134 SOME AERONAUTICAL EXPERIMENTS. 



The difficulties which o]).struct the patliwa>' to success in ilying- 

 machine construction are of three general classes: (1) Those which 

 relate to the construction of the sustaining- wings; ('2) those which 

 relate to the generation and application of the power required to driv^e 

 the machine through the air; {?>) those relating to the balancing and 

 steering of the machine after it is actuall}- in flight. Of these difficul- 

 ties two are already to a certain extent solved. Men already know 

 how to construct wings or aeroplanes which, when driven through the 

 air at sufficient speed, will not only sustain the weight of the wings 

 themselves, ])ut also that of the engine and of the engineer as Avell. 

 Men also know how to l)uild engines and screws of sufficient lightness 

 and power to drive these planes at sustaining speed. As long ago as 

 iSO-t a machine weighing 8,000 pounds demonstrated its power both to 

 lift itself from the ground and to maintain a speed of from 30 to 40 

 miles per hour, but failed of success owing to the ina])ility of the 

 operators to balance and steer it properh*. This inability to balance 

 and steer still confronts students of the flying problem, although nearh' 

 eight 3'ears have passed. When this one feature has been worked out, 

 the age of flying machines will have arrived, for all other difficulties 

 are of minor importance. 



The person who merely watches the flight of a bird gathers the 

 impression that the ])ird has nothing to think of l)ut the flapping of 

 its wings. As a matter of fact this is a very small part of its mental 

 lal)or. To even mention all the things the bird must constantly keep 

 in mind in order to fly securely through the air would take a consid- 

 erable part of the evening. If 1 take this piece of paper, and after 

 placing it parallel with the ground, quickly let it fall, it will not settle 

 steadily down as a staid, sensil)le piece of paper ought to do, ))ut it 

 insists on contravening every recognized rule of decorum, tu)'ning 

 over and darting hither and thither in the most erratic manner, nuich 

 after the style of an unti-ained horse. Yet this is the style of steed 

 that men n^.ust learn to manage before flying can ])ecome an everyda}'^ 

 sport. The bird has learned this art of e(iuilibrium, and learned it so 

 thoroughly that its skill is not apparent to our sight. ^^^' only learn 

 to appreciate it when we try to imitate it. Now, there are two Avays 

 of learning how to j-ide a fractious horse: One is to get on him and 

 learn by actual practice how each motion and trick may be best met; 

 the otli'M- is to sit on a fence and watch the beast a while, and then 

 retii'e to the house and at leisure figure out the best way of ovei'com- 

 ing his jumps and kicks. The latter S3'stem is the safest, but the 

 former, on the whole, turns out the larger proportion of good riders. 

 It is very much the same in learning to ride a flying machine; if you 

 are looking for perfect safety, 3'ou will do well to sit on a fence and 

 watch the birds; but if you really wish to learn, you nmst mount a 

 machine and Ix^-ome ac(]uain((>d with its tricks by actual ti'ial. 



