Evening star., 1939-07-30

duty in the Office where Mr.. Null
laney worked. A few months ago
Mr.. Mullaney administered the oath
of Office to Gen. Arnold. when he
took over supreme command of the
Air Corps.
The specifications drafted by Mr..
Mullaney required that the airplane
be constructed within 200 days and
delivered to the Army at Fort Myer,
Va. 1t was to be accepted only
after successful trials, during which
it must carry two persons having
a combined weight of about $50
pounds and fuel for 125 miles of
flight at an average speed of at
least 40 miles per hour in still air
The official speed was to be the
average of the time over a course
of more than five miles, against and
with the wind. An endurance fight
Of at least one hour also was to be
made. Three trials each were to be
permitted for speed and endurance.
OF the operating qualities of the
airplane, the specifications read:
1T should be sufficiently simple
in its construction and operation to
permit an intelligent man to be-
come proficient in its use within a
reasonable length of time"
Making of Contract.
The contract was entered into on
February 10, 1908. between Capt.
Wallace, representing the Federal
Government, and Wilbur and Or
vile Wright, and covered the deliv-
cry of "one heavier-than-air flying
machine, in accordance with Signal
Corps Specifications No. 486, dated
December %, 1907" 1t was stipu-
lated that delivery was to be made
before August %, 1908.
Capt Wallace, who signed the
contract, now is retired colonel,
living in California. The two Gov
ernment witnesses were Mr.. Null
laney and Albert Lariviere, of the
disbursing Office, the latter now
dead. Orville Wright signed for the
Wright brothers, with two Wright
employees, C. E. Taylor and H. l..
E0f1mdn, as witnesses.
There were no pictures made of
any of the contract ceremonies" Mr..
Mullaney recalled. There wasn't
much attention paid to such things
when aviation was in its infancy"
The contract became official with
the signature of Brig. Gen. James
Allen then chief signal officer of the
Army.
On August 2, the day the airplane
was accepted by the Army, the
worlds first military airdrome also
was selected, at College Park, Md,
seven miles northeast of the United
States Capitol. Orville Wright went
over to College Park and pronounced
it superior to the Fort Myer parade
ground. The site covered 1854 acres.
Wilbur Wright was designated as
the instructor. with Its. Foulois and
Lahm as his students.
Leasing of College Park Airport
was approved by the War Depart
ment on August 5. and construction
of the first hangar there began soon
afterward. College Park since has
been in operation continuously as an
airport, and now is the center of
much of the private flying activity
around the National Capital.
Changes in 30 Years.
During the brief 30 years of mill
tary avlation-not half the life span
OF millions of people-development
OF the airplane has brought changes
so important to men and nations
that their effects scarcely can be
measured. Because of the mere ex-
istence of fighting airplanes, nations
have passed out of existence and
events are brewing which well NAV
remake the world politically.
The greatest visionary of 30 years
ago would scarcely have dared
prophecy half of the events which
have come to pass because of avia-
ton development. and who can tell
today what another 80 years Of