Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-26
His Skill in Air Gives Color to
Duck-Hunting Story.
STILL DOUBTFUL, HOWEVER
Friend of Aeronaut Tells of His
Wonderful Exploits.
NERvY IN FACE OF DANGER
Performs Difficult Feats When Gales
Prevail-How Airmen
Chase Birds.

Hubert Latham is so expert as an avia-
tor. according to a member of the Wash
ington Aero Club, who knows him, that
one is almost willing to credit the ac-
count telegraphed from Los Angeles OF
his going duck hunting in an aeroplane.
In speaking of the report, Latham's ac-
quaintance said:
THAT big Antionette machine he flies
is very steady in a wind. though theo-
retically it should not be. 1t has big
single surfaces for the wind to operate on
and it ought to be most unstable. At the
same time 1 have seen Latham do things
with it in a twenty-mile wind.
His Stunts in Air.
AT Belmont Park he was in the air
nearly all the time. In fact, he seemed
to be able to fly in a worse wind than
any Of the aviators except the hrights-
The grandstand at the park is big
structure, and when the wind is blowing
from the back of it there is a compare
tive calm under its lee for a quarter OF
d mile. I have seen Latham when there
was twenty-mile wind blowing LOAF
around the track there. He looked as
though he were going slowly. but in
reality he was not. He would float along
under the lee Of that stand with the big
machine rocking gently in the almost still
air. and then at the end of the sheltered
run he would plunge into a vicious cross
urrent blowing twenty miles an hour,
and the machine apparently would not
waver, though it might slide of somewhat
10 leeward down the wind.
The apparent ease of the performance
was due entirely to his marvellous judy
ment of wind conditions and his immense
strength Of wrist in handling the controls
But am not inclined to credit the story
Of his letting go the controls long enough
10 shoot ducks or anything else.
Has Reputation for Shooting.
Il have no dougt that he could carry
my one else duck shooting and give them
great sport, too, and if he had good
operator he probably could do the shoot
ing himself, for he has a reputation In
France as a game shot as well as an
aviator. He has even taken some of
the trap prizes at Monaco. But aefoplanes
at the present stage do not permit divided
allegiance. OF course, in steady air an
aviator can let go the controls for an
Instant. Grahame-White demonstrated
that in some of his flights at Benninss,
but that is a very different thing from
picking up a shotgun, firing it and put
ling it down again.
1T is true that an aeroplane can
chase a bird and run it down IL the
bird is not very swift. Wilbur Wright
says they have frequently chased
birds in their aeroplanes. and beaten
sreatly overestimated A big airship
can only make from forty-two to
forty-seven miles an hour, according
o wind conditions. But. with this
nave chased crows and pigeons and
beaten them. OF course. the pigeons
were just common barnyard pigeons,
because some of the high grade homers
an hour on point to point flights.
These birds, however, are much faster
han common pigeons.
Birds Quick in Air.
Wilbur says they have found one
interesting fact about bird chasing,
and that is you can run a bird down
out you cannot herd it as a dog does
sheep. For instance, if the bird wants
% go south, you cannot drive it north
rhe bird is much handler In the air
han an aeroplane and it will double
back. above or below the machine, or,
If necessary. through 1T, and scout all
Efforts to drive 1t.
IT have seen announcements that some
Of the ultra smart set up in the Genesseei
valley and down at some of the Virginia
hunt clubs have been trying to revive
falconry. and that they have had a good
ieal Of sport riding across country after
trained birds. There Is fine field for
falcOnry in aeroplaning. a machine that
IAN go across marsh land and can run
down the average bird and then launch e.
trained bird of prey after 1t, opens UP al
new vista of sport that Is better even
than duck shooting from an aeroplane.
Invites q Doubt.
Wilbur Wright probably is correct
about the speed OF most birds being over
rated, but il one has ever waited in a.
iucking blind and seen an old maliard let
out a link or two when you take a shot
at the flock, he would think 1t was hard
overestimate his speed. i know il I
were expecting TO run down Q wild duck
hat was in a hurry to get out Of range,
I would want a ninety-mile machine in
which to do it