Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-03-27
5NORIa DAKOTA INVENTOR WRITES ON 4 I
PROGRESS Of AERIAL NAVIGATION

ity. Any man who is wise knows that
his own mind or Judgment at some
test will mislead him; a therefore. a
machine that depends upon the mind.
skill and nerve of man to keep 1t
right side up while in flight, Is not
safe and cannot be made practical.
Gravity is the most reliable means by
which the. equilibrium OF machine
may be maintained. Gravity never
fails. 1t is constantly seeking it's level
though waves, currents or tricky
puffs of wind rock or sway the craft
il 1t is SO constructed that gravity
tends to the balancing, it does not
wait to get into normal air, see or
feel that it is not level; but sets to
work at once bringing the craft back
to an even keel. r.
Since have explained what il
necessary in machine for safety, !
Will endeavor to give an idea Of what
is necessary in machine to make 1t
Ipractical. 1t should carry weight
enough to make it PROFITABLE, it
should have unquestionable strength
and inherent stability, it should be
easy controlled and capable Of flying
slow as we'll as swift. 1t should leave
the ground In a short distance and
make safe landing in q very small
place and be housed in a small space.
! will now give an idea Of some tOl
the principal features OF the machine
invented by r. NJ Metcalf, president
of the Metcalf..Multiplane Co., which
company owns the patents recently is
sued covering eighteen specials Tea.
lures of this machine. This invention
embOdies the principals above men.
toned and it would likely be interest
ing to the readers to know something
of the construction of this machine,
which is built with a boat shaped
body mounted on wheels, and adapt
cd to rise into the air either from
land or water. This boat carries the
motor, pilot, passengers and other
luggage H..
In the center OF the machine, a few
feet above the boat, surface rises
vertically a few feet then divides and
expands horizontally to the right, and
left, which works in harmony with
the load below to keep the machine
from skidding Sideways; then below
the. outer edges of the surfaces above
described, is series of long narrow
planes in two decks deep extending
to right and left, which constitutes
the main supporting surgace. This
series OF planes can be set at any de-
sired angle from. front tn, back. BY
means of these. swinging planes many
useful points are gained: for instance
by swinging the outer ends OF the
planes forward, they gather, pack or
compress the air, giving the surface
greater bnoyancy, thus, enabling the
machine to leave the ground in short
distance, carry more weight Of fly
slower; when the propeller is not
applied it banks against the air and
stops the machine before landing !
then by drawing the outer, ends OF
the planes backward it lessons the re.
sistance and thereby increases the
speed. AS the speed increases. the
planes may be drawn back until the
machine may be driven at any desired
speed with perfect safety. ~
Another advantage in the series of
planes is that it distributes =, tho
weight all of the time On AL of the
surface and the pressure cannot all
be thrown to one side OF the surface
and the weight to the opposite side as
can be done with the wide surface;
again narrow surfaces have greater
buoyancy, or will life more to the