296 



SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO KNOWLEDGE 



vol. 27 



I am satisfied thai a greal deal of time is lost in putting the aerodrome to- 

 gether for flight, owing to the absence of any preliminary drill in doing this. 

 Before ii goes into the field the whole is to be completely boxed, and then taken 

 out from the bos and set up on the clutch, and steam gotten up for flight. All 

 this is to be done in the shop before the final boxing, and provision is to be made 

 so that no wiring or adjusting of parts is to be done in the field which can pos- 

 sibly be avoided by forethought in the shop. The tail-piece, for instance, is to be 

 bushed with brass, so that it will always come into the same place, and make a 

 tighl fit, in spite of wetting or shrinking, in the steel tube, where it is to go into a 

 guide way with a bayonet spring, or a like contrivance for setting it at once 

 securely into position. 



The mean positions of the wings and tail are to be laid out in some way 

 permanently on the mid-rod, but every guy-rod or adjustable piece is to be ar- 

 ranged so as to fit at once securely and permanently in its position without wiring 

 or like slow process. 



Very truly yours, 



S. P. Langley, 



Secretary. 



W. C. Winlock, Esq., 

 Assistant in Charge, 



Smithsonian Institution. 

 A copy to be communicated to:- 



-Mr. Huffaker, 

 Mr. Reed, 

 Mr. Maltby. 



