Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1911-09-07
Makes Flight With Lieut.. Rodgers-As-
cends 500 Feet And Is In The Air
Fifteen Minutes-A Successful
Test-Flies For Washing
ton at $50 Over An
napolis.

Lieut.. John Rodgers, u. S. N. this
afternoon inaugurated with complete
success the experiments in aviation in
connection with Naval work which
will be undertaken at the Naval Acad-
emy. In Wright biplane, he made
an ascension from the Academy pa
rade grounds, staying in the air near
ly quarter of an hour and showing
complete mastery of the machine.
Lieutenant Rodgers ascended in a
spiral to the height of over 500
feet, made long and short turns in
different directions, circled the parade
grounds number of times and ran
his machine with perfect control at
various levels. Once he returned to
within twenty-five feet of the ground,
and the spectators thought that he
would land, but he again ascended and
made several other sweeps. He also
raised so as just to clear the Seaman
ship Building by few feet. The
landing was made with the utmost
smoothness and the car did not run
over a dozen yards before it was
brought to a standstill. Lieutenant
Rodgers expressed himself as pleased
with the car and stated that it worked
in excellent shape. Indeed, so pleas
ed was he with the machine and all of
the conditions, that he decided to try
flight for Washington. He there
fore took on full supply of gasoline,
and was making preparations to start
as soon as possible. The first tests
We're to be made this morning, and
the machine was tested and found to
be in excellent shape, but for some
reason gasoline was hard to get, and
the flight was postponed until nealy
2 O'Clock. The engines were started
and the work was pushed to the further
end of the parade grounds, near the
ships, the start of the flight being
made in the direction of the Armory.
After running less than a hundred
yards on the ground, the machine rose
beautifully amid the cheers and APP
plause of the spectators, which in
cluded the whole of the had fourth
| class. Some of the latter and an op-
portunity of assisting Lieutenant
Rodgers to some extent with his
starting, and seemed much pleased to
do it.
Lieutenant Rodgers, who inaugural
ed the aviation work at the Academy
successfully, is pupil of the Wrights,
while Lieut.. Theodore G.. Ellyson who
will be here shortly, has become an
expert with the hydroplane, under the
tuition of Glenn Curtiss. The latter
machine is considered especially adapt
ed to the work of the Navy, on ac-
count of its ability to skim the water,
as well as fly in the air.
Capt. w. l. Chambers, u. S. NJ,
will have general charge of the work
here. Hangers are being erected at
the experimental grounds, across the
Severn river from Annapolis, and that
| will be the base of the flights in the
future. In the meantime Lieutenant
Rodgers has his biplane quartered in
the armory.
Intense interest was taken by the
naval people and Annapolitans in the
fight this afternoon, and Lieutenant
Rodgers was given the most hearty
applause. Lieutenant Rodgers is
modest young officers and treated hi.
splendid work as if it was of slighf
moment. However, he thrilled anC
inspired all who were present, anC
has the honor to be the first aviator t,
make an ascent from Annapolis or tn,
Naval Academy or even to pass it.