The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-01-01
THREE FINE AIR TRIPS
Made by Jimmy Ward In the Shooting
Star from the Fair Grounds
Yesterday

There was a large crowd out at the
fair grounds Sunday afternoon, to see
the performance Of Jimmy Ward and
his famous airship, the shooting Star"
It had been intended TO make the
start at 9 o'clock, but at that hour a
string Of autoes and other vehicles
and many pedestrians were visible
down the street, heading for the fair
grounds, and it seemed only courtesy
to wait for them. People kept on ar
irving till $50. and a few minutes
after the Shooting Star was wheeled
Qua of its improvised hangar and taken
across inside the circle of the racetrack
TO the north end of the field
Everybody inspected with great in
terest the famous machine as 1t was
taken to its starting place. It was
about the same size as the one used
here by Lincoln Beachey last spring,
and there was no difference TO the I'M
initiated eye except that the propeller
was curved instead OF straight. Judg-
ing by the rapidity with which Mr.
Ward and his assistants handled 1t, 1t
was somewhat more up-to-date than
Beachey's machine. An aeroplane IS a
fair example of how far a man must
depart from nature in looks when he
tries to invade the air. An aerOplane
looks more like bathhouse than a
bird, and it doesn't look very much
like a bathhouse, either.
It was just 3:45 when the Shooting
Stars motor started. The propeller
| flashed into life with a rapidly that
made it in a second or two a faint blur
| at the back of the machine, to which
| three powerful men hung with al
their strength to keep it on the ground
until the aviator was ready. At hi:
signal, they let go and the aeroplane
ran swiftly down the field, just like
some large, long-1egged birds will dc
| if they have time before taking flight
Past the grand stand it came on it,
fast-s spinning wheels, then, as tht
aviator waved his hand at the spec
tators, it left the ground and SCARED
into the air as gracefully as an eagle
:. Away up and to the southeast it wing
ed, then coming about it flew in Ions
circles above the admiring and almos
breathless spectators and came dowr
in a half-mle slant almost on the spo
1t left. Such a long way it went an(
so intense was the interest with which
1t was watched that only those wh'
timed 1t could believe that it had beer
in the air four minutes.
| The second flight which began a
1855, was as successful as the first, an'
lasted six minutes. The third was "a
40, but the engine misbehaved. anc
Mr.. Ward came down in less than
minute. Some apprehension was man
Iifested among the spectators, but tn
aviator coolly lit a cigarette, and witt
his assistants went to doctoring tn
motor. They soon put it back in shap
and at :27 Ward went into the air fe
the fourth time. This was also a beau
tiful flight, and was watched to 1T
last fraction of a second by the crowd
which in spirit and truth could mos
appropriately be said to have beef
highly interested.
| Mr.. Ward is a nice-1ooking man
| about the size of Conductor McI1wail
of the Sunnyjim, and may be as clever
in which case no more may be said. II
is an ideal man for his business, 1igh
and quick, with muscles of steel, shar
eyes and cool head. No one of tn
thousands and tens OF thousands VIII
see him fly watches him as intently a
his wife, a handsome and graceful
young lady, who travels with him ev
erywhere on the ground and sometime
accompanies him into the air.