Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1911-06-23
so AER0PLANE MODELS
Two Brattleboro Amateurs DeveI-
oping Original Ideas
ounces-lnterestIne Workshop Of Al
eide Marion and lrah spauldlns.

ounces-interestlns Workshop Of Al
eide Marion and Irah spauldIns.
Two young men of this town who
watch with eager interest the latest de-
velopments in aerial navigation are AL
eide A. Marion and Irah d. Spaulding.
For the past year they have been max
ing experiments in the art and have so
far developed some of their own mod
els that they are confident that the
same ideas may be worked out success
fully in large machines. They have
constructed about so models of gliders
and monopanes and each has been an
improvement upon the preceding ones.
The first machine they constructed
was a model glider and weighed two
and one-half pounds, but growing wiser
and more experienced as they con-
structed machine after machine, the last
monoplane which they have built weighs
but eight ounces, with wings of paper
and perfect models of all the machinery
and mechanism of the larger machines
except the engine. They have con-
structed models from nine feet long
down to tiny affairs about IL inches in
length, In making the models Mr..
Marion and Mr.. Spaulding have used
their own ideas, but whenever they
have discovered that other persons in
terested in the science were working
upon the same plans they Immediately
stopped working along those lines
and evolved something different. With
numberless persons working on flying
machines in all parts of the world at
the present time and with photographs
of new wrinkles in the manufacture of
machines appearing weekly in periodi-
calls devoted to the sport it easily may
be understood that original ideas are
more difficult of conception than in
many other pursuits. For example, they
recently discarded a model monoplane
for the simple reason that the Bleriot
of the latest type has a rudder of sim
liar design, though in many respects
dissimilar to theirs.
A visit to their workshop gave rep
resentative of The Phoenix a new in
sight to the field of aviation and he
viewed with interest model after model
of gliders and monoplanes until he was
Veritably up in the air. from eXamin-
ing them and trying to "catch on" to
the various points which were explained
Some of the models had been smashed
in trial flights while others simply had
been thrown aside by the two young
men after they discovered that some
other person had a machine built on
similar lines.
The models are made of Eastwood
and are marvels of ingenuity and work
manshp. a model monoplane, the one
discarded because the rudder was sim
liar to the Bleriot, is fine piece of
work. 1t is 80 inches long and weighs
eight ounces. With the exception of
the engine every part of the larger ma
chine has been incorporated in this lit
tie flyer. The work has all been done
by the young men except making the
landing wheels. which were bought from
flying machine firm in the West. They
are half an inch in diameter and are
shod with tiny rubber tires and are re-
productions of the wheels used on the
real flyers. No nails have been used
in its construction as the small pieces of
Eastwood have been fitted together with
great care and patience. The rudder
wires are operated by threads attached
to foot yoke. shaped like the foot
stand of a bootbacks outfit. A lever
arm less than an inch long and shaped
so as to fit any Iilliputs hand who
might happen along works a pair of
sprocket wheels which fit each other
perfectly and have been whitfield from
wood. By the manipulation of the lever
arm the main supporting planes are
warped up or down as desired.
Tiny brass wires, which tight
ened or loosened by little tension bolts,
keep the supporting planes at the rig
idity desired. The wheel controlling the
elevatng planes and used to tilt the
main planes is half an inch in diameter
and looks like the steering wheel of an
automobile. The wings are of white
paper. spring attachment on the
lIOHl anu rear VI llle machine anu con-
nected with the wheels prevents any jar
upon the frame no matter from what
height or with what force it lands. The
model will support twice its weight and
when Mr.. Marion or Mr.. Spaulding
starts it at arms length from the
ground it will glide gradually at a fast
speed about 70 feet before it lands
With a start from a tree or other OBJ
ject high above the ground it will take
gradual downward incline for a cor
responding distance. 1t has a gliding
record of more than $50 feet
To the uninitiated it seems folly tc
discard such a fine piece of workman
ship just because it is similar in one
small particular to a world famous
make, but the two amateurs in ques-
ton do not care to experiment on lines
which others have tried out. The sci
ence is in its infancy and they think
there is plenty of opportunity for i'm.
provement upon all the machines now
in use, and they intend to make the
best of the opportunity to develop orig
inal ideas.
The machine upon which they are
now working is built along lines thai
never before have been attempted OF
any machine of which they have heard
They are in correspondence with all thu
manufacturers and schools and through
advertising matter and other literature
are kept Informed up to the last min
ute as 10 WHAT IS developing IN th(
world of aviation. Mr.. Marion explain
ed his new machine, which is partly
completed and is about SO inches long
and Is confident that it will do what i!
expected of it, Both young men have
examined the country in and near Brat
tleboro to discover the chances for glid
ing, with the expectation of building
glider large enough to support theil
weight but with the numerous hills anC
valleys they have found only one plac,
suitable for experiments and this i!
about five miles from the village.