PROGRESS IN AVIATION— CHANUTE. 148 



chine of the 1908 design, at Le Mans, where Wilbur Wright first ex- 

 hibited it to the French, while a contract had been made in this coun- 

 try with the United States Government to furnish a similar machine, 

 and figure 2 represents a three-fourths front view of the machine. 

 There is at the front a double-decked horizontal rudder. It will be 

 noticed that these inventors have modified the make-up o a .bird by 

 putting the tail in front. Behind are placed vertical rudders but it 

 ?sL front rudder which elevates and gives horizontal ta*t*on Jo 

 the maehine. The rear rudder guides the machine t»W«^ 

 Back of the main surfaces are the two screws revolving in opposite 



'"The machine is equipped with a pair of skids for alighting, while 

 the French people have equipped their machines with wheels. The 

 wheels weig more, catch more air, and are not as safe as the skids 

 out the skids require a rail and a starting weight in order to ge the 

 machine into the air, unless there is a brisk head w nd Piatt ,6 

 figure 1, is from a remarkable photograph sent to me by W.lbu. 

 Wright, which was taken just at dusk. . 



Mr Wright had extraordinarily good fortune ,n carrying on the 

 experiments in France, his machine falling only once One other 

 42™ occurred in the breaking of one of the sprocket chains in 

 mid dr ; but he then operated the machine as a glider and came down 

 safely The French people at first made all sorts of comments, criti- 

 cism ,' and caricatures of Wilbur Wright, and even published a num- 

 Z o amusing songs, but finally he triumphed, won their esteem and 

 admiration, and they acknowledged that he was the master of al the 

 .viators Plate 6 figure 2, shows one of the flights at Le Mans 

 Froni Le Mans he went to Auvours in order to get better ground, and 

 there made over 100 flights. , 



The more remarkable performances which he made I have under 

 taken to tabulate, but I will not inflict those statistics upon you this 

 evening. Mr. Wright established great records, however On the 

 18 of December, 1908, he flew 62 miles in 1 hour and 54 minutes 

 his being at that time the world's record, and he beat this directly 

 afterwards, on the 31st of December, by flying 77 miles m 2 hours 

 oo m Lu tes and 23 seconds, thus winning the Michelm prize and 

 establishing a world record, which was only beaten in the tournament 

 at Rheims three weeks ago. In Rome he took up a great many pas- 

 senger* and on one occasion he started without the use of starting 

 weights simply facing a wind of sufficient intensity and , going up 

 straight from the ground. Plate 7 shows one of these flights. On 

 the 25th of September, after returning to America and after he had 

 been universally acclaimed in this country and overwhelmed (modest 

 man that he is) with public dinners, receptions, and medals, he 

 encircled in flight the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor and 



