The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-10-24
WR|GHT'S GLIDER
DASAES TO GROUND
Turns Over in Air, and Aviator
Has Narrow Escape From
Serious Injury.
TRYING OUT NEW MECHANISM
Designed to Make Travel in Air
as Safe as 1t Is on
Earth.

Kill Devil Hill, n. c., October a.
Orvilie Wright had Il narrow escape
from serious injury to-day. when his
glider turned over in the air and
dashed to the ground. The machine
was disabled, but not so badly that
II cannot be repaired again for lights
tomorrow or "Wednesday. To-day's ac-
cident was the second the machine has
met with since the present experiment.
were begun.
Wright had made one short glide in
the machine. ana was essaying ii sec
ond when the glider began TO turn
turtle slowly in a cross wind. me
aviator scrambled nimbly over the
machine as 1t turned. with the result
that that he was on top Of 1t when 1t
Owed to earth, bottom side up. Wrights
injuries consisted of a severe laccra-
ton of his trousers and u slight shak-
ing up.
TO make travel in the air as prac-
LEGALLY safe as II is on the earth is
konwn to be the real purpose Of the
experiments which the Wright brothers
are conducting here. They are working
upon their new mechanism designed to
Keep an aeroplanc on AN even keel
rms problem OF stability has been
the study oil aviators the world over.
The WriShts began their work upon IL
before 1901. what they have accom-
p!tshed. II anything. ipoth Orville and
ilhur are keeping in characteristic
secret.
1t is expected that their newest
mechanism win be sent mere from the
factory at Dayton and tried out on
the glider. In some respects the
Wright contrivance is said to resemble
the aiieron device used on the Curtis
biplane and some of the foreign ma
chimes, Aiierons are small haps. looK-
Ing much like window shutters. They
are attached to the main plane The
principle in which they operate is that
when a tricky gust tits the neropiank
out Of balance one of the ailerons Hops
downward while another hops upward.
That makes difference in the air re-
sistance on the sides of the aeroplane,
and helps II to settle back to level.
one Of the Curtiss machines equipped
with ailerons has been in the Wright
factory at Dayton several weeks.
The device which the Wright broth
crs may try is TO apply this principl
with the use of pendulum hanging
into space below the aeroplane The
law of gravity. of course. is expected
to keep the pendulum hanging straight
downward. like a plumb bob
The upper end of the pendulum Will
be connected with the ailerons, and as
the aeroplane dips from side TO side
gravity VIII cause the pendulum to
swing The swinging of the pendulum
is depended upon to operate the
ailerons up and down. and restore the
STABILITY of the dying machine.
The Wright brothers first device for
balancing an aeroplane was patented
in 1907. but tangles. with other inven
tions were encountered. and II has
never been used.
Until recently all birdmen have
looked upon automatic balancing de-
vices with disfavor. II is said that none
of them had ever worked quickly
enough 10 restore the balance OF an
aeroplane after II had lost It's euui-
librium. a fatal gust of wind II Is
said, would do its work in less than
the fraction of a second which the
stability device requires to operate. In
many cases hand control has been as
quick as the wind. and has even antici-
pated its action. according to the ex-
perience and alertness of the aviator.