Evening star., 1911-08-18
TAFT WAITS IN Vain |
AeropIane Flight to Chevy
Chase Fails to Come Off.
ENGINE REFUSES TO WORK
President Notified by Phone That
Aviator From College Park Is
Unable to Make Trip.

President Taft and number OF army
officers waited AT the Chevy Chase club
yesterday afternoon in expectation or
seeing an aeroplane flight Arrangements
had been made for flight from College
Park 10 the goT links at Chevy Chase.
but al the last minute the carbureter on
one OF the Wright machines failed TO
work and phone message was sent say
ing the flight was of.
This leaves all OF the government ma
chimes ar the park helpless. The Wright
and the Burgess-wrIght have both been
In bad shape and have been kept going
by taking parts from the engine OF one
and fitting it TO the other Now, even
that has failed and the two machines are
laid up until spare parts can be pro-
cured. These are supposed to have been
on the way for several days, but have
not been received
The Curtiss machines are both newer
and Capt Beck, the only officer capa-
Bile of handling that form of control, mas
been absent, they have had but little use.
Seek Satisfactory Engine.
The heart of an aeroplane is the engine,
and there has been great deal of specuia-
ton as TO securing an engine that would
be satisfactory The officers on the JOB
have been authorized to buy any outside
engine that promises to he ma terially bet
ter than those on the machines, but up
TO date nothing has appeared on the
market that has seemed attractive.
One thing that has been seriously dis
cussed has been the making of a dupii-
cate of the old Langley engine that is
now In the National Museum. This en-
gine is considered the joint property of
the museum and the War Department, as
IL was built by Prof. Langley with funds
furnished to and expended under the su-
pervision of the board Of ordnance and
fortitications. 1t is different type or
engine from anything now in use In avia-
tion. and is considered by experts TO be a
remarkably good type. Being in part at
least, the property of the War Depart
ment. the details of the engine have al
ways been at the disposal of the army.
but there is hesitancy on the part of
the War Department to manufacture any
thing itself that can be bought on the
market.
Engine of Five Cylinders.
The old engine is OF five cylinders. They
are not revolving cylinders like the mod
ern air-cooied rotating engine. but
water-cooed with regular thin steel wa
ter Jackets. The cylinders are remarka-
bly, fine pieces of work, being thin steel
shells with a lining of thin cast iron
which has been found to be the best
wearing surface for cylinders. The cylin-
ders are balanced so that fle engine runs
without vibration. Nearly the whole Of
the engine is hand made and il was
expensive 10 construct originally but.
owing to modern improvements in braz-
ing apparatus, il could be duplicated
much cheaper than il was originally
built.
1t has not been definitely decided wheth-
or an effort will be made to duplicate the
engine. as the arm! officers may con-
slider it too much trouble. but it is lighter
and more economical of lubricating oil
than any of the rotating cylinder engines
now built. so that. were ii reconstructed,
the government probably would have an
engine equal to the best of the foreign
types and one exclusively its own prop
erty.
The old motor has been given an en-
durance run in the shops for five hours.
and there is no telling of what it would
be capable in the air.