Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1910-07-21

connected with the planes by means of
wires. The same motion that tits one
Of these planes downward tips the
other upward. Thus If the operator
feels the left end Of his machine drop
ping he leans to the right. which Is
the natural movement for him to
make. This motion carries with 1t the
back of his seat. which tips the left
hand equilibrium plane upward and
the right hand one downward, thus re-
storing balance. For shutting Off the
engine he presses foot pedal. which
short circuits 1t; otherwise the engine
Is controlled by levers at his hand.
.u- We're Off!
After starting the motor the opera
tor takes his seat, attendants in the
meantime hanging on to the machine
until given the word to let go. Then
the aeroplane starts forward on its
three wheels until 1t gains sufficient
momentum to take the air. By pulling
the steering wheel. toward him the
operator lifts the elevation planes, the
machine shoots upward, and the jour
ney is begun. After that 1t is mat
ter of guiding. finding the proper ele-
walton and keeping an even keel. When
ready to aight the operator chooses
his landing, which must be an open
level field. shuts of his engine, turns
his elevation planes downward and
goes earthward with q swiftness which
fol ha Of h. lt,r
below. At the proper distance from
terra flrma he elevates his planes
sharply, which serves both to check
the motion and break the descent. The
result Is that he glides forward and
lights as gently as bird.
At the Mineola field on Long Island
Charles K. Hamilton In a Curtiss BIZ
plane recently did some surprising
stunts. Cutting figure eights In the
air were among his most commonplace
performances. One of his most dare
devil feats was stopping his engine at
great height and dropping to the
earth. When 1t seemed that he would
be dashed to certain death he would
start his engine again. elevate his
planes and glide away. He would also
swoop down to within a few feet
Of the heads Of spectators. causing
them to scatter in all directions, then
rise again and sweep away until he
He habitually smokes a cigarette on
his machine. Despite his pranks he
did not suffer an accident at Mineola.
A Few Aeroplane Thrillers.
Since the first public exhibition by
the Wrights the aeroplane has made
marked advance and accomplished
many thrilling feats. In France Will
bur Wright had the kings and nota-
bles OF the world his eager spectators.
Afterward Orville Wright at Fort Myer
fulfilled all the government require
ments, making stralghtaway flight
to Alexandria and return without
alightlng, also breaking the record by
remaining In the air with passenger
for more than an hour. Later in Ger
Wilbur in France, making at one time
a 1,GOO foot ascension, the highest up
to that time. Another notable aero
plane feat by the Wright brothers was
Wilburs circling of the statue of Lib
erty and Grants tomb during the Hud-
son-Fulton celebration in New York.
OF late the Wrights have settled
down to manufacturing and training
operators. They never did fly In prize
contests. Their whole purpose now is
to protect their patents and perfect the
aeroplane as commercial proposition.
Their dropping of the thrill making
line has not been followed by other
aviators. however Count that month
lost that does not break some aviation
record. Louis Bleriot's feat of cross
ing the English channel was afterward
beaten by another Frenchman. who
went over Ia shorter time, and this In
turn was cast in the shade by the Eng
lishman Rolls, who, In a Wright bi-
plane, crossed the channel and back
without allGhting Louis Paulhan has
made some of the most wonderful of
all the hights recorded. going from
London to Manchester, n distance of
1SG miles, covering III miles without
alightlng, IN hours and 30 minutes.
Paulhan also reached the highest alti-
tude attained by an aeroplane, 4,165
feet, at Los Angeles. At Rheims,
France, Henri Farman remained in