The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-02-09
A|RSH|P INVENTED
BY SALT LAKE MAN
p. +. GilIptt Has Machine Which
Gives Promise of Making
Its Mark.
GAS USED AS AUXILIARY
TO PRINCIPLES OF PLANE
Company May Be Organized to,
Build Ship for International
Competition.

Twenty years ago P. f Gillett of No.
6l2 South Seventh East. began TO give
serious attention to aeronau,ics. At
that time Mr.. Gillett lived in San
lrancisco. He made n drawing and
then he made little model, The model
c was a combination of gas bag and
aeroplane. Then he made another
model and then third The third was
eieht feet long and was provided with
steam power, the condenser type OF en-
oino bong used. That was IN the days
when the gasoline engine was IN IT'S
infancy and when electric storage bat
tcrios were moi what they arc today:
Mr.. Gillett showed his model in Cali
fornia. II worked perfectly. The San
Francisco papers described IL fully 3nd
various articles in the newspapers
caused no little interest 10 he taken
in the Gillett flying machine.
Since that time Mr.. Gillotr has been
working inccssantly on plans for more
modern type, although machine that
still retains the principles on winch he
built his earlier models.
On Tuesday afternoon. IN the Mer-
chants bank Mr.. Gillctt gave an ex-
PLANTATION Of his drawings. uumbcr
of interested persons were present, and
ali of them seemed to he convinced
that Gillctt had u machine that can fly,
and that II eau fly Just a little better
than ANYTHING thus far attempted.
May Organize Company,
The dcmonstra tion Tuesday was the
first step looking towards the organi.
zation of company IL some individual
does not step in first and take up MI
Gillcti : machine, have one manu-
factnred and enter it In flying machine
competitions. IL the company is or
ganizcd The capital stock viii be not
less than $4,000, proba bly, moro.
Mr. GiIlett wants TO get action on
his proposition right soon, IA he IS
ies;rous Of having his machine built
and thoroughly tested before the next
iutcrus tional competition comes oil,
II am sure I would take some
prizes said Mr.. Gillett, +.bccause [
am satisfied fhat my machine is de-
signed on principles that the others
have not got.
Mr. Gillett has made application for
patents ON five different pieces of mech
anism in his machine.
Balloon idea Modified.
Since it has become so thoroughly
demonstrated by Paulhan. Farman, Cur
tisS aud thc Wrishts that the coDqueror
Of thc air docs not need gas bag as
hig as \ city block to Keep mm and his
machine in the mir. Mr.. Gillctt has
lfptiiiiFl MS lU'IN InbUi Int use VI
gas very materially He still employs
pas, but only as an auxiliary. so To
speak. and mas no gas bag whatever.
The gas bag has heen found 10 offer
resistance that is fatal ia successful air
navigation. this resistance being oh.
waited TO inc last degree by the aero.
plane
Thcrc Is enough gas IN Mr. GilIctt
ship, however. 10, help it's huoyuucY 10
l,,,I &c l,r.
means wholly depended on for lifting
power. for there are five propcllers for
This purpose, as we'll as for driving pur-
poses.
Gillett Plan Different.
Mr.. Gillctt 8 plan for air navigation
is different His proposed machine con-
sists of two air planes, each eight feet
wide and ten or fifteen feet long. These
planes arc built of aluminium sheets. or
of one sheet Of aluminum and sheet
of oiled silk. At ibc edges the plates
OF silk and plates arc joined together.
bu5 in the middle there is space of
about six inches. This vacuum is 10
he flied with hydrogen gas, the gas
having ihc greatest power of buovancy
known ia science lU addition 10 the
gas contained in these planes, all of the
larger parts Of the machine will he
built hollow and those spaces also
ullfl Win SHs-
The proposition is 10 supply the mo-
live power for the airship with 4 gaso-
line engine of ffty-horsc power. 10 be
stationed in the forward part of the
machine. The operator, who is seated
III the rear portion. will, ny his weight,
counteract the weight of the engine,
thus producing a balance.
More Lifting Power
Que Of tho things that viii help 10
keeps Gillett's airship up Will be re-
volving conelille propellers at the side
Of the machine These viii crcate a
great suction upward, and upon the
excess of air thus produced VIII rise
and fall two large parachute wings The
effect of the air under the wings and
the action of the wings themselves will
be closer 10 the bird than anything
heretofore attempted.
The eutIre system of machinery Will
be driven by one great wheel This
has cogs on the outside for driving the
parachute wings, bevel cogs on the side
FOR driving the two propellers in the
rear and the one III front, and an in
terror SET of coas 20 drive the cone
propeIlcrs al the sides.
The propeller in front is regular
propeller. only its action. is reversed
so that it pulls rather than pushes The
two propeHers in The rear are operated
by q double-knuckle shaft. and NAV
be, through this arrangement. placed
IN any position. A guide in front acts
like the head of bird and ruddcr
m the rear performs the functions of Il
ruddcr on ship
u is estimated that one of the sbins
can he built and equipped for<$10 900