Evening star., 1924-06-15
to Have Worlds Finest Collection Of Flying Devc

bottom of the basket. Instruments
and food, as well as their clothing,
| were hurled overheard in an effort
to Tighten the machine, and finally
Jeffries volunteered to jump and let
Blanchard continue the flight
Poised on the side of the basket
| and about to jump into the water,
| Jeffries was thrown to the bottom OF
the carrier when gust of wind
caught the balloon and carried it to
| the shore.
Efforts were next concentrated on
| the designing of an engine that
would propel a balloon, and after ex-
| periments with electricity and COM
pressed air a gunpowder engine was
invented, this being the first combus-
| tion engine recorded.
The lighter-than-air craft now be-
| ing considered entirely satisfactory.
| inventors again turned to the
| heavier -than-air machines. and in
1920 Sir George Cayley of England
improved a glider that was later used
| by Samuel Henson of the United
States when he started work on a
| plane in 1S40.
| Henson, with John Stringfellov.
designed a machine of enormous wing
| spread, carrying a cabin that would
| rival those on the air-liners of the
present day, the whole to be driven
| by twenty horsepower motor. Lit
| erature was sent out and the in
ventors claimed to be able to fly to
! Europe from New York city in TWEEN
| y-four hours. Pictures of trips over
the Sahara were posted in all large
cities.
| MODELS of the gigantic machine
A'A made short hopping fights. but
Sir George Cayley at this time came
| out in an article and declared that
| the design was impractical and a
machine of such proportions could
never lift from the ground. The con-
struction of the larger machine was
abandoned and the first airline com
pany went into oblivion.
1t was in this article that Cayley
gave the idea for the helicopter. ex-
planning his machine. While no
working models were ever made by
/ Cayley, the design followed by Smith
sonian experts is said to be capable
of making short flights.
The Cayley plan was machine of
| wings that revolved and acted
propellers that could be closed, form
ing a flat surface with auxiliary pro-
pellers to send the machine forward.
From 1S4O to 1886 inventors were
| <o hat
would prove practical, and all of the
great powers were endeavoring to
outdistance each other in the i'm
provement of a practical heavier
| than-air machine.
Value of balloons being assured. as
they were used by the Union Army
during thee ivil war. all efforts were
concentrated in the field of aviation.
In 1894, Sir, Hiram Maxim. in Eng
| land, taking advantage of improve
ments in steam engines, designed a
plane of large proportions, but on ac-
count of lack of proper balance in the
first trial, the machine was wrecked
and Maxim retired for the time from
| the field.
France had engaged the services of
| NltIIltHl AueT, DuI MS SHOGIS also
failed, his machirs being two heavy
| for the power of the motive plant
and also not properly balanced
Otto Lilenthal in Germany perhaps
| came nearer to solving the problem
of aviation than any engaged at that
time, finally improving a glider that
made several successful flights. 1t
was Lilenthal who solved the prob
lem of air navigation, but his efforts
! were not to succeed, as in a final
| trial of a glider in which he was
to install a motor he fell and was
| killed
In the United States Samuel Pier
pont Langley, using the best that
was known and making exhaustive
experiments, in 1896 constructed a
model that in every way responded
to tests and in trial flights stayed in
the air until the original fuel was
| exhausted. The test was made at
Whitewater, on the Potomac, and sew
eral flights were made with the
model proving its success.
T ATER, after the invention of the
gasoline engine, Langley de-
signed a new plane carrying light
motor designed by Charles Manley
| and tests proved this machine to be
superior in every way to the first one
| tried.
|, October Z. 1908. Langley and Man
ley took their plane to houseb boat
on the Potomac and, in the presence
of members of the press and Con-
gress, attempted to launch the first
man-carrying heavier-than- air ma
chine Langley was getting govern
| ment support, but was being ridi-
culed by the press, failure being
predicted
Against the advice of his assist
ants, the plane was launched, but
heavy wind having sprung up. the
plane toppled on the launching cata-
pult, and the guy wires became en-
tangled, with the result that the craft
was thrown into the river. The motor
was but a twelve horsepower affair
and lacked the power to lift the
plane.
Another test was made in Decem-
ber, 1903, but also failed, the same
conditions prevailing and the same
mishap occurring. The original ma
chine was tested in 1914 by Smith
sonian experts and made a success
full flight, staying in the air as long