The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-02-05
MAY REYOLUTIONIZE
AIRPLANE FLYING
New Stabilizer Said to Enable
Aircraft to Stand Still
in the Air.
ROOF LANDING MADE EASY
Raises or Lowers Machine at
Operators Will-Tests
Made in France.

American experts IN airpiane construc-
ton and development exhibited yNster-
day deep interest in reports brought to
this country from France and England
| by returning aviators Of = series Of ex-
perimental flights that have been made
there to test out q new form Of stabilixer
which they say stands an even chance Of
revolutionizine plane construction and
operation.
Tho invention was tried out first at
tho recent interallied aviation meet In
France. but the tests were secret and no
public report has been made on Thorn
yet Nevertheless. the returned aviators
and others who have seen the invention
, work say II Is known as an elevator pro-
peller and that It may be attached TO
any airplane.
Placed on Top Of Plane.
In operation Il functions much after
| the fashion Of q ceiling fan. only its pri-
| mary object Is to lift or drop the plane
] in any given space. The propeller 10
placed upon the top plane and u 20
seared to the engine that 1t operates a
tractor. or pusher propeller. that gives
| II Roadway. Both tractor and elevator
can be operated either simultaneously or
| independently.
II tho invention finally proves pracu-
| cal. experts who discussed II said. avia-
ton may be free OF the fatal landing
accidents that caused 30 many deaths
among student aviators during the train
ing process. Once the invention Ia prop
erly set, those who have seen 1t assert
the airplane may be made to ascend or
| descend in a perfectly stabilized position.
Ia W NJ
| vention even after the airplane's engine
kas stopped or gone wrong, they said.
The greatest secrecy 10 being main
tanned by the inventors and testers OF
| the invention until after the final test
| flights have been made.
The inventors are said to be English
| men, who have been working on the
| sta bilization problem for a long time,
but their names have not been per-
mitted TO become known.
Roof Landings Made Easy.
An additional claim made for the in
vention Is that II will cause tho plane
to hover in midair and in Its Identical
displacement space. Which means that
II an aviator desired to alight upon
roof or the deck OF a ship all he would
have to do would be to gauge distace
and time, shut OFT his tractor. run out
propeller.
Then he would hover over the roof
or deck selected for tho landing.
BY gradually cutting down the revo-
lutlons of the propeller, gravity eventu-
ally would overcome the stability and
drop the plane lightly upon the roof.
All that would be necessary for sub
| sequent ascension from the roof or deck
would be to increase the revolutions I'M
I'll the lifting power again 10 greater
than the weight OF the machine.
One OF the sponsors for the invention
is prominent Englishman who has
| been interested in aviation for years.
He said he had seen the invention In
operation and was enthusiastic over the
certainty OF Its proving practical. He
was sworn 10 secrecy, however. and for
that reason refused TO permit publica-
ton of his name.
Men whom ! have talked with re-
Gently" ne said, land who are familiar
with the invention, predict that within
| a few years airplanes will be as COM
| monplace as ts1icabs and far more con-
| venient and comfortable. This stabil-
izing propeller will eliminate probably 90
per cent. Of the danger of the airplane
under present conditions