Evening Star Newspaper, December 16, 1928, Page 106

BY WILLIAM S. ODLIN. HERE will congregate on the bleak, wind-swept slopes of Kill Devil Hills, near Kitty Hawk, N. C., tomorrow, an imposing throng of frock-coated and bril- llantly uniformed men of many nations. The assemblage will be sharply in con- trast with its rustic, homespun sur- youndings, and only an event of world- wide historical importance could oc- casion the presence of so distinguished a gathering so many thousands of miles from the homes of most of those comprising it. he occasion is momentous, for, buf- fe;d probably by the same gusty winds that prevailed on the corresponding day of 1903, these internationally important figures in the now major science of aeronautics will, on Monday, December | 17, formally commemorate the twenty- #fifth anniversary of a man’s first depar- ture from the ground in a power-driven heavier-than-air flying machine. The American Government is official- ly participating by having authorized the erection at the site of the achieve- ment of a monument, the cornerstone | of which will be laid that day. Upon the exact spot where the first flight was started, the National Aeronautic Association will place an imperish- able tablet appropriately recording the epochal event. The contrast_between the impending gala scenc on Kill Devil Hills and the one of 25 years ago, when less than half a dozen residents of the neighbor- hood were willing to face the cutting winds in acceptance of a general invi- tatfon issued by Orville and the late Wilbur Wright fo witness the climax of the flying experiments they had been conducting there since October, 1900, does not end there, however. Not less striking, however naturally 4t has come about, is the position oc- cupled by aeronautics (aviation was 2s | yet an unborn term) then and now in | the thoughts of the world. And an| excursion into the yellowing files of the early part of the century is enlighten- ing, FROM times immemorial man had ' dreamed of emulating the flight of birds. Balloons, even though made capable of traveling in the direction dictated by daring aeronauts, did not fully gratify humankind’s aspiring ap- tite for means of transportation ugh the air. Sclentific history is liberally dotted with legendary and semi-authenticated accounts of efforts to invent a flying machine,® running back as far as 1500, when Leonardo da Vinci, that many-sided Italian genius, made a study of aircraft from the en- ineer's viewpoint and is reputed to ave made models that lifted thes selves into the“n::'t mechanically with- loyis gases. o " hao. George Peacock of Bristol, mglu% demonstrated the fisst man- lifting 'kites, and at the same time, probably quite unconsciously, proved the principle that air moving against inclined plane surfaces would provide sufficient lifting force to sustain the weight of a man. Stringfellow & Hen- son, also in England, built the model ©of & machine that resembled some of our carlier monoplanes, but when lack of financial assistance discouraged them from continuing their efforts, there was a long period of inactivity. Finally, however, Lilienthal, in Ger- many; Pilcher, in England; Le Bris, * in France, and Chanute and Montgom- ery, in America, made progress in ex- * perimentation with gliders to obtain owledge of wing forms and to de- termine the effect of wind currents on and control surfaces. About the Wrights also began glider experiments that were to lead to the accomplishment flight, which « brought them universal tion as inventors of the first successful air- lane. l‘ll!m while all this earnest and some- times tragic research was in progress (Lilienthal and her, for instance, sacrificed their lives in sul of their conviction that a way could be found for man to fly), the attitude of the world at large was not universally encouraging. Expenme’ré:;n in u;:-t jore O nautics were more ofte t,hmn i Tace claiming to have discovered the principle perpetual motion. This eral feeling could not but be en- fanced by the lamentable fallure of t promising experim¢ one of the mos! hir‘:’e bt * k¥ X the events of December 17, 1903, which is now acclaimed as the day upon which man actually began his conquest of the air, caused hardly a ripple in the thoughts of mankind. In the mod- ern manner of news dissemination, the primitive Wright plane probably would scarcely leave a foot of space between it and the ground before a radio audi- ence of perhaps millions would be startled by a breathless announcement that ‘The machine is AC-tually flying!” while extras of newspapers would quickly carry the tidings through the noisy streets. But in 1903, the news that the almost unknown young Dayton, Ohio, brothers had really begun the mastery of the air was siow in trickling out. Evening papers of December 17 told readers that President Roosevelt at the White House had as his luncheon guests Secretary Root, Senator Lodge, W. Murray Crane and George B. Cortelyou and that “there could hardly be gathered to- gether five men about whose meeting there could be greater significance at this time of political talk and schem- ing"; that the President signed the Cuban reciprocity bill at 12:55 that afternoon; and that Colombia had pro- tested the presence of American war- ships_in Colombian waters, while the Tumbling approach of the Russo-Jap- anese War might be detected in cables from Tokio which asserted that a meeting of the elder statesmen with Marquis Ito and the cabinet had re- sulted in “a determination to present a strong front to Russia.” L o BUT the news did seep out, if some- what unobtrusively, for in incon- spicuous positions on inside pages a couple of days later painstaking read- ers might have found stories of which the following, copled verbatim from near the bottom of a column on page 3 of a metropolitan newspaper, was typical: “MACHINE THAT FLIES. *“Two Ohio Men Have a Contrivance That Navigates the Afr. “NORFOLK, Va. December 18.—A successful trial of a flying machine was made yesterday near Kitty Hawk, N. C., by Wilbur and Orville Wright of Day- ton, Ohio. The machine flew for three miles in the face of a wind blowing at the regular velocity of 21 miles per hour and then gracefully descended to earth at the spot selected by the man in the navigator's car as a suitable landing place. The machine has no balloon attachment but gets its force from propellers worked by a small engine. “Preparatory to its flight the machine was placed upon a platform near Kitty Hawk. This platform was built on a} high sand hill, and when all was in readiness the fastenings to the ma- chine were released and it started down an incline. The navigator, Wilbur Wright, then started a small gasoline engine, woyh worked the propellers. When 4 nd of the incline was| rer, the \ machine gradually rose #21 it attaindd an altitude of 60 feet. In the face of the strong wind blowing it maintained an even speed of 8 miles per hour. “The idea of the box kite has been adhered to in the basic formation of the flying machine. A huge framework of light timbers, 33 feet wide, 5 feet deep and 5 feet across the top, forms the machine proper. This is covered with a tough but light canvas, In the center is the navigator's car and sus- a small gas engine which furnishes the motive power for the propellers and elevator wheels. “There are two propellers, one ar- ranged just below the center of the frame so gauged as to exert an upward force when in motion and the other extending horizontally to the rear from the center of the car, furnishing the forward impetus. Protruding from the center is a huge fan-shaped rudder of canvas, stretched on a frame of wood. This rudder is controlled by the navi- gator and may be moved to each side, raised or lowered.” With an obvious desire to accord recognition to deserving achievement but with a note of proper caution, this editorial of a few days later accurately reflects the current appraisal of the first flght: “A Flying Machine That Flies.” “If telegraphic reports from Norfolk are to be credited, two young Ohioans, Wilbur and Orville Wright, have made a successful test of an airship, which is a distinct stride forward and will tend to revive interest in aerial navi- gation, which has noticeably declined since the latest Langley contrivance took water some weeks ago. “The machine invented by these young Dayton men seems to be literally a flying machine. Unlike Santos-Du- Hub Special Kitchen Cabinet Aluminoid .80 top, hard- sl9= wood cabinet—like pic- ture. - \! Decorated Tilt-Top Table Decorated Wood Top—Metal Base End Table 89c [$2.98] Davenport Table $5.95 Period design — finished in ‘mahogany. Artistic Aquarium $1.69 THE SUNDAY STAR, - WASHINGTON, D. C, DECEMBER 16, 1928—PART 7. First Airplane Flight Was Event Which Claimed but Little Notice monts, their invention is not a gas bag affair—a motor-driven car suspended from a balloon—but uses the principle of the box kite * * * “If the experiment has been correctly described this is the first time that a flying machine has sustained itself for any length of time by its own power. Santos-Dumont’s is primarily a bal- loon and Prof. Langley’s turned out to be a mere projectile unable to over- come the force of gravity. Two aero- glanes gave the contrivance steadiness, ut apparently there was no attempt to imitate the actions of a bird's wings. The flight, therefore, was ‘soaring’ in- | stead of flying, as the word is ordi- narily used; but the mere fact that once launched the machine could be kept in the air and under control s a | distinct advance over anything here- tofore accomplished.” ‘That is about the total of publicity ac- | corded the Wrights at the time, the al- most imperceptible first trickle of a daily flood of aviation information which now often dominates the news of | the whole world. # * i ok 'HE scientific world, in due course, took proper recognition of the Wrights’' achievement, and in a re- view of 1903 in a technical journal we find this typical editorial early in 1904: “As an offset to the failure of the Sellers Cabinet $47.50 Porcelain top and curtain front—like Tea Cart $12.95 Nicely Finished in Mahogany | stage.” (Langley) aerodrome there is to be re- corded the successful flight of a motor- driven aeroplane built by Orville and ‘Wilbur Wright—an event of supreme importance in the history of aeronautics inasmuch as it is the first case of an aeroplane carrying its own engine and an operator making a trip over several miles of distance * * * This feat marks the commencement of an epoch in the history of the aeroplane; for now that an aeroplane has been built that can fly, the work of gathering experimental data will proceed with a rapidity which has been impossible while aeroplane flight, at least on a full-sized scale, had never gone beyond the theoretical In a February, 1904, issue of a general magazine, Wilbur Wright briefly sum- marized his satisfaction with the test and modestly but firmly asserted the conviction of the brothers that the age of flying had dawned. He said: “We should have postponed these trials until the coming season but *for the fact that we wished to satisfy our- selves that the machine had sufficient power to fly, sufficient strength to with- stand the shock of landing and suffi- clent capacity of control. Winter had already set in when the last trials were made, but we knew that the age of the flying machine has come at last.” The participants’ unadorned narra- tive of events at Kill Devil Hills on De- Bridge Lamp $7.95 Metal base and artistic shade. : Occasional Chairs Morris Chair Mahogany frame — imitation leather covered seat and back. any. 4 o Windsor Rocker Cogswell Chair All'-over up- holstered in tap- estry, with spring cushion seat. Oak-Finish Well built of hardwood and finished in mahog- spindle back and wood saddle seat. A comfort- able and well made : % Cogswell Chair $15.98 Mahogany ished lour back. Uphol. stered $94 .98 Foot Stool, 234 Floor Lamp $9.85 $9.85 Metal base and beaded fringe. cember 17, 1903, the climax of years of gliding experiments and the patient compilation and digestion of quantities of contradiclory data on aerodynamics, is one that will always impart a thrill. Many years later Orville Wright said: “With all the knowletige and skill ac- quired in thousands of flights I would hardly think today of making my first flight in a strange machine in a 27- mile wind, even if I knew that the ma- chine had already been flown and was |safe. After these years of experience I look with amazement upon our au- | dacity in attempting flights with a new and untried machine under such cir- cumstances. Yet faith' in our calcula- tions and the design of the first ma- chine had convinced us that it was capable of lifting and maintaining it- self in the air, and that, with a little practice, it could be safely flown.” Wilbur having used his turn, won by the toss of a coin, in the unsuccessful attempt to fly the machine on De- cember 14, the right to pilot it first on the 17th fell to Orville. The only per- sons present besides the brothers were three members of the Kill Devil Life- saving Station crew, J. T. Daniels, W. S. Dough and A. D. Etheridge, and W. C. Brinkley of Manteo and Johnny Ward, a boy living at Nags Head. All other residents of the neighborhood neglected to take advantage of the invi- tation that had been issued, “unwilling,” Floor Lamp Polychrome base and silk shade. Georgette shade and polychrome pase. Special- 1y priced. $4.98 Bbudoir Chair Upholstered and § covered in cretonne. 79 Betsy Ross Armchair Mahog- any- finished frame, velour seat Pull-Up Chair 1.85 M n; inished upholstes seat in 'velour, .85 Lamp $14.75 $8.95 Glace beaded fringe and metal base. as Orville whimsicanly put it later on, “to face the biting December wind to see, as they were no doubt persuaded, m_}r{‘hei fl{lngtmllcmx;e not fly.” e first actual ht is described by Orville Wright, as follows: 2 “Balarfced by 'Wilbur, who clung to one of the wings as it sped down its monorail track, the machine lifted into all: at the end of a 40-foot run. “The course of the flight up and down was exceedingly erratic, partly due to the irregularity of the air, and partly to lack of experience in handling the machine. The control of the front rudder was difficult on account of being balanced too near the center. This gave it a tendency to turn itself when started, so that it turned too far on | one side and then too far on the other. As a result the machine would rise suddenly to about 10 feet, and then as suddenly dart for the ground. A sud- den dart when a little over 100 feet from the end of the track, or a little over 120 feet from the point at which it rose into the air, ended the flight. * kK K “AS the velocity of the wind was over 35 feet per second and the speed of the machine over the ground against this wind 10 feet per second, the speed of the machine relative to the air was over 45 feet per second and the length of the flight was equivalent Lamp Georgette shade and metal base. A handsome style. shade, Pottery Base Table Lamp $4.98 Smoker $7.98 Cabinet deck style, In ma- hogany, com- Mahog- any Finished Smoker | wind." The duration was less than a | second longer, but 75 feet more distance to a flight of 540 feet made in calm air. This flight lasted only 12 seconds, but it was nevertheless the first in the history of the world in which a machine carrying a man had raised it- self by its own power into the air in full flight, had sailed forward without reduction of speed, and had finally landed at a point as high as that from which it started.” With the assistance of their visitors, the brothers carried the machine back to the track and after all hands had | warmed up in the shack over a fire kindled in_an old carbide can, it was ‘Wilbur's turn to essay the second flight. | The course of this flight was much like the first, very much up and down, but | the speed was greater because of less | was covered. Twenty minutes later Orville began the third flight and he | relates: “I was proceeding along pretty well | when a sudden gust from the right | lifted the machine up 12 to 15 feet and | turned it up sidewise in an alarming | manner. It began a lively sidling off to the left. I warped the wings to try and recover the lateral balance and at the same time pointed the machine down to reach the ground as quickly as possible. The lateral control was more effective than I had imagined and be- €Cedar Chest Genuine red cedar, 33 inches long. Special— $8.95 30c A Cabinet $9.85 Martha Wash- ington style Cabinet $2.98 Priscilla style: fore 1 reached the ground the right wing was lower than the left and struck first.” The time of this flight was 15 seconds and the distance over the ground a little more than 200 feet. Wilbur started the fourth, last and longest flight at exactly noon. Concerning it his brother says: “The first few hundred feet were up and down, as before, but by the time 300 feet had been covered the machine was under much better control. The course of the next four or five Lundred feet had but httle undulation. How: ever, when out about 800 feet, the ma- chine began pitching again, and, in one of its darts downward, struck the ground. The distance over the ground was measured and found to be 852 feet; | the time of the flight 50 seconds. The frame supporting the front rudder was badly broken but the main part of the machine was not injured at all. “While we were standing about dis- cussing this last flight, a sudden strong gust of wind struck the machine and began to turn it over. Everybody made a rush for it. Wilbur, who was at one end, seized it in front; Mr. Daniels and I, who were behind, tried to stop it by holding to the rear up- rights. All our efforts were in vain, The machine rolled over and over. Daniels, who had retained his grip, was carried along with it and was injured. Window Seat Chest $29.75 Genuine red cedar—window- seat style. A handsome gift. 50c a Week Genuine Cedar Chest All cedar tractively finished. WEEK! Phone Stand- and Chair f K | fnished in mahog- | finished 1n ma- any. 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