The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-02-04
Progress In Aviation

y little over ten years ago lit Deem
Der II, 1909, Wilbur and Orville Wright made
their first successful flight with motor pro-
PEELED acceptance Merely to rise into the air with
machine and travel short distance was then
proclaimed a wonderful miracle. But what
strides have been made since then! During the
intervening decade, the most astonishing prog
less in improvement and development has been
achieved will be seen by recalling only a few
of the outstanding feats.
During the war with Morocco the Spanish
aviators at one time put strong body of Moroc-
can tribesmen to flight with bombs dropped from
flying machines. This was slight prophecy Of
what may be expected in the wars of the future
Glenn Curtiss has succeeded in perfecting fly
ing boat which is useful on the water as in the
air. The Aero Club of America has recognized
this permanent and fundamental advance in
the science Of flying. Another aero boat invent
ed by Frenchman has been tested and proved
practicable: it has twenty-cylinder engine and
attains to speed of eighty miles in the air anCl
of more than fifty miles on the water.
Perhaps the most significant revolutonizine
invention made during this period has been the
recently completed "stablizer" tested out by Or
vile Wright in his aeroplane factory at Dayton
Although he is very reticent and modest and new
er has been prone to rash assertions, the great
pioneer birdnlan does not hesitate to claim for
his device that it will make aeroplaning as safe as
automobiling.
To date, the aeroplane has not yet been very
largely used in commercial way, but indications
are that it will be applied to business in the near
future. Only recently Representative Sharpe in
troduced bill into the House of Representatives
authorizing the Postmaster General to utilize
aeroplanes in delivering mail across those dis
1rictS ne lo
TO railways vehicles. France has also been de-
veloping in this direction The French Depart
ment has been building up a regular mail service
between Paris and the provinces through the use
of flying machines
Although the aeropane has not yet been
made commercial asset, the advancement made
in other directions during this past decade has
been most remarkable. People held their breath
when the flying machine Travelled sixty miles an
hour but only last year at Rheims France the
aviator Provost won the Gordon Bennett trophy
by driving his machine at the rate of 12415 miles
an hour.
Considerable improvements have been made
in the direction of hauling capacity. TO date the
record for carrying passengers is rate of 80 1-5
miles hour with passenger 63 miles an
hour with two passengers, &C miles with three
and 81 miles with four.
Of all the startling achievements in the air
the feats of the Frenchman Pegoud have been by
far the most spectacular. This well-poised and
coo-headed daredevil has 'looped the loop -
run the spiral, has flown upside down and back
ward, and cavorted about as if he had been born
in the attenuated element. If the gyroscope can
be applied to the flying machine-and attempts
thus far have been very successful-such aviatic
gymnastics as this will become very common
Three years ago Wilbur Wright told the writ
er there was but obstacle in the way of cross
ing the Atlantic and that was to invent some de-
vice making it possible to carry sufficient fuel
eff knew how to carry enough gasoline with