The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-10-14

passenger and freight traffic through
the air In auto~aerial cars viii fol-
low rs n matter OF course.
| As 1t is now. Mercer the French
/ millionaire, who IL an air fan, trans
! ports in his blplane himself and three
! friends over "A So miles round trip
/, route. two or three times a week. lie
does II for pleasure. and 70 enter
tain his guests. but he could make
money at Ii II he so desired.
So Howard LeVsn. the boy aviator.
/ told the writer at the state Fair IN
! Richmond yesterday. He is an early
( pupil OF Professor I4aTnw, who has an
aviation school al Roanoke Va, The
/ professor was present, and speaking
/ of the relative efficiency OF planes,
/ he said: The monoplane has not
( enough air space: the trioplane has
| too much: the biplane is the happy
/ medium" He said further The
| iirigible balloon or air bag OF any
kind Will never be safely ethient ns
a war vessel for dropping explosives
! Pivotal a,rehip destroyers throw cS-
/ plosive bombs two miles high and
even II they burst far above the Dirt
gibie. the shock causes the air bag
| to collapse"
J ! mere are over SIN lHOUeH1b Et'7
pie known to he studying aviation,
! said LeVan. 1t was II big game,
| starting with the first success and
more people got right into that game
earlier than In any other game i
know Most of the inventors are
working on the wireless motor proD-
/ lem or trying to work out automatic
stability. There Ia an immense for
tune IN either The science Of avid
/ ton L. growing very rapidly because
so many bright minds are eagerly
| concentrating on st. doubt II tue
dirigible Will ever be used very much
! for dropping explosives In al ma
/ Mowers thus far. giving tests ut bomb
! dropping, the btplane has proved m"Se
! efficient The operator OF mono
/ plane cannot see what IS Just below
him"
BY the way" continued J.evan.
II did something this week ut tha
/ fair / had never been able to do be
fore ] looked back at my motor
while up In the air"
Mr. LeVan seemed to consider that
quite a feat. 1t certainly ought 10
/ he satisfaction 10 keep an eye Oh
/ the motor, now and then. The pro-
fessor said that writers of netlon had
forestaiied inventors many Years.
Jules Verne gives the first practical
/ idea of the submarine vessel in his
/ story Of Twenty Thousand Leagues
! Under the Sea, and his short story
about the airship contained clear
/ demonstration that II was the heavier
1 ,hau-alr type that would make the
. practical success Nernss story OF
4 "A Journey From Earth TO the Moon
/ gave me the idea Of iiring aeronant
/ and parachute from cannon attsch-
4 cd TO the balloon. which / nave
/ demonstrated many time at Roa-
noke and other places. / got iet
! of practical ideas from i've cent
novels OF years ago. 1t Is me sfhaI'
bee. or hnmming bird with little ar
space or wing resistance that must
buzz or hum TO fly because ITS wings
have to make UP iii velocity what they
lack in size But see how easily ms
big buzzard or vulture sails around
and nm and down for a long time with
ont mapping wing, Just guiding ana
balancing himself with outspreau
wings and tail. just So II Will De
the big blplaue that viii be the grea.
practical success as soon as one or
TWO more problems are fuhY sotVeu'
as Ahey soon Will be.
When asked about the relative
safety OF tho three types 81 planes
hs said that only l-lo OF tho serious
accidents had occurred with Inv ~
! plane; the other l~lV happeheo WIN
monopiaues and triopianes.
IeVan said: q have been WITH =.
7 etrobal. Of Toledo, o.. since 1879
I have had r number OF aeS -. So 49,
once FELL in the lake III To'eoe,
hi a nigh tension live wire anu
osyn q daylight electrical display
"NJv worst accident WAS at Pltts-
burg Pa, july 81. when i feI o-'
feet. and broke q rib, and was hhoeh-
ed out / am years old
Turning to the wall of the ten nan
gar in which his machine was rest
ing for another flight beNan LOOK
up In his hand the blade OF his pro
heller. broken in the ground acct
danr Tuesday afternoon. II Just loae
that old propeller" he said. smiling
at has been a good friend TO ma, and
hate to 90 up without It.
He looked at the splintered blade
and patted Il as II II were d nVlng
personal friend who could understand
his synlpalketic regret. The profess
sot said: France IS tho liNo place
for Inventions. and most OF ehe rs"
suggestions come from ffenchmeh'
Leaning over the race track fence
with tbs crowd OF other darkies was
one old colored philosopher, who had
evidently been some gentleman bouE
servant in the ante-belium days. When
! tho bird man, LeFan, was soaring and
sailing and swooping and sWerNlng
around, the old darkey ga2ed with
wide eyed surprise, evidently watch
ing tie wonder for the first time.
Well sab" he exclaimed, We
/ heard OF such things, but that's the
fret time | ever seen human prac-
/ t!cin TO be an angel, and them hun
grv buzzards tryin to give him the
evil eye; an cunjer him SO they can
lite an git some dinner. He sure Is
takin' big chances by such projection"
/ The old man chuckied and continued:
! EFF you gifts scrunched up in a rail-
road combustication, .dar you Is on
the groun' floor. an maybe kin crawl
out from under. Ef you gifts blo~ed
up In a ship you kin lite In the water
an git q chanel to swim out. BUT er
YOU gifts confia bbergisted out @ one o
! them angel makers, YOU won't be good
/ fer nothin', 'cept list buzzard meat
/ Excuse mo-
! Aeronaut, one who sails or floats
I in tho air That IL a term used for
aany Tears Even before the French
man, Joseph Michael Montgolfin, and
his brother. Jacques Etienne. became
| Joint inventors or the first balloon In
I