Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-30
Flying From Albany to New York.

Glenn Curtiss' fight from Albany to
New York city is the first long cross
country performance with a heavier-than-
air machine in the United States Its
complete success is a demonstration that
the American aviators and machines are
equal to those of Europe. Heretofore
the American prestige in the aviation
world has rested largely upon the fact
that the Wright brothers were the
pioneers in airplane production and opera
ton. Glenn CurtisS, it is true, won the
grand international prize at Rheims by a
speed fight in which he distanced all
competitors, but since then both Bleriot
and Paulhan have filled the public eye
more conspicuously by their intrepid en-
terprises aloft, Bleriot by crossing the
English channel in a monoplane and
Paulhan by making fight from London
to Manchester in biplane.
In point of distance the Curtiss fight
is not the equal of that Of Paulhan by
forty-nine miles. But in some other re-
spects it is a superior achievement. Paul
han covered 1S6 miles in 4 hours and IL
minutes, or at the rate of one mile in 1925
minutes. Curtiss flew from Albany to
a point within the northern limits of
and 80 minutes, or at the rate of mile in
L. II minutes. Stated otherwise the.superior-
ity Of the Curtiss flight shows more dis
tinetly. The Paulhan rate of speed was
E.46 miles an hour, while Curtiss flew at
the rate Of AO6 miles an hour. Curtiss
was compelled to navigate his machine
over a much rougher country than that
traversed by Paulhan, closely approach
ing the Catskill mountains in atmospheric
conditions which sorely taxed his ap-
paratns and his skill. He was within a
narrow margin of disaster at one point,
when a sudden gust of wind nearly over
turned him.
This flight from Albany to New York is
now being compared with other historic
performances between the same points.
In 1909 Henry Hudson on the Half Moon
occupied eleven days in the voyage. One
hundred and ninety-eight years later
Robert Fulton steamed on the Clermont
in thirty-two hours between the same
points. The Hudson river steamboats,
make the trip daily in about seven hours.
Last summer fast motorboat was sent
over the course in slightly less than four
teen and one-half hours. Weston, the
pedestrian, this spring covered the dis
lance in thirty-fiye hours, only little
more than that occupied by the Clermont
in 1907. Curtiss' flight by airplane, over
slightly longer course than that trav-
ersed by the Empire state express on the
New York Central, consumed only four
teen minutes longer than the scheduled
time of that train. The rail distance be-
tween Albany and New York is 143 miles,
while Curtiss few seven miles farther.
Furthermore, Curtiss stopped twice to re-
plenish his gasoline and iubricating oil
supplies. Presumably. given good atmos-
pheric conditions and with a sufficient
fuel supply to Obviate the necessity Of
stopping, the airplane could be driven
from Albany to New York as fast as II
not faster than the speediest service
trains.
These successfully superior achieve
ments in the air clearly prove that the
airplane has entered upon the stage OF
practicable performances as means of
human transportation. 1t is futile to at
tempt to forecast the next achievement
Whether it will be in the line of greater
speed or longer fight or larger load, ii
is virtually assured that the records OF
today will shortly be broken and new
marks set by the daring navigators of the
air.