Omaha daily bee., 1911-01-22
Aero Clubs Being
Formed in Some of
the Big Colleges
Harvard Has an Enrolment of Over
Two Hundred-CoTnell Has
a Club.

NEW HAVEN. Conn. Jan. E.-The grow-
ing interest in aeronautics in the colleges
can be shown in no better way than by the
work Of the aero clubs which have been
formed The increase in the number Of men
who are taking part in the work OF these
clubs II extraordinary. considering the fact
that the movement was started only last
year. Letters have been received from
the Harvard Aeronautical society. the. Corr
nell Aero club. the Michigan Aero club
and the Chicago Aero club. The report in
all cases is that the clubs are doing well.
with the sanction OF the faculties and the
cooperation OF the undergraduates. The
letter from the Harvard Aeronautical So
ciety was as follows:
"As to the size Of the Harvard Aero
nautical society. it has about rs enrolled
members. It is the purpose Of the society
to build two or more gliders during the
winter. which will be tried out next spring
on an artificial hill. which some Harvard
graduates in Boston plan to build for the
use of the aero clubs Of the different col
leges in and around Boston at the flying
field at Atlantic. The society also plans 70
remodel the Roe triplane in its possession
and try to fly 1t during the spring ON
June 15-17 the society plans 10 hold an in
tercollegiate glider meet at the flying field
at Atlantic. open TO the aero clubs Of all
the eastern colleges. Al present the so
ciety is at work remodeing the glider that
It built last spring.
The following letter was received from
Ithaca:
"The Cornell Aero club started the year
with a membership Of thirty and reputa'
ton for not doing things. The membership
rapidly jumped to $50, but by process OF
/ elimination has fallen off to about 100.
/ "A subscription Is being taken among
the student body for funds to buy motor
and already about half enough has beer
subscribed.
! "A model contest was recently held II
! the armory, cups being given for first and
second. This created quite an interest, al
there were about 500 undergraduates out
even though the night was beastly An
other will probably be given in February.
Resides the regular meetings the clul
has a big public meeting every month, will
program usually consisting of a lecture
several short talks and stereopticon pic
lures Of the club work or progress of avia
ton in general
The main work of the club so far thi
year is the formation of course In in
struction in glider construction and manip
ulation. This course Is to take the plac
of and to arouse interest In the course II
aero-dynamics to be given by the univer
sity next year. Our course is divided int
three branches; one, lecture given ever!
two weeks on areo-dynamicsi two, a con
struction period OF two and one-half hour
every two weeks, in which the studen
constructs gliders for use three, fiel
period of two and one-half hours ever
week. in which the student is taught I
manipulate glider, first, by means 0
towed flight and then by free descen
along an incline This course is very pop
ulsr,, so popular that many had to b
turned away, as our shop conditions lin
tied the number to about forty. The clu
will without doubt construct complet
aeroplane next spring.
ION the whole the Cornell Aero club ha
r placed itself upon a firm basis among tn
, student activities"