Omaha daily bee., 1911-09-03
LANGLEY PIONEER AERIALIST
Noted Experimenter Had Faith in the
Power of Men to Fly.
PROVED MANY OF HIS THEORIES
Continued EHPcrimenting while Sec
rotary OF Smithsonian Institutes
and Never FaItered I'm Belief
Even when RidIcu1ed.

Even when RidIcuIed.
The story OF Samuel Pierpont Lsngley's
study and experiments in aeronautics Is
one that appeals not only to the engineer
and others directly interested In the sub
ject, but to the public as well. 1t is
story not generally known, since II starts
back in the year 1887, some time before
many serious minded people considered
aerial navigation practical for heavier than
air machines, and continues for nearly
sixteen years. During that time Mr.. Lang
lev created and demonstrated many steps
now invaluable to this modern and per-
manent science.
In 1885 he became assistant secretary OF
the smithsQnian institution, and in the fol-
lowing year, upon the death Of Prof. Baird
he succeeded him as secretary Of the in
stitutiou where he combined the admins
tration Of it's various branches with his
own investigations and studies until his
death in 1905. In recognition of his scien-
tiflc researches. MIR. Langley was the re-
cipient of degrees and medals nom the
foremost universities and scientific so
cietles in Europe and America,
From his first studies with toy aero
planes propelled by rubber bands to his
final experiments with man-carrying ma
chine propelled by a gasoline engine, the
like Of which has hardly been surpassed
to the present day, the story Of his en-
deavors, handicaps failures and successes,
holds the attention of the reader with an
interest not unlike a romantic narrative.
The memoir just published deals largely
with experiments uGd tneir results, which
are now accepted as ita taa q cuuts t.ais.
At the time they were made, however, they
Ha qta of
cropping In the dark, and he well deserves
the title given him as the First Bird-man.
Having secured a grasp upon the elemen-
tary theories of wind resistance, and mat
ters pertaining to aviation, Mr. Langley
started in to build model heavier-than-
air machine, the first that had ever been
built, since the nearest approach at that
time to such q flying machine, was an
ingenious invention of the Frenchman,
Penaud who flew a paper toy, propelled
by means of rubber bands, for ten seconds.
Secretary Langley undertook to build a
larger and more practical machine, not
simply for proving the theories upon which
he had been working, but because he said
il was impossible to learn more about the
principles of flight without studying flight
itself. In 1899 he started building the first
of his steam driven models, but 1t was
complished. The problem was difficult and
discouraging. especially for one who had
only a casual knowledge of steam en-
cheering. There was ample literature on
the subject, but there might as we'll have
been none for all the assistance II gave
with steam engines rated light at 900
pounds to the horsepower. What Mr.
Langley needed was Just about one-hun-
dredth of that weight Seeing no other
way, he set about building an engine him
self, although practical engineers told him
it was impossible and he eventually pro-
duced one Weighing only twenty-three
ounces. which with the whole power plant,
burner boiler and fuel weighed seven
pounds and produced one and quarter
horsepower Success at last attended his
efforts. but only after tremendous loss
OF time and energy. Ten twenty boilers
and many blast lamps were made and
discarded before he secured a combination
that would keep up pressure of 128 &c 100
pounds of steam for the time desired. And
in the meantime he had built and thrown
aside five machines before he succeeded
in making one sufficiently light and yet
strong enough to fly Even after the COM
pletion of the whole machine he had to
stop until some method of launching could
oe devised. Al last a Launching apparatus
was constructed which held the machine
on an overhead track until ready to ny,
when, by means of springs it was shot
out into the air over the water. The ex.
perimental ground was a small creek off
the Potomac river near Whitewater, Va
First Flight of Model.
At the end of four years inceesant
labor on May 6, 1896, the first of these
biplane. with a wing-sp Of thirteen
feet and total weight OF thirty pounds
The first flight was of a minute and
twenty seconds duration, while the ma
chine covered distance OF 5000 feet al
though in subsequent flights this distance
was increased to three-quarters of a mile
at a speed of about thirty miles per hour
No attempt at flight was made in high
winds, but in a wind of twelve miles pei
hour the model flew well, circled and rose
10 a height Of over 100 feet, guided only
By it's own mechanism. Thus after
Tod of nine years of study and expert.
the theory OF mechanical flight wa.
cessfuly demonstrated and demon
81 ated as Mr. Langley said in the only
satisfactory way, by a machine reaIl,
flying
The government became interested in Mr.
Langleys work early in 1896 RECOGNIZING
the possibility for the use OF such q ma
chine in time of war. Through the Boar
OF Ordnance and Fertilization, Presiden
Mckinley asked Secretary langley t
build man-carrying flying machine TIL
secretary agreed to try and coming re
luctantly from his scientific pursuits, n
commenced the work under an appropria
ton from the government. Many unfore
seen obstacles were encountered as ha,
been the case in the construction of tn
model machine. Gasoline had been substi
tuted for steam a more practical mo
tor power. and Secretary Langley. then a
the age Of 81, found it necessary to delv
IN the study of gasoline engine eonstruc
ton. He had no desire to build a gaso
line engine himself but after searehin
In vain, both in this country and Il
Europe for an engine builder who coul
make him an engine averaging in weigh
only ten pounds per horsepower he wa
forced 10 undertake its construction In tn
Smithsonian shops.
The finished engine. which was designe
and constructed by Mr.. Charles NJ Mani,
an engineer assisting Mr.. Langley. was
nVe-cylinder one, producing fifty-tw
actual horse power, and Weighing wit
radiators, batteries and twenty pounds G