The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-06-04
AMERICA S TILL
h AS LEADERSHIP
No Danger Of Dropping to Sec
ond Place i'll Aviation
Affairs.
WRIGHT
oRv'ILLE
--,-
TALKS
Birdmen Of This Country Are.
First Of All Business
Men.

Ms Especial to The Times Dispatch,I
oaston, Ohio, June Sin spite Of
the recent European records made by
vedrine and other aviators in the
Paris Madrid and Paris Rome If races.
orville Wright X Americas greatest
on. oira man and aeroplanc inventor, said
to-day that America is in no danger
OF losing her leadership in world
more every year" he said. Didnt we
Just get a decision in the French
courts that says SO? will tell You
more about that. after awhile
admit one thing. Americans are
not the enthusiastic patrons of air
sports that the French are. We nave
the men. we have the machines, but
contests. flights OF endurance, great
AVIATION meetsIcost money. not only to
the projectors. but to us they cost
more In renl cash than the general
public would believe.
Where Sport Is weak.
That Is where the sport IN this
country is weak. Not that the absence
OF this patronage binders the business
IKE development OF the neropiane In
It's mechanical details; do not be-
liere hinders us. But prizes TO.
real efficiency ana endurance. rather
Than Tor daredevil feets. would eli
courage our aviators to work for SUP
Stantial improvements in apparatus
and practice rather than for aviation
field tricks
Mr. Hearst's prize offer of $4,000
tor a coast TO coast Night will mean
great advancement in long distance
ilylng in this country. though the
prize must be further augmented be-
fore any aviator can go after It#as a
matter of business.
Nothing is better for the deyelop
E'ent OF aviation than long distance
tests. when the mark It not set too
far out OF reach. Remember, this
latest European flight we read SO
much about this week. was / 800 miles
the longest ever made on the cont,n.
ent' The coast TO coast night would
ee somewhere between 1000 and 4.u0u
miles. even IL the contestants did NOT
get far off their course.
mat race would be n good thing
II MIR. Hearst keeps the offer up long
enough for US to Improve our ma.
chimes for maximum ,lis,ancr OWNS
we Will enter. AS said. even win
$4,000 prize money 1t is not a good
business proposition, and nviat,on IS
a business in America now Our ex,
penses in preparing for such race
would be fully sa5.no0. and II would,
probab lS require Two or more ma
't'SS ~ nHieh' One machine Ia Sell
hom sufficient for long race They
all used more than one. believe. in
the Paris to- Rome hight.
Mr Hearsts 100000 offer which Ia.
exceedingly generous and fair, should
pc augmented, perhaps. by cities along
the route. chain of cities would
need TO take UP the matter along
route to be laid out, say to include
ALBANY. buffalo. Cleveland. Columbus
or Cincinnati, St. Louis and on West,
am not familiar with the country
further West
Why is the average American ava
tor reluctant TO enter these great CON:
tests?
Business First of Al.
Because the American aviator lis a
business man first of all. The Euro
pean is either wealthy sportsman.
who cares little for the ultimate util.
ity OF the aeroplane except as a mat
ter OF pride. or a man of personal
prowess with a wealthy patron. Then
you must remember that we are in the
exhibition business. The exhibition
idea will not be lucrative more tnan
a few years. In Europe Ii is playing
out already" t
Mr.. Wright smiled as he returned &c
the subject of aviation as "busi.
ness"
This assertion about Europe out.
stripping us reminds me of the result
OF our recent patent litigation hp
said The decision OF the French
courts In the case which we fought
out last year on the INFRINGEMENT of
the Wright patents Is much stronger
Than any OF us here in Dayton sun
POSED. Our claims TO all mechanisms
which utilize the curved propeller
blades and the rudder In cooperation.
either jointly or separately operated
10 maintain equilibrium, is upheld in
its entirety. And every successful
French machine is using this method
Is that European supremacy?
II Our leadership, both In construction
and In the art of flying. was recog-
nlzed by the European aviators at the
Belmont meet. The best of their OBJ
orators could not stand the tests OF
endurance in the high winds on that
occasion. although Iioxsey and John
stone flew every day 1t was recog
nized by the experts of all nations
that the American machine was the
most highly developed both practically
and in theory. We have not gone
back IN the last eighteen months by
any means
We arc flying daily. 1t has ceased
to be novelty. We have not mad c
or 1t In this country n sport Of kings.
because we have not the kings. and
anyhow. we are working hard and
earnestly To perfect a new and won.
dorfrl method of locomotion. Our
technic Is admittedly better than the
French. our machines are longer
lived.