The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-07-30
FLYING FLIvvER
is NOW ASSURED
New Invention is Expected to Put
Plane Within Reach of
Every Family.

! experts believe that flying fivvers
soon will become as plentiful, relative
ly. as their namesakes. The new eX
! pertinent in human flight proved itself
before it crashed upon Jersey tree
In an attempted flight from New YORK
to Washington.
The nickname of the Dewoitine
cross between a glider and a regular
airplane is BETTING in respect OF
weight, size, fuel requirements, relative
speed and probable construction cost.
Emil Dewoitine is quoted as having
said that the machine can and will be
manufactured in quantity at a retail
price of $780, Georges Barbot, the pl-
lot. has said that the craft would COW
err J25 miles on a gallon OF gasoline.
But in respect to practical usefulness,
as a means of aerial transportation OF
persons or goods, the flying Hlvvef
gives no promise of living up to the
| fiiyver reputation, in the opinion OF
aviation experts.
The Dewoitine machine is different
from a motorless glider chiefly In that
IL
bration of the engine, the wing sur
faces and skeletons and the body had
to be constructed more strongly than
in the case of a glider. This meant
additional weight, and, together with
the weight of the motor itself-sald to
be only forty pounds-made the whole
craft considerably heavier than gill
der. The total tonnage" of the fly
ing t1iyyer was about 400 pounds, with
out the pilot, which is double the av-
erage weight of man carrying gl1ders
And successful man-carrying gliders
have been made weighing even less
than the average of 200 pounds.
The Dewoitine craft is different
from regular airplane mainly IN that
the motor is of much lower horse pow
err and the whole machine is smaller
and lighter. The motor mounted IN
the flying fiivver is two-cylinder Cler-
guet of twelve horsepower. Ord1- |
nary small airplanes carry 100 horse |
power motors, on the average; though !
constant improvements in propeller |
and wing design are gradually lower
ing the horsepower requisite in pro
portion to the weight of machines
The Sperry fast messenger plane, re-
Gently tested over Long Island, has
6O-horsepower engine. This plane is
one of the smallest in the country,
however.
In point of size the Dewoitine in
vention measures 40 feet from wing tip
to tip and 10 feet over ali in length.
The craft is a mOnoplane, and even
with the 4O-foot spread its wing area
is less than the average airplane. 1t
is just about equal, however, to the
total wing surface of many small types
of comparatively high speed one-seater
planes, which have more powerful mo-
tors. weigh much more, but can srs-
tain their weight with the small wings
BY virtue of their swiftness.
Extends Power of Giders.
The power equipment of the flying
1ivver, small though it be, is enough
% do away with the limitations pc
.uliar to motorless elders. Its addi-
tonal weight however, is not too great
o prevent powerless gliding. A glider
,annOt start flight from level ground.
ordinary glider flights are begun from
lilltops, by rolling the craft downhill
Until they pick up flying speed" and
axe off from the slope. Where hill
ides are less steep or long, catapult
evices have been used to help supply
he initial flying speed, but with little
uccess on the whole. 81. J. Nordman
sed an elastic rope to propel his "sail-
lane'' into the air from the highest
found at the golf links near Bayside,
. l., in recent series OF fllghts-
The seemingly impossible feat OF
taking motorless winged craft climb
o in the sky is possible because Of
Re presence Of upward movements Of
he air. The fact that air currents do
owe Upward and downward as well,
often overlooked because such cur
,nts are rarely encountered near the
lrth's surface, and never In areas
here the surface Is flat and smooth
bviously, a down-mOving current Is
Effected when it nears the earth, and
'reads out In a sort Of radial wind b
w GlACAts IL 10 pam, WV tAAl Oh w
owing current cannot originate just p
the earth's nat surface, because It p
,uld cause q vacuum there. .
The currents by virtue Of which gh- II
rs can keep their altitude or even h
NIB, are not called winds, usually n
fined as horizontal natural move ii
,nts Of air. They are sometimes p
,hnically known as winds with a. In
rtical component" Soaring birds, III
CHI as hawks and eagles, the natural CT
ders, take advantage Of these up pt
vertical or inclined move Ell
.nts Of air, to fly and climb for hours pl
time without Tapping their wings be
exerting themselves in any way ex- oil
IT to maintain their balance and m
er In areas where the air move
Mt IL favorable. There is no doubt, til
ugh, Of course, there is no direct WI
'of, that these soaring birds have en-
instructive sense Of rising or falling ba
sort Of exceedingly sensitive nat
j altimeter-by which they pick out pa
upwa RI moving aroqq Of Dir OIL cO