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Aviation History
1914
1914 - 0630.PDF
\fiMI JUNE 12, 1914. TESTING THE LANGLEY "AERODROME." As briefly announced in our issue of June 5th, the well-known American aeroplane constructor and aviator, Glenn H. Curtiss, succeeded, on May 28th last, in making a flight on the tandem monoplane built by Dr. S. P. Langley in 1903. Contrary to a common report, this was the original Langley machine, and not a copy, as, although originally refused by the Smithsonian Institution, they subsequently agreed to let the original structure be used. Some of the ribs, which had been broken, were replaced and the wings resurfaced, but the original engine and propellers were used, as well as all o( the framework and most of the original cross-wiring. During the first test, the object of which was to determine if the balance of the machine had been adversely affected by the added weight and head resistance of the floats and other fittings, Mr. Curtiss was taxying along the surface of the water at a moderate speed when the machine quietly lifted into the air and sailed steadily along for some distance. This performance is all the more remarkable in view of the fact that the machine lifted not only the load which Dr. Langley had designed it to carry, but in addition lifted an extra weight of 340 lbs., in the form of floats and other fittings attached to the machine in order to facilitate launching it from the water. In previous trials, possibility of, and the conditions necessary for, transporting a body heavier than the air through that medium. He began with studies of toy aeroplanes propelled with rubber bands, which led to more elaborate experiments with planes, propellers, steam and gas engines, and other accessories, and to his final experiments with a man-carrying machine propelled by a gasoline engine which, although built eleven years ago, is nearly as efficient as those evolved by the engineers of today. In his early experiments he met with many discouragements, but his persistency led finally to those results which entitled him to be called ' The First Bird Man.' " The results of his experiments were printed in popular form in several magazines and periodicals, while his technical scientific reports were issued by the Smithsonian Institution during his term as Secretary from 1887 to 1906. His first real contribution to the science of aeronautics was entitled ' Experiments in Aerodynamics,' published in 1891, which covered his early physical researches in relation to aerodynamics, and showed that the real problems of aviation were those of guiding and elevating a plane rather than of supporting it. Mr. Langley had already established the possibility of the latter by means of his suspended planes, the plane dropper, and other apparatus. ~" " Front wings and main floats of the Langley tandem monoplane. eleven years ago, the " Aerodrome," as Dr. Langley called his machine, was launched from a catapult on top of a house-boat, and wrecked through the failure of this launching apparatus. Among those who witnessed the tests were Dr. Charles D. Walcott, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and Dr. A. F. Zahm, Recorder of the Langley Aerodynamical Laboratory, and a number of well-known aviators. In a statement for the press, Dr. Walcott said : " I was well pleased with the launching this morning. Although the machine and pilot weighed 340 pounds more than the machine and pilot of 1903, it rose gracefully from the water on the very first trial, and maintained remarkable stability both in the air and on the water. I assigned to Mr. Curtiss the task of rehabilitating the original machine and of testing it over the water, first, for the purpose of vindicating Dr. Langley's design, and, secondly, to ascertain the practical value of his design in the present state of aviation. It is my hope that succeeding trials will amply justify the good opinion which aeronautical engineers, both here and in Europe, have long entertained of Dr. Langley's design." Below we publish the abbreviated history of Dr. Langley's study and experiments as communicated to us by Mr. Glenn H. Curtiss :— " The story of Samuel Pierpont Langley's study and experiments in connection with aeronautics begins in 1887, some years before serious-minded people considered aerial navigation with machines heavier than the air practical, and extends over nearly sixteen years. During that time Mr. Langley established and successfully demon strated many principles which have since proved invaluable to the science of aviation. " Mr. Langley's main object was to establish by experiment the "The second aeronautical treatise of Mr. Langley was on the ' Internal Work of the Wind ' published in 1893, in which he pointed out the various internal forces of the atmosphere upon which objects might rely for support apart from their own power. "In 1911, a complete and detailed account of his investigations relative to the models and the large machine was issued under the title of the ' Langley Memoir on Mechanical Flight.' " Having secured a grasp upon the fundamental principles of air resistances, and matters pertaining to aviation generally, Mr. Langley undertook the construction of the first heavier-than-air model machine in 1892. He felt that it would be impossible to conduct further investigations regarding flight without studying flight itself. The first model aeroplane, or ' aerodrome' as he termed it, was completed after four years of experimentation. It was a steam-driven machine, with two sets of monoplane wings arranged in tandem, and a tiny steam plant which weighed only 7 lbs. complete and yet developed ij h.p. Many boilers, burners, and frames were built and discarded before the aerodrome was finished, and then the problem of launching it confronted him. This was finally accomplished by means of an overhead track from which the machine, when ready to fly, was shot into the air by a series of springs. " The first successful flight was made on May 6th, 1896, at (^uantico, on the Potomac River, by this tandem type plane, which had a wing spread of 13 ft. and a total weight of 30 lbs. The flight occupied 1 min. 20 sees., during which time the little machine covered a distance of 3,000 ft. It was immediately started again, and made a flight of over 2,300 ft. These were the first flights of 63O
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