New-York tribune., 1910-01-11
PAULHAN FLIES
PERFECT CONTROL 1T
LOS ANGELES.
Crozrd Cheers Madly at His
Antics in 3 FHghts-SHght
accidents ON First Day.

Los Angeles Jan. 10.-Making a sud-
den and dramatic appearance while the
twenty thousand spectators at the in
ternational aviation meet, which opened
here to-day, were watching the slow
flight of two dirigible balloons at Avia-
ton Park Louis Paulhan threw the great
throng into a frenzy of enthusiasm by
spectacular flight of eight minutes thirty
seconds in Farman biplane He added
to the feat two other flights, one of
twenty nine minutes two seconds, and
one OF ten minutes two seconds.
The first day of the meet was devoted
to preliminary trials and flights to give
aeronauts and aviators chance to shake
down their machines. Curtiss gave an.
exhibition in a new and untried machine,
in which Clifford B. Harmon later made
some short flights. Charles z. Willard,
in the Curtiss No. 1, also made success
full fight, and several times Roy Knaben-
shue and Lincoln Beachey ascended in
two small dirigibles and maneuvred
their craft. but nothing to thrill the
crowd occurred until Paulhans fight.
Beachey and Knabenshue were pilot
ing their dirigibles around the course
when the Frenchman appeared suddenly
out Of a gulley hidden from the grand
stand, circIed the course three times.
went out across country, came back over
the grandstand and alighted in the centre
of the field.
PAULHAN CHEERED MADLY.
Paulhan was cheered madfy. Men
shouted themselves hoarse, while women
applauded and waved handkerchiefs.
Paulhan danced gayly into his tent.
AT 1 o'clock Glenn H. Curtiss opened
the international meet with the first
flight in new monoplane. Leaving the
ground in front of the grandstand, the
craft rose gently to the west, made a
short flight up the course. returned and
alighted at the starting point. The dis
tance, estimated by the judges at five
furlongs, was covered in 2S:03 seconds,
the greatest height reached being fifty
feet. The machine was under perfect
control, and the American was loudly
cheered.
Next Charles F. Willard appeared in
his Curtiss aeroplane No. /, and after a
short preliminary fight attempted to
circle the official course. which is a tride
more than mile and half long. Ris-
ing to height of seventy feet he main
tanned this altitude until half the dis
| tance had been travelled. when his motor
gave out and he descended. He was in
| the air 1 minute % seconds. After
readiustment of the motor, Willard
! arose again and completed the course.
| Curtiss, using the machine with which
he had made the previous fight, cir
| cled the field, an estimated distance of
one and one-eighth miles, in 1:51. His
| maximum altitude was two hundred
| feet
Lincoln Beachey and Roy Knabenshue
| appeared with their dirigible balloons.
sailing directly over the grandstand at
a height of two hundred feet against a
stiff breeze, and returning at high
speech with the wind at their backs.
The frail cigar shaped balloons were
under the control of the pilots. who de-
| scended to earth without a jar
| Before this time the crowd had be-
| gun to inquire for Paulhan. I'VE can
not do anything with that Frenchman, -
said Richard Ferris. master of cere-
monies. He pays no attention to rules
| and regulations or 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"
That was almost what Paulhan did.
| While the spectators were watching the
flight of the dirigibles Farman biplane
was taken quietly from the Paulhan
tent down into a gully hidden from
| view Just when Knabenshue 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 gulley shot
| Paulhan, the motor of his Farman hum
| ming at tremendous rate.
PAULHANS ANTICS.
| He swung around the course and came
| down before the grandstand at high
speed. He gestculated first with the
right hand and then the 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
| began a second round. but stopped at the
| halfway pole to cut across the field
| straight for the grandstand. Suddenly
yeering, he described another circle,
| finally disappearing from view to the
| north behind the grandstand. He scared
| this way and that In the adjacent coun-
| try. again heading directly for the stand,
| which he cleared from behind, passing
only a few feet above the top seats. He
shouted greetings TO the lodging crowd
beneath Passing out on the field the
machine descended in front of Paulhan's
| quarters.
Paulhan had remained in the air eight
and one-half minutes and sailed three
| and three-quarters miles. His highest
! altitude was a hundred and fifty feet.
While the drigibles were preparing
| for their second flight, the irrepressible
| Frenchman started on another Journey.
| Covering the full course in 2:07 20. he
| started around again and neared the
starting point just as Knabenshue's bal
| loon had caught the wind at the head or
the stretch and was coming along at
| high speed.
Paulhan's aeroplane shot upward. and