Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-06-02
History Of Men Who First Ex.
perimented in Aviation is
Here Told

Professor Langley O. IT, Sm.'
mon Institution was }a&>Lteu 20 d"rr.
ny an American public Id 10 b~Ht''
that flight through the a" va.
fools dream
The suory Of those days Ct ev.rr.
| lH"ntQtiDn a2d Ot tao coUrHge {,
heart and mind is ;nt"-">:'ug,H to-.
by the engineer closely as>'U.i@tc
with the great scientist.
Charles NJ Mar!!. u"H : Ill L.
! Cnrtiss AeropIaniAg Company. t,ld g.,
/ story before the rnEiueerin" 500
OF Buffalo last wccH. That TART d.
! it referring 70 Mr I.angle; and {
earlier pioneers Of EngIant, France
and Italy is here .clrnled
The suggestions and Sket, ,.a. WHEY
Leonardo da Vinci made in his 81"
| book about the year I10o, aye pTm>
aHiY the earliest record y"3rl ".
have Of serious attcLti~1 being e:,,u
TO providing man with IH"a23 e.!
trans portation through the air '."'
the great da NiDCi apparently f&jinH
to see the fIlJIJNeH:al feature "f
flight, whether II he hird o. C t.
flying machine, as i: exists todu:.
it was 81. Georco HaTlcy v'r
about 1902 uoems 10 Lal" FIST an.
alyzed the problem to the r.ITt d
showing that flight COMPRISED tie
double functions Of sHstcNati0n and
propulsion END that the IT, Of nG.',
ping Its wings vas nerforu2I ~ &c
bird not as a means OF directly -.,.;,
tanning itself, but fer tie I~G. 49, Of
propulsion, and that i was s3.fui,.,..
by the acroplanc effect e is inr..1.u
wings being thus driven throrHh the
air
Sir George Caylty was in reality
tie first aeronaGtical engineer He
not only formulated tie laws OF cIui.
!ibrium and control, but actually
demonstrated them b. constructing
and operating the first gliding Ela,
chine.
First Practical MacnIne
Before the middle Of the nineteenth
century, however independent think,
ers followed in the footsteps of SiY
George Cayley and drew mp their
plans for flying machines, based on
the principle of the aeroplane. Hen
son in 1912 not only designed, but
patented an aeroplane which, so lar
as the functions OF sustaining and
guiding itself, were concerned, was
thoroughly practical. The model ma
chine on these plans which lie and
Stringfellow built n 1914 lacked two
rather important elements: the one q
matter Of design--aGeQuate means OF
preserving lateral equilibrium; and
the other a matter Of construction
an efficient and sufficient power
plant.
He had rmonoplane with horizon.
tai and vertical rudders for steering
up or down and sideways. There were
two propellers. He had small steam
engine, but the allied arts had not
advanced sufficiently to enable him
to procure a suitable boiler of light
enough weight to generate the neCes-
sary steam. Stringfellow later, in
1916. built a new model in which the
wings were made of curved or cam.
bered surfaces, and Wenham in 1866
patented the muluplane or machine
with superposed surfaces, thus Civ.
ing US the present day truss construc, .
ton.
The one thing which Henson lacked |.
In his design was almost Immediately /
supplied by Mathew Piers Watt Boul- !
ton, who invented the system Of lat
sral balancing or control now so uni !
used; that Of small supple,
planes which we now call !
ailerons. The description which he
gave Of these in his British patent !
was thorough and clear. 1t IS the first
-ecord which we have of appreciation
IF the necessity for active lateral con- |
rol as distinguished from the passive
ateral equilibrium secured by having !,
he wings set at dihedral angle.
Next Learn to Fly
With this invention OF Boulton VIC
lave the birth Of the present day
hree torque method Of control, and !
he only thing then lacking to enable
nan to learn to operate flying ma
hines was a suitable engine. This
invention of Toulton's supplied the
asst element lacking in the provision
Il the means of actively balancing
r controlling an object moving