Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-01
MUELLER BUILDS
NOVEL AIRCRAFT
CONSTRUCTS MONOPLANE ON
LINES OF BIRD
CAPTAIN DECLARES HE WILL WIN
RACE TO BAY CITY
Daring Aeronaut Says if Prize Big
Enough Is Offered for Flight to
San Francisco He Will
Contest

VENICE, Dec. 31.-"If the aviation
committee offers a bona fide prize of
$4,000, or any other amount, open to
any airship to make the fight from
Los Angeles to San Francisco L will
win it,"
The above statement, delivered in a
perfectly confident tone, came from
Captain August e. Mueller, who is
putting the finishing touches on what
he claims to he the largest monoplane
ever construc ed. He said he expects
to have the m chine completed in time
to enter the contests during aviation
week.
Captain Mueller, with two assistants,
has been steadily at work on the ma
chine for several weeks and construc-
ton has all been done in Venice. While
the remainder of the work is being
done the machine will be on exhibition
on the Midway.
The Mueller monoplane is built aGong
entirely radical lines as compared with
machines heretofore successful in
flight, but some of Muellers ideas are
considered unique. They are founded
upon thirty years experience in air
navigation. Captain Mueller Is known
far and wide as a most daring bal
Ioonist and has made thorough study
of air currents and their whims.
Machine Cannot Fall
If working model proves anything
the Mueller monoplane cannot possibly
fall to the ground and create havoc to
the occupants or the machine ltselI.
IT ts so constructed that in case the
engine stops the machine will soar
gracefully to the earth, right side up,
similar to the fall of cat. IL the
monoplane should be overloaded a con-
trivance resembling a parachute can
be brought into use by pulling rope
and the descent can be made saIely'
The shape of the Mueller machine is
that of a founder, or a stingray. In
dight the model has the appearance
Of a large bird-the head, tail, wings
and breast all being there. From TIP
to tin the machine is 100 feet in length,
with width over all of fifty feet The
wings, which, with the plane above the
BODY of the machine. form the com
plete plane supporting surface, are
each seventy feet IN length Win d
maximum width of seventeen feet.
They are fixed rigidly to the sides or
the aeroplane. Each carries out the
idea of large birds wing.
Constructed of Light Timber
The main construction of the Mueller
plane is light oak and pine Wooa'
bolted and sewed together in line with
M1eller's own inventions. There IS
not nail in the entire machine The
entire weight of the aeroplane with the
engine is 1900 pounds and this is ca
pable of supporting four persons. Muel-
Ter said the machine can be con-
structed on any scale desired.
A 5O-horsepower Tourist engine is
used for motive power. The engine is
placed in the lowest possible spot in the
aeroplane making the center of gravity
almost perfectly located for safety.
Two driving shafts, each. seventy feet
in length, operate along each side of
the machine, revolving four propellers,
two at each end. Each of the forward
propellers has three blades and each
of the rear ones four blades, all alu-
minum. Each blade travels in its own
orbit, which is also patented ar