232 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO KNOWLEDGE 



VOL. 



space in shipping them, it was decided to retain the hinged form of construc- 

 tion and use the guy-posts as shown in the above plates. 



After much delay, due to various causes, the quarter-size model, as shown 

 in plan, end elevation, side elevation and three-quarter elevation in Plates 71 

 and 72, respectively, was taken down the river in June, 1901, in order to make 

 some tests with it from the small house-boat, which had been previously moved 

 to the middle of the river opposite Widewater, Va. A test of it in free flight 

 was made on June 18, its condition at this time being shown by Data Sheet No. 

 11' in Appendix. The launching apparatus worked perfectly and the aerodrome 

 started off on an absolutely even keel, dropping only a few inches immediately 

 upon leaving the launching apparatus, and continuing straight ahead directly 

 into the light wind of something less than 2 miles an hour. After it had gone 

 only about 100 feet, however, it began to descend slowly, but still maintained a 

 perfectly even balance, and finally touched the water about 150 feet from the 

 house-boat, having been in the air between 4 and 5 seconds. It was imme- 

 diately recovered, and as soon as the wings could be dried out another test was 

 made, as it was thought probable that the wind had interfered with the car- 

 buretor to such an extent that the engine had not received the proper mixture 

 of gas. Upon this second test the launching apparatus again worked perfectly 

 and the aerodrome again flew straight ahead on a perfectly even keel, and at a 

 uniform height from the water until it had gone about 300 feet, when it again 

 began to descend slowly and finally touched the water about 350 feet from the 

 house-boat, having been in the air about 10 seconds. While the tests were very 

 disappointing, owing to the extreme brevity of the flights, yet they showed con- 

 clusively that the balancing of the aerodrome was correct, at least as far as 

 motion in a straight line and in a quiet atmosphere was concerned. As one 

 and a half horse-power, which was felt to be the very minimum which would 

 successfully propel the aerodrome, was furnished by the engine only when work- 

 ing at its very best, and as the change in conditions from a quiet state to a 

 velocity of something like 40 feet per second evidently caused a considerable 

 drop in the power because of the change in the gaseous mixture which the car- 

 buretor furnished to the engine, it was decided not to make any further test of 

 the aerodrome until the engine cylinders could be reconstructed so as to pro- 

 vide more effective means for cooling it, and thereby a reasonable margin of 

 power above that actually necessary. The aerodrome was accordingly returned 

 to Washington for the purpose of making new cylinders for the engine. In 

 constructing these new cylinders the old cylinder heads from the previous cyl- 

 inders were used in order to expedite their completion. This proved in the 

 end to be a very great mistake, though at the time it seemed probable that the 

 use of them would save much delay and considerable expense. The new cyl- 

 inders were constructed of steel tubing originally one-half inch thick, which 





