Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-07
STICKS TO HIS RULE
No More Exhibition Flights for
Glenn H. CurtiSS.
AVIATION MEET AT BENNING
Large Crowd Greets the Aeronauts
Yesterday Afternoon.
FIGURES OF EIGHT IN THE AIR
Five-Mile Race Feature-"Bombs"
Dropped on "Battleships."
Aviator Suffers Mishap.
AVIATION MEET AT BENNING
FIGURES OF EIGHT IN THE AIR


jects generally and of machinery in
particular. the motor of Hugh Robin
sons aeroplane at Benning yesterday
went back on him just when he wanted
II most in his official trial for his pilots
license, and his flying machine sailed
put over the marshes adjoining the race
track and deposited the aviator in
mixture of mud. water and the aquatic
fora of the District. Nobody was hurt,
and the machine was not much dam
aged, but Robinson said it was the
choice between taking fence and the
marsh for landing place, and he took
The marsh.
There was a good crowd at the aero
plane meet yesterday, considerably
larger than on the first day, and the
dying was good. With the exception of
Robinsons episode, it was devoid of
accident. The crowd in the infield in
:luded quite party of prominent
guests. including Gen. Nelson a. Miles
and Miss Miles, Gen. James Allen, chief
Of the Signal Corps: Emile Berliner.
Mrs. Glenn II. Curtiss. Mrs. Jerome
Fanciulli, Mrs. Lincoln Beachy, Mrs. j.
E. BoeCkh, Baron Uchida, the Japanese
ambassador; Thomas Nelson Page, Rear
Admiral Kimbali. Capt. W. l.. Chambers,
Charles j. Bell, DR.. Albert +. Zahm,
George Oakley Totten. jr., Dr. ]. W.
Sovee. DR.. Charles u. Walcott and
Spencer Heath.
Curtiss Declines Flight.
Glenn H. Curtiss was present. but did
90 flying. He said that he was through
with exhibition flying for good and.
though he would have liked fly here,
DC did not intend to break his rule. The
arst flight of the afternoon was by ]. A.
.. McCurdy. He was followed into the
air by Lincoln Beachy, and then by
Hugh A. Robinson. The wind was not
as bad as the previous day. but it was
gusty, and just before the flights COM
nenced there was a miniature whirlwind
that swept over the field. picking up
Dust and loose pieces of paper.
The aviators did not seem TO mind the
weather conditions and circled and dipped
and cut figures of eight in the air. Then,
1ne after the other. they came down,
md Beachy and McCurdy were started
for a hve-rni.e race in the air. 1t was
he first time a race OF aeroplane against
aeroplane had ever been seen In Wash
neton 1t was a novel sight to watch
he two big machines. high over what
LSel TO be a horse race track. using the
rack merely as mark for their course
and racing each other through space
There was no possibility Of racing on
level, as the rules of the Aero Club
provide that one machine shall not ap-
proach another closer than 16O feet, on
1uently the machines few directly over
zach other McCurdy had the upper posi-
lion, keeping about zoo feet above his
opponent.
md there was no apparent choice between
them any more than there would have
been between two automobiles OF the
EaIne make. But the race showed that
buck counts for something in aeroplane
racing, and there is even room for per-
Ional generalship.
Currents of Air Differ.
The luck comes with the currents of
air and possibly with an aviator strik-
Ing a strata where his propeller has a
better grip than that of his rival. Then
there is always d chance for ma
chine to increase its gait by diving
down an aerial hill when it gathers
speed. but this. Of course has to be
made up by a corresponding climb.
McCurdy seemed to have the best of
Il on the first two rounds of the track,
gradually drawing ahead about twenty
yards. Then Beachy. either because his
engine was working better or because
ne had found more favorable layer OF
air close 10 the ground, began to draw
ahead and by the time the last lap was
started he had opened gap Of nearly
100 yards between him and his rival
MCCuThN tIltI GIVING AFTER him and
every other sort of 1Ockeying known 10
the aerial chauffeur. but he could not
latch the lower flyer, and half way
through the fifth lap of the track
Beachy was $50 yards to the good
Then both aViatOrs turned across the
nfield and the exact distance was lost
The time for what was nearly five
niles was five minutes and sixteen sec
1ndA
IL had been intended to have series
y motorcycle races in connection with
The flying, but, although some ma.
hines buZzed around the track early In
the afternoon, the riders got into a
squIbblc with the management oven
amateurism and professionalism and
the matter of cash prizes and the
whole race program was called off
Bomb-Dropping Stunt.
McCurdy then tried bomb dropping
experiment.. There was u rectangle
so by 100 feet laid off on the turf o,
tho infeId. and McCurdy sailed around
the track. dropping an orange each
time he passed the marked out bat
uestip." The first three of the shots
were misses. the momentum OF the
seropiane carrying the orange beyond
the mark. The aV'ator then got q bet
he range a4la ihe last three shots were