NAVIGATING THE AIR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 70, 1 July 1910, Page 5

NAVIGATING THE AIR.

i - AUSTRALIAN TRIALS. . By Gable —Press Association —Copyright Melbourne. June 30. Twenty entries have been received by the Defence Department for the flying machine trials which will be held early next month. DUNEDIN MAN'S AEROPLANE. SATISFACTORY TESTS. By Telegraph—Press Association. Dunedin, June 28. ■ Some interesting results are promised by a young Dunedin inventor, Mr. J. H. Gill. (Seven years ago he set to work to learn something about aviation, and with remarkable patience and diligence has kept steadily at work ever since. It had been publicly stated in later years that with models he had secured somewhat startling results, but the fearsome thines of wood and cloth so frequently put "before the newspaper men and alleged to "be embryo airships created the impression that it was best and safest to treat all models with suspicion, and Mr.. Gill's efforts, therefore, only recently receiver! recognition. Capital has been forthcoming, and Mr. Gill was enabled to build a large heavier-than-air monoplane, and fit it with a beautiful little 30-horse-power engine specially imported. This was completed almost before the opening of the winter show, and the inventor acted on a suggestion that it be exhibited at the show at a special charge. As a result he netted over £250, for the .public was impressed with the appearance of the thing —it is of the well-known Bleriot type—with the persistent rumdrs that it was capable of surprising flights, and With I the inventor's statement that he intends to compete for the £SOOO prize offered iby the Commonwealth Government. It now transpires that a fortnight after the show Mr. Gill took his monoplane to vacant ground at Anderson's Bay, and there had a private trial. Up to a certain stage the experiment was most successful. The machine travelled a distance of 900 yards, and in its flight rose gracefully to a height of about 100 feet. It was at the time carrying Mr. Gill and his assistant, Pearson. After covering that distance, however, Pearson, who was steering, tried to turn,' and a portion of the structure proven too weak and collapsed, and? the flight came to an abrupt termination. The snecial apparatus which Mr. Gill has provided to minimise dan<rer in the case of such an accident as this prevented a .heavy fall. The machine is specially guarded against disaster by a serious fall on to earth, a fall into water, or a hiarh wind. The weakness which the private trial emphasised was really an obvious one, and at present the necessary repairs and alterations are being made. At the Wingatui racecourse on Saturday, July Oth," Mr. Gill is going to have a public trial of his monoplane, and he is confident that he will achieve a great success.