Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-10
THOUSANDSCHEER
GREAT AERONAUT
CURTISS MAKES SPECTACULAR
FLIGHTS
CIRCLES BIG PARK AT DoMlN-
GUEZ JUNCTION
indications Are that Events of This
Meeting Will Surpass All Previous
Marks in History of
Flying
tContInred DOOM 1,are .lpe,

tContinred from rage 'Due1
music of the. cheers Of 5000 throats.
His flight was started on a steep
grade which at first glance would balk
most autoists in attempting. When
he had flown 200 feet or more at q
height of fifty feet from the ground he
suddenly shut off his engine and glided
down to the earth, bringing his ma
chine to an abrupt stop with the use
of a small brake on the front wheel
The running gear, if such it may be
called, of the Curtiss aeroplane Is
combination tricycle. and runner ar
rangement The runners in front pre-
vent injury to the framework above
and aid in aIfghting on the gound with
nerfect ease and safety. The three
wheels are set one in front and Two
directly beneath the seat occupied py
the aviator These wheels are IN no
wav connected with the engine, al
though the biplane can make slNly
miles an hour on its own Wheels aloils
a 1avel stretch of ground. 1t is the
air current resulting from the reYolu-
lions of the blade that drives the ma
chine ahead.
Makes Second Flight
c,urtiss' second fight was made from
an eminence 100 feet or SO eeyoiia 1lle qIe
turnedg his biplane around Win Ilio
fa,,t nointing eastward started ms
engine and rose almost instantly apose
- boade oe the dozens of photogfa-
Yl,ere waiting to take a snap OF llili
n f1ight. He flew about 5Oo rect, asoln s.l.I
oiishtfng without accldent bui iI llls
tbe second flight he made ms plplane I.?
81 no and down in the ar llNe :" ,,-a,.id
of life resembling for all the "oliu
a bird in flight. 90 ,.oorod
pnca more the biplane was Neereu
,d "a the west The engine was
cot in motion and after the plpldile
nod run along the ground Tor seventy
60 feet or thereabouts it suddenly shol
nm in the air, rising quickly 10 neisl iseilt
of forty feet. At first IT was thouslll
that Mr.. Curtiss would make aholli0
short fight, but when ne Cdll9 " .
+,1,rping noint in the course marked py
t,iab tower he veered it to the north-
,,,est and gradually brought 1t around
,,nti1 If was sailing due north. Wheh
the next course tower was reachea ne
,.oerad his machine again so that III
fev- seconds he was travelling due east
avactIv in the opposite direction from
the direction in which he first started
Flies Three-fourths of Mile
rirarv he shut off his engine ana
o.nla TO- the ground 1900 feet from his
:. s+artine point, after having hoWh
tbrough the air three-quarters Oh d
milo and having been in the ar tWo
minutes or thereabouts. 1t was en-
tirelv voluntary on the part OF Mr. Cur
tiss that he came down at all, as ne
had a tank full Of gasoline ana could
hove kept on flying for several houfs
had he SO desired. His flight dispelled
ali sI,enticisrn. cured all Doubling
Thomasas'' of their doubts and made
Aviation week an assured success.
one of the really remarkable features
of the flights is that the biplane IS ne"
and had never been off the ground be-
fore. 1t is owned by Clifford b. Har-
mon of New York, who will make sew
eral flights in it before the week ENDS.
Mr. Harmon, who has never flown in a
iirIane hut who holds some worlds
records made in his huge balloon New
York. and Col. Frank H. Johnson OF
San Francisco, who recently has pug-
chased q Curtiss biplane and VIII make
flights this week, were interested spec
tators of the examination made by Mr..
Curtiss before he made his flights.
Receive First Lessons
They were receiving their first in
strdction in aeroplane flights, and so
drank in every word uttered by the
master aviator. c. F. Willard who will
pilot a Curtiss biplane during Aviation
week. also was an interested spectator.
II always go over every wire, nut,
bolt. blade and appurtenance on my
machine" said Mr.. Curtiss before l
make flight If I make fifty flights
in a day l make a careful examination
before and after each one of them.
feel it is better to be overcautious than
to take any risks. There is no danger
in aviation providing a man has COM
mon sense, some nerve and a good ma
chine.
Il like being UP in the air. and I feel
safer there than when 1 am riding on
a railroad train. 1t certainly is more
healthful. I hope to do a lot of things
While here, although I shall leave the
stunts to Mr.. Hamilton, who. is con-
sidered one of the best aeronauts in
the world. 1t is easy to handle a BIZ
plane. The control is perfect. ! use
my body in turning the rudder at the
back, and as was seen while I was in
the air turning corners, while not made
quickly, is as easy as steering an auto
mobile
Curtiss will enter every competition
during the week. He will try to break
speed, distance and height records. and
says that if all his flights are as sue
cessful and easy as that made yester-
day, he will accomplish what he has
set out to do.