113 



: Surprises Curtiss. 



th 



e intended to 

 country. We 

 .. juld bring; only 

 ith this in mind, 

 lim a contest for 

 ave tried in every I 

 engine up to its 



utions more than 



lii 



i bee 



. travel- 



5 an hour when I make my 

 have to strike the ground 

 of the momentum coming' 

 speed. The skid machine 

 going half that speed and 

 so alights with much less momentum. 

 But, then, that machine does not go 

 out for speed and I do, so, of course, 

 advantage is offset in another 



that 



theii 

 dir. 



terday's program, was we 

 lead in the aggregate of r- 

 by his machines for Uuratio 



He 



of ther 

 aid: 



ought 



pa rtme 



"I see no necessity for a change in 

 the rules. The different machines here 

 were built for different purposes, 

 some for speed, others for durability 

 and accuracy. It is not necessary for 

 ;r his machine in a de- 

 the sport for which it 

 was not intended. Tf a man goes out 

 for accuracy, naturally he builds his 

 machine tor accuracy. My machine, 

 r-monp; other things, seeks accuracy, 

 and Is built accordingly. Another man 

 goes out for speed and naturally he 

 builds for speed. He has his own 

 field and does not need to complain if 

 bis machine does not conform to the 

 requirements for accuracy in alight- 



for bipl 



plan&" ; 

 with the 



nd 



clas 



e racing events. Bl- 

 e built as speedy at, 

 nd if so, should compete 



ame-White, while climb- 

 ing into his great coat after his return 

 from his second aerial rush to Boston 

 light and return, was- vigorous but 

 courteous in bis criticism of some feat- 

 ures of the rules governing the meet. 



"Nowhere in England or at any of 

 the European meets in which I have 

 competed lias a machine with skids 

 been permitted to compete in such an 

 ■ the accuracy test. The cir- 

 cle within which the machines are re- 

 quired to land in this contest repre- 

 sents an island. Only a machine which 

 can land on such an island and arise 

 therefrom by itself can rightly be con- 



sidered an aeroplane. A machine which 

 drops on skids cannot arise from the 

 ground by itself, and would be useless 

 in such a contingency as alighting on 

 an island 100 feet in circumference. 



"A rail or track was used to raise 

 this machine originally, and the ma- 

 chine cannot carry the rail with it. 

 Hence its mere ability to stay where 

 it drops ends its utility as an aero- 

 plane for the time being. Such a ma- 

 chine is not properly an aeroplane, for 

 the aeroplane must not only land with 

 accuracy, but be able lo make its get- 

 away from its place of landing, wher- 

 ever that may he. 



Wants Aggregate of Points. 

 "Another change in the rules should 

 ' permit the scoring of the aggregate of 

 the points made by the aviator in all 

 his performances. Such a rule obtains 

 In the continental countries. For in- 

 stance, x think it may be said that I 

 have been in the air more than any 

 aviator here, and that I have taken 

 part in a greater variety of forms of 

 the sport. Yet I gain nothing in the 

 way of an aggregate of points for get- 

 away, duration, speed, altitude, distance 

 and accuracy from so doing. I am 

 credited each day with the particular 

 number of points achieved by me in 

 the particular events for which T enter, 

 and get nothing in the shape of an ag- 

 gregate score including points for every- 

 thing covered by my constant flights. 



"Is it not clear that the consistency 

 of my work in all these branches is en- 

 titled to recognition by the scoring of 

 an aggregate of all my points for the 

 week? Some of my opponents go out 

 daily for single features, such as dura- 

 tion and altitude, and make a greater 

 total for the day than I do in those 

 events. Yet iny aggregate of points 

 for all branches during the entire meet 

 would be greater than that of any com- 

 petitor. 



"In the matter of separate classes for 

 the various types in the speed events, I 

 do not think it necessary. Curtiss will 

 tell you that the biplane Is the speediest 

 machin? made. I say the monoplane is 

 the fastest, and Roe will say that the 

 triplane is speeo'ier than either of them, 

 if each man believes In his views, then 

 the three types should compete together 

 to determine their relative racing quali- 

 ties. 



Sydney McDonald, manager and 

 backer of Grahame-Whlte. gaid : 



"My suggestion is that the men 

 should all be put on the same basis In 

 the matter of competition. The papers 

 herald the breaking of a world's record 

 in accuracy by Brookins, yet he landed 

 with skid's near the centre of the circle. 

 Alighting with wheels, we made a mark 

 of, I think, 33 feat. 



"The skid machine couldn't move 

 after it alighted, and the wheel ma- 

 chine couldn't help move. Brookins 

 could not have left the ground with- 

 out a track. We can rise from any 

 point where we make a landing. We 

 believe that a fair competition would 

 require a man to land with the equip- 

 ment he requires to rise with. A 

 landing from which a rise cannot be 

 made should not count for accuracy. 



"Then, again, Curtiss lands with a 

 brake and, we have no brake. Such a 

 competition, to be fair, should be 

 limited to all skid machines, or all 

 wheel machines with bra.kes. or all 

 wheel machines without brakes. To 

 include skid machines/and wheel ma- 

 chines in this event is manifestly un- 

 fair." 



Charles F. Willard said: 

 "I should like to see separate classes 

 for monoplanes and biplanes In the 

 speed events. The matter of accuracy 

 is different, and I have nothing to say 

 about it." 



FIOKEIi TEMjS OF SHOOTING, 



Says Aero Could Work Havoc in 

 War by Firing Shells. 



Further tribute to the utility of the 

 aeroplane in war was paid by Lieut. J. 

 E. Fickel, U. S. A., after his snapshoot- 

 ing experiments with the army riflo and 

 service revolver while being carried at 

 30 miles an hour in Willard's Curtiss bi- 

 plane. 



"I agree with every one else who has 

 studied the matter that the aeroplane 

 has tremendous possibilities as an in- 

 strument of war," he said. "It was a 

 little hard to get the range on the tar- 

 quite simple. 



the 



will do 



lOSt 



Mle: 



alu 



; be 



: for th 



