The Hawera Star. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1924. ROUND THE WORLD FLIGHT.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 26 September 1924, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1924. ROUND THE WORLD FLIGHT.

Delivered wwry evening toy S o’clock in Haw ere, Manftia, Nmananby. Okaiawa, Eltham, Pateß. Waverley, Mokoia, Whakamara, Oiiacgai, Meremere,. Fraser Road, end Otakeuo Hanutabi, Alton, Burleyville, Mangatoki, Awutuaa, Opunake,

The American aviators who set out on their round the world flight have almost finished their great, task, and British people will no doubt be as keen to congratulate them as their own countrymen. The progress of aviation has been comparatively rapid, though the study of artificial flight can be traced back through legendary story to the beginnings of history. In the history of aeronautics we find that during the middle ages many attempts were made to put forward a workable airship or to imitate the flight of birds by means of artificial wings. Many theories were put forward in the latter part of the seventeenth a,nd at the beginning of the eighteenth centuries, and experiments were made with artificial wings and aerial screws. To Sir George Cayley, who lived at the beginning of the nineteenth century, is given the credit of being the inventor of the modern aeroplane. Professor Berfet, in his book <f Tlie Conquest of the Air,” points out that, every essential to successful flight was given in the invented by Sir George Cnylev, The machine, produced in 1819, met with disaster during its trials. In 1843 Hensons tried to complete a successful machine, but failed. Succeeding years found others making attempts, but it was not until 1896 that definite results were secured. In that year a machine made by Professor Langley, an American physicist, flew for a distance of about half a mile along the Potomac River, and another machine invented by Ader, who had been experimenting with Sir Hiram Maxim, was successful in tlie same year. Ader’s machine is credited with being the first to lift itself by its own power and to fly for about. 350 yards. In 1903 the Wright brothers built a machine which was able to fly in a straight line. Five years later Wilbur Wright succeeded in remaining in tlie air for-an hour with a passenger, and later the two brothers were able to make a flight of two and a half hours duration. Then on July 25, 1909. Bleriot flew across the English Channel

unci iii tlie same year Farm an covered a distance of: nearly 140 miles in four hours on a biplane. The year 1900 seems to mark the beginning of the effective use of aeroplanes, and since that date wonderful progress has been made. Flights of under 100 miles i:: 1909 aroused great enthusiasmj to-day such distances are covered with the greatest ease and comparative safety. The Atlantic has been crossed, and several great overland flights have been successfully accomplished, while we expect, to read shortly of the completion of the round the world flight which the Americans have made. It is a splendid performance, and the accounts which will no doubt be published should make very interesting reading: The British effort by Squadron-Leader MacLaren met with a series of misfortunes, and the attempt had to be abandoned when rather more than half the distance had been covered. Other attempts are being made, but how the aviators will fare no one can foretell. . The great fact is that the first round tlie world flight has been practically completed, and those who have made it-deserve high praise for their, success. It. will no doubt be some years before such a flight will be of common occurrence/ but the knowledge gained in the attempts already made, together with the numerous experiments which scientists and engineers are making, should enable further progress to be made in building aerial machines'capable of surmounting the many dangers and difficulties met with, in long distance flights.