Evening star., 1928-12-12

The address of President Coolidge in
| opening the International Civil Aeronau-
| tics Conference here today follows:
| Members of the Conference:
This year will mark the first quarter
century of the history of human flight
1t has been a period of such great i'm
portance in scientific development that
it seems fitting to celebrate 1t with ap-
propriate form and ceremony. For that
purpose, this conference has been called,
and to the consideration of the past
record and future progress of the science
of aeronautics, in behalf of the Gov
ernment and people of the United
States, bid you welcome.
twenty-five years ago, at Kitty
Hawk, N. c., occurred an event u tre-
mendous significance. 1t was the first
extended flight ever made by man in
power-driven, heavier -than-air ma
chine How more appropriately could
we celebrate this important anniversary
than by gathering together to consider
the strides made throughout the world
in the science and practice of civil
aeronautics since that dav and to dis
cusS ways and means of further devel-
oping it for the benefit of mankind?
Others whose names will long be
remembered ha6 done much to solve
able, persistent and modest brothers
from Dayton to demonstrate completely
the possibility of machine raising it
self by its own power and carrying a
man in sustained flight
Human flight with wings, which had
intrigued the imagination. since the be-
ginning of time, became a practical
reality on the cay that the airplane of
Wilbur and Orville Wright rose from
the wind-swept dunes of the Atlantic
coast. The elder brother lives with us
only in memory but Orville Wright,
who piloted that first plane, Is still
actively interested in that science. We
are glad to have him as one of our
delegates to this conference.
mo achievement of man in the prog
resS of civilization has had a more
rapid expansion. In the early days the
ability to fly was ascribed to gods and
demigods, to spirits and supernatural
and mythical beings, both of the human
and animal family. Pegasus, the winged
horse. and Daedalus and Icarus are two
of the innumerable examples which
come readily to mind. The yearning to
fly probably always has been in the
human breast. But for centuries its
fulfillment was considered as visionary,
unattainable. Even within our memory
utter impossibility was expressed by say
ing, Might as we'll try to fly
Romance VS.. Science.
There is a wide difference between
the romance of flying and aeronautics
as science. Archytas. Greek mathe-
matician and mechanician of the first
half of the fourth century BE-, made
a flying pigeon. This seems to be the
earliest authentic record of mechanical
flying. Leonardo da Vinci artist and
scientist extraordinary, who lived in
Italy more than 400 years ago, left
some interesting treatiSes and drawings
on the principles of human flying. 1t
was not until 1888 however, that man
was actually lifted from the ground and
carried along in the air for a consider
able distance The vehicle was a hot
air balloon, devised by the Montgolfier
brothers, paper makers of Auvergne,
France. One of them was invited to
address the Royal Academy of Science,
and ascents were made for the King and
Queen In 1852 a freedman built a
6irigible balloon, propelled by steam,
but further progress was delayed until
the development of the internal COM
bustion engine. Alberto Santos Dumont,
brilliant young Brazilian, began in Paris
in 1898 to construct navigable balloon.
About the same time in Germany Count
Won Zeppelin started to work out his
rigid airShip. Only recently have we
welcomed here the latest example of
his skill.
I'm the meantime beginning with
Cayley, Englishman and father of
aerodynamics, who died in 1857. and
continuing down through Henson and
Stringfellow, Maxim, Adler. Lilienthal
and Langley (of Washington )-scient-
lists were gradually, with gliders and
other devices, working out the problem
of a heavier-than-air machine.
with genius, indomitable persever-
ance and a will to overcome obstacles,
the Wrigtts, mindful of what had gone
before, applied themselves to the Solu-
ton Of the problem. They experimental
at Kitty Hawk for three seasons, and
in the fourth, on December II, 1908,
success crowned their efforts. I under
stand the delegates to this conference
will visit this historic spot on Monday,
the exact day of the anniversary, to pay
tribute to their achievement. That first
flight ,lacted only IL seconds. Three
more were made the same day. One
of SO seconds carried the plane a dis
tance of, $50 feet. 1t was wrecked by
the wind, and tests ended for the time.
Further experiments were made in Day.
ton in 1904 and 1905 In the latter
year a Wright plane travelled for "a