The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1910-07-08
fl0RIDA'S AERO
ENTHUSIAST
.,;eut. I'LL. WiIIoughby, of SewaIIs
Print Building Big AerOpIane
i WONDERFUL CAREER
v.,sat;e Sportsman Figures First ia ali
,oooystions From Bicycles to Flying
Machines--ttis Record

Iieut. Hugh L. Willoughby, who has
w;nter home at Sewalls Poine, is one
otthe wealthy amateurs who have taken
" aerial flights for pleasure. Lieut..
Tloughby is pioneer in long. distance
anSomobiling, in motor boating and in
au;ation. He is an enthusiast in these
ssoorts-and he has the money to make
Of Lieut.. Willoughby and his accom-
nlithments as versatile sportsman, the
Philadelphia Public Ledger says:
Hugh l.. Wiloughby. one Of the keen
sst and most versatile sportsmen in the
uOrld who is known from Maine to
Forida for his many remarkable ex-
nlots, has built his own flying machines
Tier his own ideas, and his knowledge
of the science and mathematics of aero
nantics is probably second to that Of no
man in this country.
Mr.. Willoughby is probably sitting to-
av in the shed at Ventnor, N. j., in
which he built his first biplane, and to
which he has taken his second machine,
which he constructed during the past
winter at Sewalls Point, Fla. If so, he
i dressed in an old pair of jumpers, and
Is probably splicing guy wire with
fingers that are calloused with the hard
work that a man of his wealth is sup
posed to despise, but which is the breath
Of life to him.
The keenest of sportsmen spent the
entire summer of 1909 building the War
Hawk, She is an immense craft the
largest in this country, in fact, with the
exception of the machine at-the Univer-
sityOf Pennsylvania, and that is not
yet.fnished Her construction embod-
les no new basic principles; only in GER
tain details is she different from other
mrcessfu types of biplanes, but it is
in these details that she shows the in
gently of her builder, who has solved
cleverly some of the problems that have
been most vexing to aviatOrs. He has
also 50 combined the ideas that have
proved best in other machines that the
War Hawk is type in itself. 1t is a
biRane resembling the Wright machine
more than any other, for it runs on
skids instead of wheels, and maintains
equilibrium by the warpiDg OF the after
edges of the planes. This warping, how
ever, is not done by the levers used by
theWrights, but by the Curtiss shoulder
yoke, and the machine is not pushed by
twettwo. bladed propellers. but is pulled
by one propeller of four blades in front
Of the engine. 1t is steered in both the
horizontal and vertical planes by de-
VIE OF Mr. Willoughby's own invention
which moves both front and rear con.
trolls simultaneously, the rear control
beng on a universal joint. The dimen-
slons of the War Hawk are: Width, tip
70 top, AZ feet; breadth of planes feet;
hitting surface of both planes combined
S% square feet; weight, without oper-
atoF S75 pounds; engine, 30 horse pow
g! The Pelican is a replica OF the War
hawk on smaller scale.
hugh L. Willoughby, the man. is even
more remarkable than any machine he
WI! ever make, no matter how wonder
w that machine may be. A wagglsh
Trend has said of him that when some
method of reaching the moon is devised
w. ", Willcughby will probably be the
mat to try It.
&c was graduated in the class of "
the University of Pennsylvania. and
e!sn as student developed the habit
9 being first in trying new ideas. tie
~ one of the founders of the Unlver-
sy Athletic Association, the first man
g wear "P" on his sweater, and the
"! man to wear college colors on an
M'et!c field He played on the first
8sylvania football team, and was
woke oar of his class crew. AS soon
ne left college he started to make
objection of more "firsts. some OF
Ien later have doomed large in the
R9ld's history.
@fore his college days Mr.. Willough-
nad become interested in the bicycle
was boy in Paris when MichauX
Sented the machine, and the elder
s'oughby bought one of the first that
sold. This machine was brought
P's country by the Younger Willough,,
and it was entered as the thru
ycle imported. He organized, at
tsota Springs. N. Y, the third bl-
sr cub in this country. and was one
ne founders Of the League of Amer,
oMheelmen, which. later enrolled
uo members. He was the firs'
SmSssurer of the league.
men John P. Holland invented his
arlne boat Mr.. Willoughby wa
inst person outside the inventor
pany who made q trip under the
sefs OF New York bay in the Holland
stterward, for two summers, az
port, he made many trips under
ocean in the Shark. POrpoise anc
,. he organized the Rhode lslant
~ Reserve, and was in command OF
usee years, during which time ne
= ~smporarily attached to the line =,