Flying Made Possible.

Hastings Standard, Issue 180, 25 November 1896, Page 4

Flying Made Possible.

IV. ;V"f!r L iisglcy, of th • Smithsonian In.-tittste. h:is been tlie first to coii-irwt a dying machine that has absolutijy llown. 'i'iii; aerod ome, a-; the machine i< -tylrd. is made of steel ami is driven by steam iy menus of propellers. In flight it resembles a luiL'' bird, .soaring with extreme regularity in large curves, sweeping steadily upward in a -piral path, the spirals with a iliiiinet. r of perhaps 100 yards. On »!<•• first trial tile aerdrome ro-e to a height of nearly 100 f, -t and travelled for about hall a mile, when lit" steam became exhausted and th" pn.peil-rs c-a-*. d working. " Then." s;ivs I'iMfe-s.ir pel!, •' the whole, in-fi ad ot fambling down, sett I I as slowly and gracefully as it is possible for any bird to do, touched the Wiit r without any damage, and was immediai'-'y } iek.-.1 out and ready to be tried again." In the second trip the machine went in a different direction, moving in one continuous gentle accent with the same birdlike motion, and rose to a height of some thirty feet above the highest trees. 'When the so am was exhausted the machine s ttkd into the watts of the river about a quarter of a mile from its starting place. The aerodrome is not intended to soar at a great height. All that is required for practical purposes is that it .shall travel at a level high enough to bo clear of houses and u--.'S. The staii must 1>• made from a height. This is following the exa::q»L' of the birds. The engle takes a I.'iitr ran before it can rise, thus •_'at!u ring momentum. The condor of th" Andes get- a start usually hy dropping from a lofty crag. An important part of the problem of human tlight is the question of landing with safety. On this point the inventor has not made any disclosures, although he is believed to have devised a practical scheme. It is impossible at this stage to s;iy what devloplaenrs await the invention of Prof. >sor Lang'ey. Steam has lieen do;uned long ago as a transporting medium. The new candidates for popular favor are electricity and air. Already a scheme has been proposed to ;uiii:.;» itie lerodrome in conjunction wiih the American trolly system, and >oiuv such co-operation may be successfui in the future. It now only rests | with Professor Lunglev to perfect his ! scheme and to construct an aerodrome that will realise all anticipations, and <o demonstrate not only the the feasibility but the convenience of human ilighc. Meantime, scientists of all de- ; nominations will not be slow to extend i to hi til every encouragement in the | realisation of his marvellous design. — Science biftings.