FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1909
1909 - 0140.PDF
MARCH 13, 1909. hummocks as to present an undue obstruction, therefore would it not be better to remove a few of the mounds ? Mr. Wilbur laughed. " No," he said, " if bumps are going to prevent us we might as well give up all claims to flying. We'll leave them there—and find out how to get over them. If the machine won't rise she ought to, and we'll just learn how to make her." There you get the "keynote " to the whole character of the men. They no more seek to remove obstructions that nature places in the way than they dream of making the atmosphere more solid to afford more buoyancy to their machine. Obstacles are not removed, they are overcome ; and the most infinite and patient pains are taken to trace everything back to its cause. In this connection it may be recorded that never once during my visit did I hear anybody make any suggestion about anything that had not been either anticipated by Messrs. Wright or that was not worthless. They are extremely satisfied with their ground at Pont Long. " The conditions for flying are here any amount better than they were in America," said Mr. Orville. " See there, where those trees make the nearest boundary ? That's a thousand feet away, the greatest length I ever had to fly in; so I had to keep on the turn all the time. But here you can make a circle of seven or eight kilometres without getting out of the bounds of the grounds. That's grand for teaching." " Say," quoth Mr. Wilbur, coming up at that moment, " I never knew such a place for shifting winds as this is. In America we used to be able to set the starting-rail and leave it so for six days at a time; and in the North of France it rarely shifted more than a quarter during the day. But here the cold wind comes down off the mountains in the morning, follows the sun right round, so"—describing a half-circle with a wave of the arm— "then goes back to the hills at night, so it's most every- where in the course of the day. I guess I didn't start just now because it had shifted round to behind us." " Don't matter, she ought to rise all right whether the wind's in front or behind," observed Mr. Orville. "I used to start regularly with the wind anything up to ten and even fifteen miles an hour behind me at Washington. I'll just get the anemometer and signal you with my stick when to let go. The breeze is dropping or rising from six to three miles an hour every few seconds this morning." " Yah ! " says Mr. Wilbur, with a jerk of his head and a humorous pursing of his lips, as he strides off in his tre- mendously energetic manner to superintend the adjust- ment of the starting tackle. And a few moments after, Mr. Orville, holding the anemometer high in his left hand, gave a shout as he let his stick drop to signal that the breeze had subsided to three miles an hour. In- stantly Mr. Wilbur released the starting-catch, the big machine scudded forward as " Flight " Copyright Photo. FLEDGLINGS THREE ON THE "FIELD OF FLIGHT."—Here you behold the pupils, namely, Captain "4038 Gerard"-viile, "Little Tissandier," and "Jonah" deLambert. Thev have been engaged on Berlitz lessons at Pont Long with "Sister" (on the right), who has left"Wil" and "Orv" in the race to learn French. I42 the weight dropped, and a moment later it was success- fully launched in flight for the first time in Europe with the wind behind it at the actual moment of starting. Mr. Orville turned to his sister and said, "Say, what have you brought out this morning—any more of those rolls?" "Which, the little, long ones?" asked Miss Wright. "Yes, those last were real nice," he replied. "And how are you getting on now?" was the next question, " Is the butter all right ? " Yes, it's all right when it gets here," says Mr. Orville, " but that cook- fellow will leave it in the sun or round about the stove, and Wil can't abide melted butter. The minute the heat's got to it he's off it. But the chef fellow means well, though he doesn't seem to understand keeping butter cool and firm. He's awfully willing and for the rest makes us most comfortable." And that was the very human manner in which the first flight in Europe with the wind behind the aeroplane was received by one of its inventors, in whose talk technical topics alternate delightfully with the most commonplace domestic matters. From the moment the brothers found themselves together again on a field where they could continue flying, Mr. Orville began to make extraordinarily rapid progress. As he feels the cold very much, he used to sleep at the hotel in Pau when he first went down ; but he still seemed to grudge every hour spent away from his beloved machine and the companionship of his brother. So as soon as the establishment at Pont Long was put in order, and the dismantled aeroplane had been re-erected and was in readiness for flight, Mr. Orville made the experiment of camping out at Pont Long, where the "hangar" is undoubtedly the most luxurious combined living-quarters, workshop, and aeroplane shed that has ever been erected, the equipment including the celebrated chef and a special telephone line laid on by the Pau authorities. The result for Mr. Orville has been splendid beyond anticipations. Within a week he could climb quite easily over the wires to get at the engine, and now he will walk about by the half-hour together, quite oblivious that he has left his stick behind him. The fresh air and the congenial • •"'" .:.;•'• occupation are working .1 •. wonders with his health. A common enthusiasm makes teaching a delight alike to instructor and pupils. And it is a pleasure to observe that none of the " fledglings " ever dreams of taking any credit to himself. When anybody comments on their flights the invariable reply is to* the effect that " I did nothing. It's such a wonderful machine, every- thing comes so easily with it. The only tax is on the atten- tion, not on the muscles, which tire rather by our eagerness than from any strain to which we put them." These " fledglings " are a delightful trio, full of contrasts. The Comte de Lambert speaks perfect English : M. Tissandier is making rapid pro - gress in the tongue at
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
