Evening star., 1939-07-06
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.

The pioneer military airplane in his
tory, ancestor Of all the aerial navies
which now threaten the peace Of the
world, is in readiness at the United
States National Museum for the 30th
anniversary Of the birth Of the Army
Air Corps early in August.
In preparation for the event Paul E.
Carver, curator Of aeronautics, has
fitted up the old plane with a dummy
aviator, attired in the now antiquated
Army aviator's uniform of the first
decade of the goth century.
The plane was built by the Wright
brothers and accepted by the Govern
ment in the summer of 1909. Crude
and awkward as 1t appears today, it is
an important historical object. The test
flights were made by Orville Wright
over the parade ground at Fort Myer
Va, and after the demonstrations had
proved satisfactory to Signal Corps off,
GERS 1t was moved to College Park, Md.
There Orville and Wilbur Wright joined
in instructing young Signal Corps off,
GERS in flying it.
1t was biplane with two "pusher"
propellers situated behind the main
wings and the elevator in the rear.
1t was equipped with landing skids in
stead of wheels. For a take-off these
sklds rested on small cart running on
a monorail, which was placed beneath
the center of gravity of the plane The
launching was actuated by a heavy
weight falling from pylon. AS the
weight fell it pulled rope, the other
end of which was attached to the cart.
Thus the plane was catapulted into
the air
Landing on skids instead. Of wheels
was not SO dangerous or bumpy as might
be thought, according to Mr.. Carver.
For one thing, flights were made only
IN the calmest weather. Before taking
OIL pilot would moisten a finger and
hold it up. If one side dried more
rapidly than the other, indicating
Slight wind the flight would be called
OH. Or he might toss straw in the
air and if the breeze waited it a few
feet away he would consider the condi-
tlons unfit for flying. This made 1t
necessary to do almost all flying in the
evening or early morning when winds
are least likely. At such times the
grass would be wet with dew. making
1t easier for the skids of the landing
plane to slide along it.
This first Army plane actually saw
great deal of flying service. 1t held
successfully three records, being the
frst ship in the world to fly for periods
respectively of one, two and three hours
1t remained in continuous service until
1911, although several changes were
made in its structure in the intervening
years.
1t was intended, of course, entirely as
an observation plane. Hardly in their
widest lmaginings did military men
dream OF airplanes in actual conflict
lhlS, IN TACT, scarcely occurred to them
during the first years of the World War
Most OF the pilots engaged on both sides
had been civilian sportsmen, personal
friends because of the meets in which
they had engaged at Monaco, Cowes in
England, and LIE Mans in France. It did
not occur to them to shoot at each other
at first. Even in the bitterest davs of
the war little sporting tradition sur
vlved in the air services. The idea of
fighting anybody in the clouds was verv
lar from the minds of the young officers
who flew this military plane from 1909
until 1911, when it was Withdrawn from
the service. 1t then was placed in the
Smithsonian collection.
At that time, under the personal direc-
ton of 1t. Col. Charles D. F. Chandler
of the Signal Corps, who had been closely
associated with it from the start, it was
restored to the exact appearance it had
presented when first flown at Fort Myer.
The wheels which had replaced the skids
were removed and the skids restored.
BY combing Signal Corps posts all over
the country Col. Chandler was able to
obtain nearly all the original parts.
Visitors today often are unable to tell
which was the front and which the back
end of this plane because of the positions
OF the propellors behind the wings and
of the elevator in front That was one
reason for Oscar. The direction in which
this dummy pilot is facing was, of course.
the front of the plane.
Mr.. CARRIER had considerable difficulty
in locating correct uniform for Oscar
especially the spiral strap leather leg
gings and the regulation shoes worn
by Signal Corps officers of the time.
None of these dreamed that within 30
years their clothes might be sought-after
antiquities.
For the anniversary Mr. CARRIER also
placed on exhibit a remarkable series
of photographs of this plane from the
time it entered the Army service. The
majority of these were made for Alex
ander Graham Bell, inventor of the
telephone and himself eminent in the
development of aircraft, by the late
George Eastman. These will be supple
mented by other rare photographs IL
lustrating the progress of military
aviation from the crude beginnings rep
resented by Oscar and his craft