The San Francisco call., 1910-01-02
AVIATION RECORDS
DURING YEAR 1909
Flight Across English Channel
Most Spectacular Achieve
ment in Conquest of Air
DirigibIe Balloons Demonstrate
Future PracticabiIity for
Commerce and Warfare


NEW YORK, Jan. 1.-The flight in an
aeroDlane over the English channel by
Louis Bleriot has marked the year
fsQ9 as milestone in the conquest of
The elements by man. Comparable only
20 the first voyage OF Stephenson in the
Rocket on rails. and af Fulton. in the
Clermont on water
e. IN measuring strides Of aviation
IN the year 1903, il is noteworthy that.
Tor other working demonstrators of the
ART as distinguished from a skeptical
public. Bleriot's feat had a special sig
l.lhcance. lie has been surpassed In dis
tance, altitude and speed by both heav-
Ter than air flyers and pilots of dirigi-
ble balloons.
November Henry Farman of Eng
land covered 2S2 kilometers O44 miles)
~ hours IL minutes IS seconds at
'haIons, France. and thereby won the
I ,fichelin cup.
December so De Ia Grange Of France
covered 200 kilOmeters (I24 miles) in
hours S2 minutes, or at an average
speed Of 7S.s kilometers (IS.9 miles) an
hour.
RECORD FOR ALTITUDE
For altitude, Hubert Latham OF
tranceNbolds the official record. Exact
Measurements are difficult Of attain
ment and be is variously credited with
an elevation OF 500 meters (about 500
leet) and $50 meters (about 500 feeu.
orVlile Wright, i1 an unofficial flight
IT POtsdam, Germany, is said to have
reached the same height, and Louis
taHlhan rose TO a height which he
believed to be 600 meters, or nearly
1000 feet
or1fTa Wrrforl,+ 1,o15. +l,o -oao~a e..
duration Of flight with passenger. Sep
lember is he flew for one hour and 35
minutes with Captain Englehardt at
Berlin.
The cross country record was made
the last day Of thc year BIZ Maurice
t'arman Of France. who few 20 kiIome-
fers (43 = miles, from Chartres to Or
leans in one hour fiat
FIRST INTERNATIONAL MEET
The year 1909 was further notable
for the first international aviation meet
ever held. In this meet at Rheims,
France. Glenn II. Curtiss won the Cor
don Bennett cup by covering 20 kilo-
meters 3ls.42 Wiles) in 10 minutes 50A
seconds
gn the same meet Bleriot covered
TO kilometers in minutes and ~ 2-5
seconds All other distances from 40
20 160 kilometers We're won by La
than Of France.
The achievements of the dirigibles.
though less stimulating TO the ina gin
alton, bulk larger on paper. All rec
orCs for distance. duration and alti-
tude arc held by Count Zeppelin. with
bis monster airship. the Zeppelin III
March l3 he attained q height of
500 feet and May % he covered $50 /
miles in 81 hours.
california Airship
r~I
AIueller's airship. upon which the in
Fentor has had a force Of men at work
Tor two months was exhibited TO the 4
public today for the first time
The craft is IS feet long and IS wide /
without the wings. which are IL feet
wide. A so horsepower engine viii /
provide the propelling force. and over
head a series OF fans are arranged to 1
add buoyancy. The total weight is
given as LOO pounds.
a trial flight is to be made before the
3HEinning OF aviation week, January /
lT in Los Angeles.
Mueller has devoted himself to aero /
nadrics for years. The ideas followed /
in the construction OF the monoplane /
are his own entirely. model of the /
ship which be exhibited for inustra-
tioh falls 10 the ground right side up
40 matter how il may be thrown or
turned by air currents.
AeropIane Experiments
BADDECK. c. B.. Jan. Extensive /
aeropIane experiments viii shortly be /
undertaken here and several scientists 4
have arranged TO spend most of the /
winter in Baddeck TO watch develop /
nrents.
Five new machines have been con-
structed for DR.. Alexander Graham Bell /
and Messrs. McCurdy and Baldwin.
Gardiner Green Hubbard of New York /
is. here constructing a new monoplane |
which. viii be tested within a few
weeks. Although having but a single |
plane the machine viii embody some Of
she plans employed by McCurdy and
Baldwin in their biplanes.
Accident to BipIane
KANSAS CITY, No, Jan. IA cyl |
inder on Charles Hamilton's biplane |
broke soon after he started his first
e light at Overland park here today and |
tion. Ee was but few feet above the 1
ground when the accident happened and |
landed safely.
Monster .DirigibIe Balloon
SAN JOSE, Jan. IL. l. HIPS diri- /
gible airship. with gas capacity of I
20 600 cubic feet, was prepared for fly /
ing here today, but did not leave the |
ground. owing 10 the prevailing wind /
and rain. The tests at flying viii be |
made tomorrow. 1t is said to be the |
largest dirigible airship completed in |
tho United States.