Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-12
PAULHAN MASTER OF FLIGHT
First Day Of Aviation Meet at Los
Angeles Furnishes Thrills.
SPECTATORS MARVEL AT SKILL
Frenchman Cuts All Kinds of Figures,
Races with DrigibIe and swOOps
Close q Heads of People in
GrnndstRnd.


Grandstand.
o ANGELES, Jan. u.-Making a sud
den and dramatic appearance while the
1000 spectators were watching the slow
flight of two dlrigible balloons at Aviation
park this afternoon. Louis Paulhan threw
the great throng into a frenzy OF enthu-
siasm by a spectacular flight In a Farman
-biplsne. This. the first day OF the aviation
meet. was given over to preliminary trials
and flights, to give aeronRuts and avlators
a nance to shake down their machines.
Curtiss had given an exhibition in a new
and untried machine, In which later Clit-
ford Harmon made some short flights.
Charles II. Willard, in the Curtlss No. l,
had also made a successful flight, and sew
eral times Roy Knabenshue and Lincoln
Beachey had assembled in two small dlrlgi-
bles and Unanswered their craft, but moth
ing to thrill the crowd occurrer until Paul
han wept into the game. Beachey and
Knabenshue were plotting their dlrlgibles
around the course. when the daring French
man appeared suddenly out OF a gulley
hidden from the view OF the grand stand,
circled the course three times. went out
across-country, came back over the grand
stand and alighted in the center OF the
field.
In W later flights he gave a remark
able exhibition OF control over his machine,
gracefully making sharp turns, now dip
ping almost to the ground to scatter in
frightened flight a group of o~fficialsf gath
cred on the field, again Swimming the
grand stand only a few feet above the
heads OF the spectators, ascending, de-
scending, and, finally, approaching from
the rear of the tent that houses his aero
plane, just clearing the top and allghting
within 100 feet OF its entrance.
Paulhan was given a demonstration such
as Ia seldom witnessed at a public gath
ering in this country. Men shouted them
selves hoarse, while women applauded and
waved hendkerchiefs. Paulhan, slated by
the furoTe he had created, danced gaily
into his tent.
After trial flights by several Americans,
Paulhan's turn came.
Paulhan Surprises All.
w can't do anything with that French
man." said Dick Ferris. master Of cere-
monies. HE pays no attention to rules
and regulations, nor to the course laid
out for the flights. ! would not be sur
prised to see him appear suddenly on his
machine through the top OF his tent"
Ia was almost what Paulhan did. While
the spectators were watching the flight Of
the dirigibles, a Farman biplane was taken
quietly from tle Paulhan tent down into
a gully hidden from the view of those at
the starting stretch. Just when Knaben-
hue and Beachey were passing over the
grand stand on their return and when
every neck was craned backward, there
was a sudden shout and out Of the gully
shot Paulhan, the motor OF his Farman
humming at a tremendous rate.
He swung around the course and came
down before the grand stand at high
speed. He gesticulated first his right hand
and then his left and at times he let
go the steering wheel and waved both
arms and shouted to the multitude.
\ Circling the full course once, Paulhan
then began a second round, but stopped
at the half way pole to cut across the field
straight for the grand stand. Suddenly
veering, he described another circle, finally
disappearing from view to the north behind
the grand stand. He scared this way ami
that in the adjacent country. again head
ing directly for the grand stand, which he
cleared from behind. passing only a few
feet above the topmost row of seats and
shouting greetings to the lodging crowds
NANScNh a ooNAAA5 ONN Ch NiC ACAbf AAlC
machine descended in front Of Paulhan's
quarters. rtt-.
Frenchman Races with Knabenshue.
Paulhan had remained in the air eight
and one-half minutes and sailed three and
three-quarter miles. His highest altitude
was 150 feet.
While the dirigibles were preparing for
their second flight the irrepressible French
man decided to start upon another jour
ney. Covering the fun course in 2:O7A. he
started around again, and neared the START
ing point just as Knabenshue's balloon had
caught the wind at the head of the stretch
and was coming along at high speed. Paul
hans Reroplape shot upward and soon was
abreast and directly over the dlriglble. The
two craft raced with the wind at their
backs, that of the Frenchman soon dis
~tancing the big gas bag.
Continuing his flight at high speed, Paul
han gave a thrilling exhibition of his con-
troll. He darted this way and that. as.
cendNd suddenly and shot downward, until
1t seemed that he must surely wreck his
aeroplane against the earth. Where groups
of men had gathered on the field, he scat
tered them with dips OF the machine. Once
he headed directly for the grand stand,
waiting until almost upon It before point
ing the bow OF his craft upward and skim
ming just above the heads of the crowd.
Throughout II all he gesticulated with his
hands and shouted in a language under
stood by his countrymen alone. on his
second flight he remained up ten minutes
and two seconds, reaching a height OF 400
feet and travelling about four and one-half
miles. In descending he just cleared the
top Of his own tent from the rear, alight-
ing a short distance from the entrance.
Long Flight by PauIhan.
In his third flight Paulhan arose directly
In front Of the grand stand, passed over It
and turned back to the official course.
wheres he arose to a height Of $40 feel.
Covering the mile and a half in 1858, he
took another shoot into the country, came
back. went around the course a second
time and had started on his third lap Just
as Beachey In his dirlgible and Charles X.
/ Hin Tntlfop IN a Cttrfia9 rn0panlann hna .uoN.