New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-04-19
LOOPS THE CLOUDS;
FLIES UPSIDE DOWN
c. F. Niles, Aviator, Thrills
Hampstead Crowd with
Daring Flights.
FROM SKY TO EARTH
IN A GIANT WHEEL
Rolls, Dives, Twists, Forms a ~
in Air-Defies Gravity While
Crowd Holds Breath.

In what was undoubtedly the most
spectacular fight ever made in the
vicinity of New York, and one of the
most daring exhibitions the world has
seen. Charles L. Niles, pilot for the
Moisant Aviation Company, playe
tag with the clouds and defied the law
of gravitation at Hampstead Plains
Yesterday afternoon. Twice Niles as
cended into the sky and put his ma
chine through a series of nerve-racKlng
PAGES that virtually paralyzed the spec
tators.
Niles went to the field with the in
tention of completing the loop which
he failed to make in his fight of Feo-
ruary .. This time there was no fali-
ure.
He Iooped the loop, rolled his ma
chine about. allowed il TO fall hundreds
of feet and cut up generally, until the
little group that had gathered to watch
his gyrations were in a far more her-
vous state than the young aviator ap-
raared to he when he climbed out OF
his aeroplane at the finish.
Uses Old Machine.
In company with Alfred J. Moisent
and Harold Kantnor, chief pilot OF the
Moisant company, Niles appeared al
the field Just before 3 o'clock. IL was
announced that he would try for the
American altitude record, and ;. >.
Jerwan and Howard Huntington were
present as official representatives. OF the
Aero Club of America. The barsgraph
was examined and fixed in place on
new SO-horsepower monoplane that
Moisant has been building. The old oO-
horsepower machine in which Niles
made his previous fight stood in tie
hangar.
Suddenly Niles appeared to have
changed his mind anC ordered the old
machine wheeled out. He followed the
plane to the runway. carrying the
leather harness with which 10 strap
himself in. making it clear that ne
meant TO do something more than try
for altitude The wind, waich had been
puffy all day. freshcned into q gale, and
even the experienced aviators among
the onlookers shook their heads.
Straight flying under such conditions
seemed 10 them TO be quite enough.
At 4.0j o'clock the machine swung
aloft and Niles began climbing in
great circles until ne had attained
height of 900 feet. The craft was
barely making headway when she came
about into the wind, but rushed along
at almost incredible, speed when she
wac before the wind. Continued puffs
made the going "bumpy," as aviators
term il.
Then Niles Strengthened his machine
out. direct above the centre of the
field. Something was going TO happen
one could feel il. And although every
bodv knew something Of the nature Of
what was about TO transpire. it was
impossible to repress an involuntary
start or to prevent tightening of the
throat muscles when the machine nosed
straight toward the ground. the thin
trail of smoke from the motor rising In
an unwaverng line to the sky.
Aeronaut Thrills Crowd.
For more than 900 feet the machine
dropped like plummet Then the
graceful tail tilted steadily forward and
the second stage OF the famous loop
v,as OH. Suddenly the roar Of the motor
ceased. and while the crowd glanced
uneasily first at the down-cOming ma
chine and then at each other the plane
returned TO an even keel. and In
graceful. clrcling volplane Niles
brought his craft 10 earth. There was
q rush TO the place where he landed.
The aviator sat in his seat, smiling
what happened?' choruscd the crowd
THE motor stalled" said Niles, but
we can fix her up in few minutes and
I'll try again.
There wos a session of tinkering
which lasted for fifteen minutes.