Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-07
MANEUVERS IN AIR
Birdmen Delight Crowd at
Chevy Chase Club.
fly FROM COLLEGE PARK
Circle Over Grounds and Club
house Before Landing on Lawn.
TRIBUTE TO PROF. LANGLEY
Pioneer Of Modern Aviation Praised
by Speakers at Aero Clubs
Field Day.
TRIBUTE TO PROF. LANGLEY

by Speakers at Aero Clubs
Field Day.
Washington Aero Club and the fashion.
able world interested in aviation gathered
noon to pay tribute to the memory OF
Prof. Langley. late secretary of the
Smithsonian and the pioneer OF modern
aviation. 1t was rather belated tribute
but hearty none the less. It was the field
day OF the Aero Club OF Washington
This had been arranged for May 8. the
sixteenth anniversary Of the first success
full flight Of Prof Langley's steam driven
aeroplane at Whitewater, Va. It was the
second attempt that the Aero Club had
made to celebrate this event. Last year
Glenn H. Curtiss happened to be giving
an exhibition in Washington on the same
date and an effort was made to have him
or some Of his aviators ny from the field
where he was exhibiting either to Wide
water or to the Smithsonian tower. But
he expressed no interest In the matter
and it was obliged to go by default.
Maneuvers by the fiier over the grounds
and clubhouse proved interesting to those
present.
The celebration yesterday was more en-
couraging. Gen. Robert Shaw Oliver, rep
resenting the army: Capt. w. /. Cham
bers, representing the navy, and DR.. Al
bert F. Zahm. representing the Washing
ton Aero Club. all spoke in praise of
Prof. Langley and what he had done. The
army aviators and Paul Beck, the civilian
aviator. all flew over from College Park
and alighted on the lawn Of the club,
hundred of the officials and society people
Of Washington. Among the visitors were
Gen. Nelson A. Miles. Secretary Walcott
Of the Smithsonian. DR.. H. w. Wiley,
former chief Of the bureau Of chemistry
in the Department Of Agriculture; Prof.
reau and president of the Aero Club;
George Oakley Totten. jr.. also OF the
Aero Club; Postmaster General Hitch
cock, Gen. Clarence Edwards and score
Of others equally well known.
Society Views Aeroplanes.
On the roadway in front Of the club
scores of automobiles. next to the latest
in autos to see the aeroplanes aS few
years back they would have come in car
riages to look at automobiles.
spectators standpoint gray and warm.
with a threat OF rain that did not come
The fresh green lawn OF the clubhouse
sloped down q quarter OF mile to melt
into the golf links. 1t formed fine
alighting ground for the aeroplanes. the
slope up to the clubhouse being just
enough to check the rush Of the aero
planes when they landed.
There was speaking. first on the veran-
da OF the clubhouse, and then q band
NJ ha
Softened by the distance, played.
A single Wright machine flying low. not
more than 1,J00 feet up, with Capt.
Chandler Of the army school as the
operator. was the first OF the fiiers to ar
rive. He passed over the clubhouse and
field and. making long circle. alighted on
the lower edge Of the lawn The machine
SKINNED up the slope and the irrepress-
ible crowd rushed forward to meet 1t
and then, as Capt. Chandler started up
his motor for an additional run along
the ground, the spectators hastily broke
away to give him room.
Capt Chandler was uncertain what
other machines would turn up, az hying
was bad In spite of the calm day and the
machines could not rise easily, while
there was q good deal of roughness and
many soft spots aloft. Before Capt.
Chandler was on the ground a second
the air 1t was Paul Peck, with his little
one-man "flyabout"
He made several circuits of the field
and then dived for the lawn in steap
spiral, landing as lightly as Capt. Chan
der had done. Both machines were ex-
amined by the crowd and their mechan-
ism explained by the attendant mechan-
les.
Give Exhibition Flights.
Both aviatos made short exhibition
flights and then there was another streak
in the high air IS Capt Beck came
across in his big Curtiss machine. There
were several pigeons circling around the
clubhouse from their home in the stable
loft. But the appearance OF the aero
planes was a little too much for them.
AS the big birds, one after another,
swooped down from the sky the pigeons.
in evident disgust. few for the top of the
clubhouse and sat on the edge OF the roof
until this new and unaccustomed danger
was safely past.
The last machine to appear was the
Burgess-wright. with Lieut.. Thomas Mil
ling driving and Lieut.. R. C.. Kirkland as
a passenger. Lieut.. Milling explained
that he had considerable trouble getting
away from College Park. 1t took him
$500 feet. and this really was too low
for cross-country flying.
On the return trip Lieut.. Milling found
1t impossible to get any altitude with a
passenger, and Lieut.. Kirkland went home
by road. while Lieut.. Milling flew back
alone. Paul Peck left his machine at
the clubhouse. as one OF the connect
ing pipes on his motor had Jared loose
and he did not want 70 take any chances
in the air.
The addresses all touched on Prof
Langley's contribution to the development
OF modern aviation and on the plans
the Army and Navy for future aerial
| work. Prof. Willis Moore opened the
exercises with q tribute to Prof. Lang
| ley as the pioneer Of the air. He intro
duced Gen. Oliver.
Plans Of War Department.
las soon as the necessary legislation
has been enacted" said Gen. oliver, 'the
plans Of the War Department contem-
plate the establishment of five centers OF
aviation at various points In the United
States for the training Of officers OF the
regular army and organized militia
These centers Of aviation also will be
used for the conducting Of experiments
with various aeronautical Devices
| Capt. W. /. Chambers, who followed
Gen. Oliver. took as his topic the worI
/ OF the navy In aviation. He deplored thu
| lack OF interest taken In the value Of tn,
aeroplane to the navy, and declared tina
/ the day must come when q large fleet o.
| heavier-than-air machines would be
| regular part Of the equipment of the war
ships The aero can be used to great ad
vantage In the service, he declared. ant
| he added that an aero could fly from
ship off the Virginia capes to- Washington
and drop 100 pounds Of explosives upor
l the Capitol and public buildings OF tn,