The first half of the aviation season of 1909 brought forth many improvements which seemed to augur well for the public demonstrations to follow. Hubert Latham, with the swallowlike Antoinette monoplane, designed by Levavasseur, the inventor of the Antoinette motor, began soaring grandly in the sky and into fame. Paul Tissandier, on May 20th at Pau, established a new French record by flying 1 hour and 2 minutes. The Voisin brothers were perfecting in detail their boxlike aëroplanes, noted for inherent stability, and destined to achieve further renown during the summer, under the dexterous hand of intrepid young Paulhan. This new and daring young aviator, after a few practice flights, began making world records. On July 15th, he flew 1 hour, 7 minutes and 19 seconds. On July 18th he made a new world’s record for altitude, driving his Voisin aloft 150 meters at Douai. Impatient Roger Sommer, rejecting his own make of biplane, purchased a machine from Farman, and after a little practice, broke the world’s record for distance on August 7th, by flying at Chalons, 2 hours, 27 minutes, 15 seconds. Many others were advancing in skill, and would erelong achieve excellent results. Most strenuous of all, perhaps, were Curtiss and Blériot, the champions of high speed, respectively in the biplane and monoplane, and Farman, the winner of large prizes.
In the latter part of April, Henri Farman tested a new biplane of his own design and manufacture, which proved very satisfactory. It resembled his former craft, but was provided with small balancing planes hinged to the rear margins of the wings near their tips. This machine, furthermore, was provided with both landing skids and wheels, the latter yielding to any unusual stress by means of elastic connections, so that the skids took up the shock. With this improved biplane, Farman beat his former records by flying continuously 1 hour, 23 minutes, at Chalons, on July 19th. Four days later he made a new cross-country record by flying from the Chalons parade ground to Suppe, about forty miles, in 1 hour and 5 minutes. These flights were gently suggestive of what might be expected at Rheims the following month.
During the opening period of the 1909 aëroplane season, Glenn H. Curtiss brought forth a new biplane, designed for the Aëronautic Society of New York, with the coöperation of his new partner, Mr. A. M. Herring, and began active practice for various prizes at home and abroad. After some brief trials at Hammondsport, N. Y., he shipped his aëroplane to Morris Park, in order to participate in the Aëronautic Society’s first flight exhibition of the year. On June 26th he flew, but without official witness, far enough to win one of the $250 prizes offered to the Aëro Club of America by its president, Mr. Cortlandt Field Bishop, for the first four persons who should fly one kilometer. He now wished to make an official flight for this prize and also for the Scientific American trophy, a beautiful engraved silver cup—which he had won a year previously for the first public flight of one kilometer, made in America, but which now should go to the person making the longest official flight of the year 1909, not under 25 kilometers. But the Morris Park race track proved unsuitable for such contest, being too restricted. He therefore took his biplane to Mineola, Long Island, where he could practice on a wide plain, and possibly make some new records. Here a triangular course 1.3 miles long was staked off, and some short trial flights were made. Then Mr. C. M. Manly, who was official timekeeper for the Aëro Club of America, was notified that a trial for the prize would be made.
The demonstrations near Mineola were most successful, and proved the beginning of a brilliant summer for Mr. Curtiss. On July 17th he won in quick succession both of the prizes mentioned above. The trial for the smaller prize began at 5.15 in the morning and lasted but 2½ minutes, followed 6 minutes later by the start for the coveted cup. In both cases the machine took the air with ease and grace, after a 200-foot run over the rough marsh land. In the cup trial the first twelve turns, aggregating 25 kilometers, were accomplished in 33½ minutes, but the machine continued for seven more rounds, and finally landed in excellent form, just 52½ minutes after it had crossed the starting line. The actual measured distance flown was 24.7 miles, but the true distance traversed by the machine was probably 30 miles, making the time speed between 30 and 40 miles per hour. This was slow, indeed, but the control was satisfactory. Those who wished for high speed would find it in the new aëroplane which Mr. Curtiss would presently take to Rheims for the speed contest, in which he was to fly as sole champion of the United States.
The type of machine used by Mr. Curtiss in 1909 was a natural outgrowth of his previous ones, but very much perfected in power and finish. It was a biplane mounted on a three-wheeled chassis, two wheels under the main body and one well to the front, so as to prevent toppling forward. It was propelled by a single screw at the rear, directly connected to a water-cooled motor of the Curtiss make. Its flight was controlled by three rudders exerting torque respectively about the three axes of the aëroplane, supplemented by two fixed keels, a vertical one in the front and a horizontal one in the rear. Of the three rudders mentioned, one in the rear turned the craft right and left, like a boat, one in the front raised or lowered her, while the third or lateral rudder, consisting of small horizontally pivoted planes between the wing-ends, and turning oppositely to each other, controlled the lateral poise. These lateral rudders, or winglets, used by Curtiss, Farman and others, are commonly called ailerons.
PLATE XXVII.
BLÉRIOT XI WITH MOISANT AVIATOR ON MEXICAN BORDER.
(Courtesy A. J. Moisant.)