almost Immediately.
But the announcement OF experts
should be cited as regards the use OF
monoplanes and biplanes from the nov
ices point of view. They say. and ex-
perience certainly bears them out. that
the beginner learns to fly more easily
and more safely upon a biplane than
when a biplane begins to lose its balance
in the air II heels over far more slowly
than a monoplane, thereby giving its pilot
more time to alter his levers and bring IT.
again upon a level keel.
Matter of Damage.
Upon the question of how much dam
age a man is likely to do to his machine
in learning to fly Mr.. Grahame White has
made a valuable statement.
II am perfectly certain" he said, that
by first taking a pupil up with me as
passenger in a Farman machine. and
showing him how to manipulate the hand
control lever and the fOot-rod operating
rudder, / can teach him to fly without
the slightest damage being done 10 tie
aeroplane. Afterward, when he mahes
injury to the apparatus by an ihjudicious
descent. But it all depends on the man.
Lightness Of touch is needed in flying
that and level-headedness The ideal
pupil would learn to fly in day almost.
and become a proficient airman without
breaking a skid or a stay"
The damage that can be done by a bad
descent was indicated rather quantity by
one airman of experience, who contends
that 'you can smash up a machine ap-
parently quite badly, and yet the repair
bill will not be more than ElOO. An awk-
ward landing, causing the breaking OF
skid or several wooden stays. will not
cost more than two or, three pounds.
After q man has learned to fly at some
training aerodrome, and is ready TO take
his machine home with him, he should
have ready for his use a field at least
300 yards square for the run along the
ground which Is necessary to gain the
impetus by which to soar into the air.
AS he becomes more expert less maneu-
vering room will be necessary. He must
also erect a shed in which to have the
aeroplane housed. This he can build for
s1OO An elaborate hangar with a con-
crete floor and small repair shop in one
corner of 1t may cost f3O0 or f4o0.
Services Of Mechanic.
To a beginner who is not well acduaint-
ed with aeroplane motors the services OF
q special mechanic will be essential. The
salary of a reliable man-one who thor
oughly understands the delicate tuning
up" process necessary every now and
then with aeroplanesranges from E3
to 95 week. Two or three odd men
are generally necessary, at the COM
Of each fight, to assist in
maneuvering the aeroplane from point TO
point.
The actual cost of flying, while In the
air. varies enormously according to the
engine used. ION my Farman. with the
Gnome motor" Mr.. Grahame-White once
Sdlu, INu ubc lOuI SdIOHS VI pctioi
in an hours flight. At Is I'd a gal
Ion this represents Is Sd. Then there 10
quite a gallon and a half of special lu-
oil to add to this representing
cost OF IS Cd Thus the total cost OF an
hours flight is lbs I'd. During an hour I
should have traversed forty-fve miles.
Therefore, the cost Of my flight would be
slightly less than Bid a mile. Some other
motors consume more petrol. but far less
oil. 1t Is a question of construction and
power. But when the aeroplane Is quite
a practical machine, flying will be far
cheaper than. motoring There will be no
heavy tire bills and no wear and tear
from the vibration Of the roads
Sufhciept fabric to reclothe the planes
Of q FRrman machine costs about Gao.
Minor renewals involve little expense.
With careful handling, experts agree that
an aerOplane should last quite a long
time-certainly longer than a year.