Evening star., 1920-01-11

pedal, gather force and scoot
into the air again. And down again
and up again.
Mamma, in the evening. seeing
Jimmy home so early. will inquire:
How did you Gomez" with worried
Intuition. And the boy will brag. exc
proud and guilty. "Cut across over
Eigelow's corncribs" Then mamma
will fling up her arms and say. DO
you hear that. father? Jimmy's been
flying high again.
In cities boys will plague their
parents to join a suburban aviette
links
will you promise never to jump
the river? Will you promise never to
quit the links? Remember the boy
who tried to skim Shantytown and
broke his lege Do you hear me, Os-
waldT'
The world moves.
In Paris the first grand public sue
cess, the clou of the after-war IS the
aeronautical salon. and the clou OF
the aeronautical salon is something
which isn't in it. Everybody Is talk
ing about the aviette. the aerial bike.
1T is known to exist. The Nleuport
Nieuports:N You're away behind the
times. The Renaults and FIVE firms
have made a combination for the
patents" "Of course. there's nothing
in the salon. That dwarf DAVID arr
plane weighs 44o pounds and LANDS
60 II.
Don't fool yourself. the aViet'e Is
completely different"
So they talk, and mostly whisper.
They say that it is different ana
believe that there is trick OF
great novelty. Some claim that IT'S
just a little difference. nke ina! Nv wnioa na
permitted Wilbur Wright to rise anu
soar in France while the French
were jumping. although they nad
more powerful motors than the
American. Others say tnat me
chanical discovery has been mace.
II has to do with the TRANSMISSION OF
man-power.
For example. it may be cited as
something doubtless more than q
Curiosity of rumor that the following
story is being widely printed-douo..
good faith by scientific papers. AT
bottom, it may be looked on as a q
fseier. bluff. or an intimidation, all
quite different. as may De. mere
the story: .+
.In 1851, on August 1. at am; AZ
Neuilly. on the banks OF 'he ;aht o;
Thomas d'Arville rose to a heignt OF
800 feet by working on the n1tn anu
sixth pedals of his winged machine
and planed distance eQuai 10 the
width of the Champ de Mars.
Then follow what purport 70 pc .he
witnesses 10 q
nroces verbal led by one Villemes-
SAINT. -oc.s
verbal exists; there were prac1cai
jokers in those old days, not 20 IN
ouire further. But the interesting R
thing. in any case. is the fact OF its
being dug up and exploited az 5ne
nresent moment, as il (for exampie)
TO discre6it in advance certain anuct
pated patents as BASED on o,a t;c;no
tion in sucn patents. or to draw out
scraps of information prematureiy
from innocent third parties. Or what
ever. ,;,.,
Ii any ase, here's yonr mechanieai
mystery-the mystery of the avlette.
Man-power. hand-power. foot power.
~-It is claimed to have to do with some
system or short series OF pedals.
thing which is told in detail, on
the other hand. is quite different
nreIates to trials of the one aviette
which. openly and ostenslpiy, pears
the name of great airplane nrm-the
Nieuport concern.
These trials. at dawn. in such
publjc place as the wide roadway
fronting the Longchamps race course
entrance, have been witnessed, apart
from those concerned, principaliy DJ
sporting youth. Evidently, the Nieu-
Ix-h1 fheV are QOlnK-
showing or not showing-and why and
vherefor. The rider whose name IS
connected with the chie1 visible oe-
vice of this aviette is Ganrlei rour
lain former bicycle champion newly
returned from the wars.
1t is a bicycle whose rear wheei IS
smaller than its front. On tnis pike
is fixed a sort of biplane, the spread
Of whose upper planes, meters an
fyardsl and a half by meters 20:
gives a bearing surface on the air OF
about Is square yards. The lower
plane measures meters oy L meter
40. At the rear there is small d.
rection rudder.
the center of the apparatus, is little
below it's center of gravity. The totai
weight of the apparatus, constructeu
of very light wood and thin yarnisneo
Sls iilkif is lore weighlng R
say have been established for the en-
senble to quit the earth at rolllne
speed of twenty-five miles per nour;
Rising and righting are obtained oy
varying the slant OF the planes on the
air. and as the planes are liked rigloly
to the bicycle frame. the trick Oh
varying the slant is simple ana m
genious. A.
huh (naye) of tho hind wheel can slide
on the axle and thus describe, in sink
ine downwards. an arc. the center OF
whose circe is the hub of the front
v:hetI. At the moment when the
cyclist thinks he has MS necessary roll
ing speed upon the ground (about ten
wards per second) he slips 4 hand-lever
attached to the handle-bar. which shoots
open the bolt holding the bicycle frame
on the rear wheel's hub. With jerk
of the launches. he makes it slip OH.
frame and saddle sinking under him !;
and the whole apparatus Except the
wheels ticmselves) being of a piece.
i; pivots OF the hub of the front wheel,
dragging the planes with it, and thus
giving tnen, !t>s slant desired to favor
the attack on the air. etc.
Poulaia. they say. is experimenting
on this av.Stt !; f.ts t:ie iU.oCp de-
carnetra p-'r.= i--~tit tsf: b. Pobart
Pcuseot in 1919. The purse goes to the
cyclist who. by his own means G e.
without motor and by his muscular
fore. oniy). shall first get his aviette
OFF the ground and into the air in a
leap or skim of at least ten yards.
a decametreD. in both senses-ten
Yards in altitude and ten yards in dis
lance.
The distance. Pouain beats it cur
rently and considerably-to the extent
of double, treble-they say.
But, in doing so, he does not get the
ten yards altitude.
Also (ihey saw ne has made his ten