Evening journal., 1919-12-16
ALL WILLFLY
LIKEBATSSOON
Peter Cooper Hewitt Says He
Has Developed Machine
That Does Wonders
HE MAY WIN
PRIZE OF 100000

NEW YORK, Dec. i6-The latest Mich
I'm prize Of 100000, offered through
he Aero Club de France. may be won
shortly by an American. Peter Cooper
Hewitt happens TO have a demonnstra-
Non machine already constructed which
be claims Will do the things the Niche
Tins reQuire-and more. Not only VIII
& rise straight up into the air without
a preliminary run along the ground and
then move forward and finally when
landing descend into a 30-foOt square,
but 10 will execute maneuvers as well
that are much more unusual, almost
sensational.
For instance. said Mr.. Hewitt, when
X IS running forward through the air
Il may be reversed and driven back
ward without reversing the engine or
turning about. Furthermore, the ma
chine may be made 10 drop or to jump
with the suddenness OF a flying bat. In
fact. IL compares IN flight with the
present planes, he continued, as bat
I'm flight compares with duck. A
duck can travel only In a smooth line
and change its direction In swinging
curve: whereas, like a bat chasing a
butterfly in the twilight, this machine
can make sudden halts, drops or jumps.
These unusual movements, Mr.. Hewitt
explained, are made possible by having
q propeller which may be pointed IN
anv direction. To rise straight up the
propeller shaft Is turned until 1t points
up and down and brings the propeller
overhead, so that the pull Of the blades
Is applied entirely TO lifting. There Is
no sidewse motion during the ascent.
once In the air the propeller smart
Is inclined forward and the plane Is
drawn ahead at a speed which Is equal,
Mr. Hewitt claims, TO the speed or any
Of the fast planes now in use. Ihls
speed NAV be reversed quite simply by
shifting the propeller from forward TO
rear and applying the pull unlnterrupt-
edly. but in the opposite direction. Fur-
thermore. at any time during the highi
The direction of the propeller may be
varied and the machine may pull ltseh
upward. or may drop, adding its own
propeuer thrust downward to the pull
Of gravilation.
These eccentric movements in flight
said Mr. Hewitt, were part OF the orlgi-
nal object Of his research, for their use
fulness in aerial combat during the
war The machine was a defense de-
sign undertaken for the War Depart
ment and 10 was 90 demonstrate II
practically that Mr.. Hewitt built the
demonstration plane, completely engined
and equipped for flight, which he now
possesses.
At a demonstration which took place
before a committee Of aviation experts
- 40 General staff shortly before the
armistice a complete test Of the ma
chine was made on an aviation scale 10
determine lifting power, balance, etc.,
and the experts pronounced 1t mar
vel. ho
you may announce It for me, ne
said with a smile, "that If anyone reels
a sporting inclination to 90 ater the
prize and Is willing to support the cost
of construction will let him use my
design and he will be sure to win.
The successful attempts to rise 'er-
4icallv with a heavier-than-air machiue
and attempts to alight on small spaces,
such as housetops. have been stunts
recurring extraordinary skill and great
daring With q machine Of the type thai
Mr. Hewitt has developed, he says, IL
would be an elementary operation 10
rise from a housetop and to make a
landing on one. Il would even be pos
sibIe 10 remain stationary in the air
alongside a building at a desired iloor
level and TO step OF on to balcony
or into a window, he says.