FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1909
1909 - 0225.PDF
APRIL 17, 1909. Santos Dumont's Cross-Country Flight. SANTOS DUMONT has performed a bold, not to say hazardous feat with his " Demoiselle," that little pocket monoplane with which, as our readers know, he has for some few weeks past been making experiments. While practising at Saint Cyr on Thursday, April 8th, he commenced a flight which extended for a distance of about 2-5 kiloms., during the course of which he flew at a height of about 60 to 70 feet and cleared several hedges and telegraph wires. In the end, too, he only came down in order to avoid the danger of dropping in a large pond which he might at that stage of the journey have been unable to fly across had he continued aloft. This achievement is, in some ways, one of the most interesting which has yet been accomplished by any aviator apart from Wilbur Wright, and it can hardly fail to arouse a still greater interest in one-seated mono- planes as a popular type of flying machine. Many would-be pilots, like Santos Dumont himself, regard the full-sized biplane of the present day as an unattractive conveyance, and it was solely because Santos Dumont did not find sufficient fascination in trying to fly with such an apparatus that he decided to see what could be done on a smaller scale. It is not generally remembered that his " Demoiselle," in its earliest form, was constructed in 1907, at which time Henry Farman was beginning to come to the fore. One or more short flights of 40 or 50 yards or so were then accomplished with it, but the machine was not completely satisfactory, and other interests inter- vening (the hydroplane wager for instance) distracted the inventor's attention from flight for the time being, and his little machine was allowed to remain in its shed. Since those days he has altered it somewhat, and, as his trials show, the modifications have been to some purpose. The main wings have a span of about 17 ft., and the machine over all is about 19 ft. 8 ins. long. In running order it only weighs about 250 1b. The main wings make a slight dihedral angle, and in the corner thus formed is placed the twin-cylinder Dulheil-Chalmers engine which drives the two-bladed tractor screw. At the rear is a cross tail which can be used for elevation and steering. The "Bleriot" and "Rep" at Buc. SATISFACTORY progress continues to be made at Buc with the two monoplanes " Rep II " and " Bleriot XI." M. Guffroy is piloting the former, while M. Bleriot him- self has been at the wheel of his own machine. Nothing of a very startling nature has taken place, but the progress which is being made may soon lead to more important results. M. Bleriot had a small mishap on Monday of last week, but as usual escaped unhurt, and M. Guffroy was also caught by a gust of wind which brought his machine into more or less violent contact with the ground, but he, too, was in no way damaged. Mishap to a Student Pilot. ALREADY the blessing which the Archbishop of Paris has uttered over the flyers which are used at Juvisy may be said to have had a good effect, for M. Longuepin, who was making his first trial flight on Good Friday, certainly had a miraculous escape from injury. He had ascended to an altitude of about 15 metres (49 ft.) when the machine tilted a little, and being unable to regain control, he and his flyer came crashing to earth. Both main planes and practically the whole of the framework, with the exception of the tail, were very badly smashed up, but remarkable to relate, the pilot himself was uninjured. On the previous day some other students in charge of Captain Ferber had successfully achieved several short flights. Doings at Pau. QUITE a large number of well-known aeronauts are now quartered at Pau. M. Leon Delagrange has com- menced his course of instruction with the Wright machine under Count de Lambert, and M. Alfred Leblanc will shortly be taking lessons from M. Tissandier. One of M. Bleriot's aeroplanes has arrived at Pont Long, and is now being erected, while several of the new Wright machines are expected shortly for delivery to M. Delagrange and others. M. Kapferer is also at Pau, and on Tuesday he made an ascent in the balloon " Beam," his passengers being MM. Sallenave and Belin. The Ae.C. de Beam, of which M. Tissandier is Presi- dent, is forging ahead very rapidly. It already has 200 members, has acquired a balloon, and is organising several aviation contests to be held at the aerodrome at Pont Long. . : Villars Aeroplane. VERY shortly, trials are to be made at the camp at Ger with a new aeroplane, which lises without the aid ot a pylone, designed by M. Villars, an engineer. Lenning Aeroplane. A NEW American machine will be tried during the next few days upon the Hudson river. It is the invention of the President of the Columbia University Aero Club, Mr. G. C. Lenning, and follows very much the lines of the Wright flyer. The framework will be entirely, of bamboo, the wings will have a spread of 25 ft., while the machine will be 6 ft. high. To enable the apparatus to be tried over the water, it will be mounted on a special pontoon. Flying in Texas. MR. P. A. NEWMAN, of Brownville, Texas, has been experimenting for some time with an aeroplane, which is similar to that of the Wright Brothers. It is reported that on March 23rd he succeeded in flying for twelve miles over a prairie at a height of T50 feet. He appeared to have perfect control of the machine, and was able to steer it easily. The "Scientific American" Trophy. ALTHOUGH the " Silver Dart" made a flight on March 18th which was longer than the 25 kilom. pre- scribed by the regulations of the Scientific American Trophy, we understand that the statement made in our issue of March 27th, that the trophy had been awarded to Mr. McCurdy, was incorrect. The flight was not witnessed by an official representative of the Aero Club of America, and the prize, therefore, still remains to be won. A Working Agreement. Between the A.C.A. and the Ae.C.A. AN agreement has been come to between the Aero Club of America and the Automobile Club of America, by which the former organisation will be recognised in future as the aviation section of the latter body. Both clubs will preserve their identity, and the two bodies agree to work together in unison for the promotion of the science of aviation in all respects. Both will retain their foreign affiliations and relations, and have agreed to support each other in them. 227
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
