New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-05-29
CURTISS CLAIMS HE
FLEW AIR RELIC
Says Langley Plane, with
No Structural Change,
Proved Success.
NO NEWSPAPER MEN
SEE MACHINE TRIED
Experiments Effect on Wright
Patents Is Watched with In
terest by AviatorS.

tereSt by AViatorS.
what In believed to be an effort to show
tia, The Wriehts were not the first to
buiId a man-carrying aeroplane was made
AZ Hammondsport. n. Y, yesterday
morning, when Glenn II. Curtiss attempt
ed 70 fly the original machine built by Or.
Samuel P. Langley in 1903. After the
trial. which was made early in the morn
ing. Curtiss announced that the machine
had flown successfully.
Several weeks ago Curtiss announced
that the trials would take place before
number Of members Of Congress and rep
resentatives OF leading papers II was
stated last night that no newspaper cor
respondents had been present al tho
fight, and that the delegation from
Washington had consisted Of Or. Charles
ID. Walcott and DR.. A. F. Zahm. OF the
Smithsonian Institution. where the ma
chine was built by DR.. Langley
While admitting that some repairs had
been made on the wings Of the machine
and that new cloth had been used for the
surfaces a representative Of the Curtiss
Aeroplane Company stated that no other
changes had been made. When asked II
additional controlling devices had been
employed, Curtss said that such was not
the case.
What the effect on the Wright Curtiss
situation will be II the Langley machine
is shown TO be stable in the air without
the use OF the Wright warping device can
only be contectured. but many believe 1t
would form the basis OF an action by
Curtiss Attorneys on both sides declined
to discuss the matter last night.
Dr. Langley began his aerial expert
ments in 1887 His work extended over a
period of nearly sixteen years, and during
that time he successfully demonstrated
many principles that have proved OF great
value 20 aviation
In 1892 Langley undertook the construc-
ton OF the first model OF heavier-than-
Air machine. II was steam driven, fitted
with an engine weighing but seven pounds
and developing IL horsepower. The two
sets of monoplane wings were arranged
in tandem form. II was launched from an
overhead track by means OF series OF
springs.
The first fight Of the model took place
May 6. 1895, at Quantico, on the Potomac
River. The machine, which had a wing
spr.ad OF thirteen feet and weighed
thirty pounds. was propelled by the tiny
engine a distance of 5000 feet, remaining
in the air minute and % seconds. It was
started again and made another Night OF
300 feet. These were the first flights OF
a heavier than-air machine propelled by
its own power in the history OF the world
Two attempts were made to fly, October
Z and December s. 1903, the full size ma
chine. but owing TO the inefficient launch
ing device the machine fell into the Po-
torac River before It had got clear or
the track. II was taken from the water
and stored in the Smithsonian Laboratory
The War Department would make no fur
their allowance Of funds, and Langley
could not go on with his work.
Interest shown by the Wright brothers
in aviation dates from 1896, when Langley
made his first trials. Nor do the Wrghts
deny that many OF their ideas had their
inception in the experiments of the doc
tor
Octave Chanute, who was one OF Lang
lev's assistants, afterward became OF
great service TO the Wrights The first
successful Wright fier. which made Its
initial fight in 1905 strongly resembled
one Of Langley's early models, il is said
Closely associated with DR.. Langley was
Dr. Alexander Graham Bell. inventor OF
the telephone Shortly after the death OF
Langley Or Bell formed the Aerial Elk
periment Association. The most active
members were Lieutenant Thomas r
Selfridge, Captain Thomas S. Baldwin
J. A. ID. McCurdy and Glenn II. Curtiss
AT that time Curtiss was known as q
builder Of light gasolene motors. The re-
suit of their work was the Curtiss type OF
aerOplane.
The real worth OF DR.. Langley's re-
searches did not become known until 1911
when the memoirs which he had COM
piled in 1897 were published by the Smith
sonlan Institution. The work was reve-
lation, and since it came out there has
been a general tendency TO accord TO the
memory of Langley the honor it deserves
in history.