The sun., 1918-07-07
10000 CHEER FLIGHT
OF LANGLEY PLANE
Mammoth Machine Climbs
3,100 Feet and Attains 80
Miles Speed.
EVERY CLAIM JUSTIFIED
Airplane Gives No Trouble in
ManGuvring-Ryan Pre-
diets Victory.

| The mammoth bombing ajrplane Lang
10y swept gracefully into the air yester-
| day afternoon from the flying field Oh
the Standard Aircraft Corporation at
Bayway. near Elizabeth. N. j., and. with
her christening champagne bubbles still
sparkling on the superstructure and her
twin Liberty motors working perfectly,
proved every claim that had been made
| for her by ascending to height of
800 feet and attaining a speed Of
ninety miles an hour.
On her first trial flight the machine
she Is a biplane-stayed In the air
twenty-seven minutes. In a second test
flight her pilot kept her in the air
thirty minutes and on neither flight was
the slightest difficulty experienced either
with her engines or In man9uvring the
craft.
The success of the trial flight pro-
voked rounds of applause from the
/ 900 spectators. She had flown be-
fore. but yesterdays flight was her first
official test, and was watched by John d.
Ryan. Director OF Aircraft Production
several members OF Congress and score
of British and American army officers
and airplane construction experts.
Mr.. Ryan's Optimism.
While the flight of the machine caught
the fancy Of the crowd. OF equal inn
portance to the airplane builders was
the declaration by Mr.. Ryan that the
United States in June built more air
plane engines than had been constructed
In all Of Great Britain in the year 1915.
That accomplishment. Mr.. Ryan said.
marked. however. but the beginning OF
what America Is about to do toward
winning the war in the air.
This" he said SIS one of the most
formidable ships OF war ever constructed.
II Is the first of thousands of the same
type which are to come behind It. There
has been much criticism of our airship
production l can speak OF IT. because
for four months l have been studying
the cause Of delays. We have started in
production and are gaining. We will
change the allied advantage in the air
to such a preponderance that we shall
have victory in the air. victory IN the
war and carry CONSERVATION to our
enemies"
Mr.. Ryan's optimism regarding the
Liberty motor and American production
was enthusiastically concurred in by the
British officers who saw the Langley
proceed successfully through the test
r,
controller of equipment of the British
Air Ministry, said he carried in his
pocket another request from his Govern
ment for more Liberty motors Sir Henry
Fowler said the Liberty motor was lone
OF the finest airplane motors ever built"
Neither Secretary Baker nor Secretary
Daniels, both OF whom were expected to
witness the flight Of the big aIrship was
able TO be present. Benedict Crowell
Assistant Secretary OF War. represented
Secretary BakeR and caused another
great round OF applause when he an
nounced that more than 100000 Ameri-
can fighting men had left single At
lantlc port for France last month.
Smashing of Bottle.
Only one incident threatened to mar
the flight of the Langley, which name
was bestowed upon the big machine in
honor OF DR.. Samuel Langley, pioneer
student OF aviation. Arrangements had
been made for Mrs. Harry b. Mingie,
wife of the president OF the Standard
Aircraft Corporation. TO break the bottle
OF champagne over the airplane as the
motors began 10 whirr Mrs. Mincle
tried. but the bottle withstood her best
efforts to smash It, Col. William Sem
pie Of the Royal Flying Corps, who
pllcltu tit machine On llS !TSl ulsnl,
came to the rescue and shattered the
glass with a single blow.
Although the Langley Is capable of
twenty-five persons col. SEM
pie took less than half that number
with him in the first flight yesterday.
Among those who made the flight were
Y. p Dawkins. director OF the Handley-
Ppge Company. a British concern which
desi2ned the Langley type Capt F.. T.
Waller also OF the Royal Flying Corps.
and several motion picture photogra-
piers. Capt. Waller piloted the ma
chine on the second flight
After Col Semple had Witnessed the
finish of the second flight OF the Lang
ley he took the air again in small
scouting plane and gave the crowd a
thrill when. alighting. the machine
struck soft earth and was overturned ,
dragged Col. Semple out OF
the wrecka?e OF the biplane unlnjured !
but badly shaken up.
The Langley has a wing spread OF (
100 feet from tip to tip, weighs four |
and a half tons and has carrying |
capacity OF one and II half tons.
New Triplnne Tested.
A new type OF battle tr!plane was
ried out successfully last night at the |,
hampstead Aviation Field The ma |
,hine developed a speed of $50 miles an |
,our and climbing ability of about |
900 feet a minute. The plane is the !
esult OF many months Of experiment. I
ng by Glenn Curtiss and G. b. Kirk |
lam, a gasolene engine expert.
In the flight the triplane was pi!oted !
" Roland Rolls OF Buffalo. The test
vas declared successful in every way.
rhe flight was witnessed by several OIL
ers OF the army and navy.
Although but few details Of the new
danes construction would he given at +
he field. after the flight was completed
/ was said that the triplane would be
..ol -. 10Th nrrns Of the snrNirn