Norwich bulletin., 1922-09-07
Curtiss Experiments | With a Sail Plane
Has Visions of 'eTrains" of Gliders Being Towe q Through the Air by Flying Boats.

Port Washington, N. r. Sept. G. Glenn H. Curtiss, aviation expert, today went sea soaring" over Manhasset bay in asIl plane, which on two occasions took the air when lowed by speed boat, stayed alosS 49 seconds each time with the towline cut. and then g:ided gracefully down to the water again. This was said to have been the first time marine glider had ever risen from the water.
 At the end of the experiment, viewed by a large party of engineers, Mir. Curtiss expressed himself well pleased with the result of the test made under adverse conditions, with a light wind. and then gave himself over to interesting specula- tion on the possibility of lair trains''- a number of sail planes lowed through the air by a motored seaplane.
 The theory that trailers could be at tached to flying boat was advanced by aviation experts who watched the flights. after W L. Gilmore, chief engineer of the Curtiss corporation, discovered that the sail plane tugged very lightly at the towline With the sail plane 30 feet ir the air. Mir Qzlmore grasped the line and found that he could hold it with one hand.
 i Later when the theory was laid before | Mir. Curtiss he said he believed 1t would i be practical to tow a sail plane behind 2 1 flying boat at considerable heights. with ] out danger. Representatives of the Aero | nautical Chamber of Commerce then an
 nounced that such an experiment prob 1 ably would be made soon
 | The sail plane used in today's test was, except far its blunt nose, almost
 complete copy, on reduced scale, of tn, NC-4, the first aircraft to fly the At lantic
 The glider has wing spread of 9 | feet, is 24 feet long and weighs IA I pounds. Mir. Curtiss, who piloted tn
 frail craft, weighs 155 pounds, bringin {. the total to 2S5.
 The hull is made of very light meta ] The cockpit is so small that MT. Curtis
 could barely get into it.
 The wings are 54 inches wide and tn
 distance between the upper and lowe
 planes is so inches. The lifting area 1
 2So square feet.
 Today's experiments started with thre unsuccessful attempts to get the ga
 plane into the air. Each time the finish
 ing line used as a tow rope snappe,
 Failure to rise was attributed to the a
 most dead calm that prevaiIed, and th aviators, likke sailors. whistled for wind.
 Finally a slight breeze arose 1l After it had been lowed about a qua f ter of a mile at 35 miles an hour u : glider rose 12 feet from the water IT f towline was cut
 'Forty-nine seconds" announced u
 timer, whe nthe sail plane desccnded, ar
 MT. Curtiss propelled himself ashore vii
 a canoe paddle.
 Later another flight Of equal lengi n was made. The glider moved throue the air, this time at about 30 feet, on { even keel, and. Mir Curtiss said, und , perfect control. Once, before the towlil
 was cut and during slight gust of win
 the glider gained on the swift motorbos
 50 that the towline was slack. This is the first step in sea soaring : said Mir. Curtiss. "'rhe problem here
 different than that met by the Germ; I, gliders. which recently remained aloft = long. Theirs was the problem of mai !, taining balance on vertical air currents ? Here we have no such currents, f ' the currents move parallel with t f water. We t pattern after the alb ss tross which .akes of from wave al = scars imm ediately. To keep soaring. must have knowledge of the variations the air currents over the water !. When the machine came down after S second independent flight. one wi y struck the water hreaking a rib. The i, jury Is insignificant and experiments p S be continued Friday.