Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-04-18

WASHINGTON, April 15.--After
successful flights across the Atlantic
one of them in a single leap-and
the exploits of aircraft during the
late war, 1t might be supposed that
the conquest of the air has been ac-
complished, and that aviators are
"birdmen" in fact.
But the thing toward which stu
dents of flying are turning their at
tention now is the possibility of sus-
tanned flight without power-the
kind of fight possible for an alba
tross. an eagle. or a sea gull. These
birds and many others are capable
of keeping themselves in the air,
and of actually climbing higher and
higher, without any apparent effort
other than holding their wings ex-
tended.
The pursuit of this development
is arousing more interest abroad
than ii Is in America, the German
| flyers being particularly active in
working toward accomplishing this
end. 1t is now a little more than
nineteen years since the first controll-
ed fight in a power propelled airplane
was successful, the machine being
piloted by the American pioneer
flyer, Wilbur Wright, at Kitty Hawk,
North Carolina. In the years be-
tween heavier than air machines
have been perfected in many de-
tails, and huge planes able to carry
bombs weighing thousands of
pounds and capable of carrying
many persons have been constructed
and their w%orthiness proved. But
development of the so-called "glid-
err" has Jagged in America in COM
| parison with our late enemy. Ger
many.
Study of big soaring birds. nota-
bly, the albatross. has led to the
Accomplishment of remarkable re-
suits, although it cannot be said that
the powerless airplane Is perfected
by any 1t is a fact that GER
tain of the birds a remain for
hours in the air without an appar-
ent expenditure of energy in the way
of Tapping their wings. Gulls fol-
lowing a ship seem to hang station
airy behind it, travelling forward at
the limited speed of the vessel. The
larger seabirds, it is claimed, have
been observed for as long as day.
light lasts, keeping VI in the air and
cruising here and there without once
moving the wings in the motion
commonly known as Tapping.
soaring bifus ae
In the studies of the birds as
a model for "gliders," is was noted
that the birds best capable of this
sustained flight without effort have
| wings extending a considerable dis
lance out from the sides of the bird,
and tending to be narrow rather
than broad wings. This idea has
| been followed in making gliders.
BY glider 10 not meant a machine
that will merely coast down the
wind. gathering speed from loss of
altitude. Such a machine would be
useful only if started from the top
| of a hill, with a landing place some
where on the plain below. This
sort of thing would and is relatively
easy OF accomplishment. The ambi-
tious goal of the experimenters in
this line as a machine without pow
err which will rise Of its W voli-
ton, utilizing air currents for the
there without artificial means o.
propulsion. such as the propeller
used by all airplanes.
The best record thus far obtained
in this respect is credited to a Ger.
man experimenter, a man named
Harth. This man, according to a C.
credited records, made his machine
rise from a standstil1 without assis-
lance, and eventually gained ar alti'
tude of about 200 feet above the
starting point. keeping his machine
In the air for 21h minutes. Wher
he did land. 1t was at a point only
thirty-five or forty feet below hi,
starting point, and that after being
in the air more than a third of al
hour.
Too much should not be expected
from the perfection of the glider
in the way of actual long flights
without any power Whatsoever
Harth required a wind of about
twenty miles an hour to make hi,
remarkable record. Obviously II Il
Impossible to get anything like 'lift'
from the air when there is a dead
calm.
4 The big development. which woulc
seem to be possible in the near flu
ture. Judging from the German ex'
periments. Is the aerial "nivver'- -
small. safe plane. extremely low
powered, which the average mar
tcould afford and operate. On many
occasions. such a machine could BIZ
operated without the use of power
when at sufficient attitudes to taks
advantage OF the winds which are en-
lcountsred5 more frequently high II
~ 49, ~