THE FLYING MAN.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 752, 26 February 1910, Page 14

THE FLYING MAN.

WHAT HE, HAS DONE, AND STUL . ' ''" HAS TO DO, ' ■'"■.■ Ask the jtrst. half-dozen people ..-you meet what.has been the feature" of; the' year 1959. One will tell you the wet weather;, another, the Budget;; a. third, the discovery of the North Pole; and so on. It, is .doubtful whether even :one would reply. , "The development :of flying machines." The others would almost certainly smile at such a suggestion. .-'.'Yet that, (writes :the ''"Paily ,Mail"),ls v wh'at History", .will :.5ay.;...-. 1,. .., •!.".

History;.-will brush/aside all .the small affairs . which . occupy our minds, but which, in,tho. great, world, movement,; are of account. It will take, notice only of the essential.steps towards Man's conquest, of .Nature. It .will award i'to 1009.' the honourable distinction of having been the ye'ar.in which.flying was first proved beyond all question, to" be .a practieal'poesibility'..and;a."commercial proposition."

This .may .seem arbitrary and'.unfair ;■ you may object that both Wilbur and Or-, ville Wright flew for, over an hour in 1908, [ in-which'.yeiir. also Fanhan and Bleript made cross-country'flights' of,'seventeen and nine miles.. Did "not. these featsj.:you .inquire.'indignantly, give' sufficient proof ? To: this the rejoinder that they, were'sporadic performances,which" might not have led to further progress; and,; secondly,'.that History is often arbitrary. She will/crown 1909 as ,the' : Plying Year; because ;of. the Bheims "Week, , , .the Ifirsi regular meeting.,fot aeroplane' contests; because of' 'Bleriofs ■ •.. crossing ;of : ; theChannel (by. : 'which he -won; the';" Daily Mail" iElOOfl .prize)';"".and because .ef ithe" '. world-wide : interest'/in' aviation!"..which' has; only.-begun,to ;be aroused, duringHhe' last;twelve -months:' -' »';; - r '--:•■:-.;.'

.The^Latestjßbcbras. , : ,: :;.'-:"''.•''. ,".,■'■.''.■'■'' ;;,Let us:.set but , .in,two little tables ,the rapid '/advances .which '".have,, been made. At'.the'beginning ef the: year'the-idea; that ,'a Jieavier-than-air; machine, could; do. a hundred: miles - without'.aV stop ; was ; "de-[ rideid.-., : "They!re .only"toysj" said-:, thej wiseacres, >■. .wagging■,their-.'..-.silly/ iheads. Here, is-what'has been/done.— ;,..../■■*:•"■;■

■ August ■' 25.- l ;Paulhan, : : at/ ;! Kheims, , r 83|' miles.'jiri'^hr^^Smin.' ; ' ;; '-;.'> ; ,/ : ;;-' :;; -" ;

August.- at; 'Eheims,'■; 9Bi' milesrin'ShrJ'lSmM ;'/'■;';;'.Mr//;. , )/ : /

August/27.—Parnian, .'■ at;.■ Eheims,;.'/112 miles,-. : m'-fShi."J4inin./.-/::■,-■..:'';. /!.',/ : / f'.i-'~/-Novembor, 3;—l'arman, at .Chalons, ;15e miles,: in'4hr.,,l7min.'i///{;.;,. -,y/;i >-..N ■■:£

By the end ■ oil next year .there is -every;. expectation" 1 that:.someone will .have -won: ;f.or/a flight, .with' two stops' permitted,' between '.London', and , Manchester. Tie : distance'in' ; this'contest is-'close npon'.'rtwo' hundred: miles'.;:? For. that performance; however; not'only!stay--bg ;power : but; the"; ability ; to'fly , high' will ■Dβ needed, , since ,there are 'ranges' pf hills , to'be crossed'and thickly-populated districts, 1 where .the/safety 'of the flying man/will lie-in keeping-as'high as he : can, .so. that if -he has to descend/unoipectedly he 'can ■ have time : to v choose! a : convenient place of descent. ' At .'the,'end , of; 1908- no ; pne"had;flbwn :l at any fereat ,, height. Mark-.the difference, nbw./These' are: the■■'censecutivei'altitude'records.':of: the year:— '. 'f.-y-'-'.'- , -'!'■■:■ '■■■■■;.■■■•■•:■ !.■''■■■ : -\

• July, : lßr-Paulhan;/ atDbuaii.'ieyjft;/:;;., 'August.;29.—Latham, at Eheimsi!so3ft..' . 'September 17.—Orville: Wrighft'atßer. lin,.;soift. v" 'li-..'-," '. . ..■' '/";■■/■ ■.-* ■

'. / September 20.—Ebugier, '-.- at', ■■ Brescia,

October'• 3i—Orville.Wright, ',ai Berlin,; liioft-. /:;;, ,:';//:■ :.;";,,,;-■:;■/;v'.- :,:;;;, November- -.at Sandowii, , . 977 ft .:,-.;yi > ; ;!'./:U'":/-:;;-v;'.^ , r'/;"■■.,;!.■■ November. iliL—Paulhan, ; at;: Chalons Camp.;:.llsoft./j|..--. :, ///;-// "- : /\;; ; //

November -ll).—Latham, • at , ' Chalons" Camp, J33oft. ,' ,' ~. - :'■'.. ■/ ; ;-.-,'- :

November 20.—Eaulhan, .at.'Chalons Camp, .lSßOft..^;--v(n'. XVW.Z. : :s'ipW : f<

Conquering : the,; Wind.': ;'.. '". ■; ■ ''•■'.';;' v ) ■;'■', And.there is ila; still -greater. :feat (dmri these-tteVfeat.M the-Coant de.Lambert,; : whd_flewover tie, Eiffel Tower (ipoWt.)',in Paris... He, was 'hot.officially-certified, but' there can be.noidpuht Hβ"was 1200 ft. nigli', and that 'oyer. a city, not, as the others, , , over .open .country., The. longest crosscountry- flights ■: of :.tho year : have :been' made ■ by Farman. (forty-seven ; miles), Latham (forty miles), Cody. (forty; miles), and Paiilhan, who' flew for an hour and thirty-six minutes,' 'probably': -covering sixty,.mileij..' .;.;,■ ■■;/. ; i; ; -:.i ■■• {'■ Furthermore, aeroplanes have performed ■several, pf;these rfeats>.in; a..high ,irind: ; At the'beginning, of the year no one believed' that aeroplanes could face rough'ijreather. ■'■ Some;;:believed ■ they wojild be .able to do so in time,- but i even these, thought the.'time was not yet. ' Here, again, the progress has'been marvellous. At'Eheims the weather, had to. be.quite calm to.'tempt; the flying, men out. ; : But as the autumn.advanced,they.found.that unless they dared' the wind they could .'flo nothing; At.Juvisy and at Blackpool : and. at .Doncaster. Latham - and- Paulhan arid Lβ Blon gave wonderfuy. exhibitions of pluck,and skill. Even with the limited power, at.present available for aeroplanes many .of them behave ; excellent well, on , stormy;days. Of:course a ; very?great:deal depends. on.ithe |pUot.: ; > ; - 'But' as construe-• tion is simplified .so will,the personal . equation, become. .less.:' important.. ~ ..>..■,' j; ■'

No More Exorbitant; Fees..;. : . ; \, »:;; ,'! Already," indeed,''within"-a "'.iev. months,; flying'has"-ceased to bo tho..accomplishment bf-a fey.; Only'in-September."the; number -.of.tuose who could ,be' cquntetl upon to' give , ;exhibitions'-;was -so small that .very.-large;sunis ; ; were offered'to them, ; ;by rival prom'oters ! : of /meetings. "Two thousand, ; pounds for ; a ; few days' flying .'■wasVthought' nothing out of the -way. Paulhah was engaged for an ; American' : tdur-at:>the-huge-fee ■ But the 'short' summer- of these .rich'.harvests is -over. : . Every day '.almost 'we'hear '.of .flights*being : made-by new aviators. .By: next'summed, instead'p£ : being bribed; to ■compete for handsome iprizes,' flying menwUbboglad to pay entrance feesl ■'■■■'■'; •;' ; Even.in England, .which,'.though;,it:led 'the', world-'in-railwayVand ;, steamship progress,.has hitlierto'tuined.a cold;'dull eye, upon'.aeroplanes,, the new-'soiencd' ;'has begun Ho be! taken up;' The'"Daily Mail" ;£IOOO .prize' for a- mile 'circuit, by- a : Briton on ; a British-built machine was at last won in by , ' Mr/-'Modre-Braliazon, 1 :; and''many- Englishmen afe : now getting:the'mastery of : vari9us ■machmes. ;Thpy.;are" even 'carrying, pas-: sengefs, ; a'direction' in -which' progress halts' a little,' wititing- for'-the motor .of greater power which .is so urgently,, required:,' Farinanrhas carried two pas ;l songers a.little .wayj.and OrviUe Wright"; -remained' in- the''air , with "one for over an hour. But !at. the. moment" those who want.an air voyage,'mnst'take■'an airship—that is to' say a dirigible' bal-; I'loon.' .•". : ;...',-■ .-■•. ''■':'"■. -.■■": ;..; ;■'■ ■■-~ •'

Lighter-than-Air.f:; :-'-; : :y : ':;:'}. f . In this direction also ; there has. been •development, ; ■ which'. the unfortunate . ad-: | cidenc to ;the Kepubliqne ■in no,'waychecked -. though -, it made ,■ dear. ■ both ■ the ■necessity for greater care in,.making.pro-, ■polle'rs andi the desirability .of construct- 1 , ing :gas-bags! in ■ compartments. ■ The great iovont-of- the year.-was to have..been the , ' ivoyage, of .the, new- Clement-Bayard; - the : . largest;■ non-rigid ever, built ■ in -iFrance,-. , from. Paris to-London, ■ where "the- I'Daily, .Mail"-'.garage . at i;Wormwood: ■ Scrubs-is •all ready for it;. But'now. this has beenwisely postponed until after the, general election. Germany, going- ahead:. vigor-: ;pusly, now possesses- the nucleus .of.a •:fleet of dirigibles, which; at', the vend of; 1910 is expected to.number, seventy. Four of. them made a'.very successfiflL'ten-hour ■night',trip-recently.., The latest • Zeppelin! :has -not been much heard of; since its, visit.to Berlin, where ,it was : received -with wild enthusiasm. \ ... '■'■■]■