Evening star., 1925-05-03

continued from First Page.)
chine saying You can fly kitchen
table if your motor is strong enough
DR.. Walcott at that time replied,
That it would be inadvisabIe TO take
out the wrecked machine from its
place in the museum Howel er. Dr
Walcott soon changed his mind, for
in the annual report of the Smith
sonian Institution of 1914 page clS.
this statement appears:
Loan Made to Curtis.
when in March, 1914, Mr. Glenn
II. ,CurtiSs was invited to send a fly
ing boat to Washington To partici-
pate III celebrating "Langle5 day, he
replied l would like to put the
Langley airplane itself into the air"
Learning of this remark, Secretary
Walcott of the Smithsonian Inst!tu-
ton soon authorized Mr.. CurtisS to
recanvas the original Langley aero
plane and to launch it either under
il own propulsive power or with Il
more recent engine and propeller.
These were the circumstances un-
der which DR.. Walcott, through
sheer iunterest in aviation allowed
this historic relic to be taken out of
the institution.
Now for the manner in which the
tests of the aeroplane were made
Mr.. A. +. Zahm, the technical expert
for the Curtiss Company in its law
suits. was appointed by DIR. Walcott
the official observer of the Smith
sonian Institution in these tests. Not
one penny, DR.. Walcott told me, was
paid by the Smithsonian Institution
for Mr.. Zahm's services in this ca
pacity. In fact, he told me that the
institution did not pay any of the eN
penSes of the tests excepting some
transportation charges.
Alleges Many Changes.
changes were incorporated into the
aeroplane in the trials which Dr. Wal
colt says he witnessed.
THE wings had a different Gambler,
different aspect ratio and different
area. QCvery aeronautical engineer
knows that these are the features
which determine the dynamic eff
cheney of the wingS)
THE wings also were of a different
mechanical construction.
"The trussing used by Langley was
modified, strengthened and was moved
three inches backward, nearer the
center Of pressure. CThe misplacing of
the trussing was the primary cause of
the wrecks of the aeroplane in l903.)
"A new system of control was
adopted.
THE Penaud tail, fixed on the Lang
ley machine. was made movable.
The fixed vertical keel used in 1903
was omitted entirely.
THE ruqder designed by Langley in
1908 for steering was enlarged and
used for maintaining lateral balance.
AN entirely new system of launch
ing was used.
The forward corners of the origi-
nal Langley propellers We're cut off
after the manner of the early Wright
propellers.
The radiator employed by Langley
was changed to a radiator of modern
type.
THE Langley motor was changed
by the installation of new car
buretor, new intake manifold and
magnetic.
Many other changes of minor i'm
portanCe We're made.
"FTown Without Modification"
And yet in DR. Walcotts report
of the United States National Museum
for that year G914l appears the
statement that the Langley machine
was flown in June last without modi-
THE statement on the card in the
museum that this is the first man
carrying aeroplane in the history of
the world capable of sustained flight
must be merely an expression of DIR.
Walcott's opinion since it is not based
on actual tests. DIR. Walcott is re
ported to have said that l do not like
this statement on the card. 1t is not
important whether l do or do not like
- h.,t
important whether the statements on
the card are true"