[COPYRIGHTED.]

U. S. NAVAL INSTITUTE, ANNAPOLIS, MD.

AVIATION AND AEROPLANES.*

By CAPTAIN W. IRVING CHAMBERS, U. S. Navy.

THE MEET AT BELMONT PARK, N. Y.

At this tournament an opportunity was presented, for the first time in the United States, to view the latest Bleriot, Antoinette and Demoiselle monoplanes, perfected in France, in daily competition with the American biplanes of Wright and Curtiss and the French biplane of Farman. A Curtiss type biplane, belonging to Mr. Hamilton, fitted with a 110 h. p. Hamilton motor, from which great speed was expected was also exhibited, but it made a poor showing at Belmont Park, due, it is said, primarily to an engine which refused to keep warm. It is recorded in the daily papers, however, that Mr. Hamilton has since made four miles in 3 minutes I second, with this machine at Memphis, Tenn., or the remarkable speed of 79.2 miles per hour.

A new model Curtiss machine attracted much interest. It was a small high power biplane, or rather a monoplane with a small upper plane over the driver. This was intended to defend the international cup that Mr. Glenn Curtiss had won in Europe, but unfortunately it left the ground for the first time after the cup

race.

There was present also a curious, unclassified model of American design, in the hangar of Mr. Clifford Harman, which was not used. It consisted, principally, of a central cylinder about seven feet in diameter, placed horizontally, with single planes each side, the motor and propellers being located within the cylinder.

*A report of observations on Aviation and Aeroplanes, made in obedience to orders of October 21, November 1, and November 12, 1910, to attend the aviation tournaments at Belmont Park, N. Y., and Halethorpe, Md., and to direct an experiment in aerial flight from the U. S. S. Birmingham; including recommendations concerning the study and development of aviation in the Navy.

Two Americans at this meet, whose instruction in aviation had been received abroad, Mr. J. B. Moisant and Mr. J. Armstrong Drexel, drove monoplanes of the Bleriot type. Not one foreigner actually used a biplane, except the Englishman Mr. C. GrahameWhite, who occasionally drove a Farman biplane. It is probable that he did this from choice, judging from the extensive use he had made of it during the previous meet here at Bennings, although the fact that his 50 h. p. Bleriot was wrecked at Bennings may have necessitated its use. It was a notable fact, however, that, in the gusty winds at Belmont Park, the biplanes were the first out each day and it was my impression that Mr. White preferred to use the biplane under those conditions in preference to a monoplane. Mr. White, however, at a late date used a high speed 100 h. p. Bleriot, which will be referred to later.

THE ADVANCE IN TWO YEARS.

It is recorded that, two years ago, when the Wright brothers and Farman were demonstrating the possibilities of flight in their biplanes, no ascensions were undertaken except during calm or perfect weather conditions, but the demonstrations at Belmont park and at Halethorpe were quite different. The weather was never ideal for flying. There was not a day during which the wind currents were not treacherous, and at Belmont Park there was only one very windy day during which the machines were kept in the sheds. Had this day not been Sunday, it is probable that some of the Wright biplanes would have flown. On the second day of the meet at Halethorpe a heavy downpour of rain, turning into hail and snow, accompanied by heavy winds, wrecked the large tents used as hangars and damaged two Curtiss biplanes beyond repair. It also caused damage, to a less extent, to the monoplanes of Radley, de Lesseps, Drexel and Latham, yet all of the monoplanes were soon repaired and flying in gusty winds with the Wright biplane, driven by Hoxsey, that had arrived after the destruction of the hangar. I gained the impression that repairs to these monoplanes were greatly facilitated by their method of construction, which permits the ready substitution of spare parts. Latham's Antoinette, for example, was slightly damaged in one of the planes, or wings, and a spare wing was quickly substituted. Radley's flier was badly smashed, but he had it in action before the end of the meet. It was not so imperative, however, to repair the Curtiss machines, as two others were readily sent to replace them.

THE PRINCIPAL EVENT AT BELMONT PARK.

The race for the Gordon-Bennet Cup, or Coupe Internationale d'Aviation, which by tacit consent of the various bodies or clubs governing aeronautics in the world, determines the world's championship for speed in aeroplanes, was the most important event of the meet, from the viewpoint of sportsmanship. This was won by Mr. C. Grahame-White in a 100 h. p. Bleriot. This flight by Mr. White was also an important demonstration from a military standpoint. I saw Mr. White assembling the parts of this high speed Bleriot, at his hangar, late in the evening before this race. They had just been removed from the packing boxes. At 9.02 the next morning, he stepped into this machine for the first time and, without having ever used a 100 h. p. motor before, started it and immediately won the race, continuing to run over five miles more than the 62 miles required. This impressed me with the reliability of the Gnôme motors and with the ability of the French makers to deliver, disassembled, the various parts of an aeroplane guaranteed to do its duty at once after being hastily assembled. The construction of this machine and the method of boxing the parts render it possible to stow a number of them on board ship and to assemble them, ready for use, in short order. From the appearance of the American machines and the numerous tuning-up performances exhibited by most of them, I gained the impression that they had not as yet been brought to the same state of perfection, either in quality of workmanship, in convenience of assembling, or in reliability.

The Bleriots and Antoinettes were remarkable examples of clever workmanship. The Antoinettes were the most graceful of all in appearance and their wing construction especially showed such marvels of craftsmanship as one would naturally expect from Mr. Nat. Herreschoff in this country.

Mr. White's speed, however, was surpassed during the greater part of this race. One of Mr. Bleriot's favorite pupils, Mr. Le Blanc, driving probably the best 100 h. p. machine yet produced at the Bleriot workshop, appeared on the course after Mr. White and soon demonstrated his superior control by shaving the pylons more closely than Mr. White. He had evidently started hastily and without replenishing the fuel in the tank, for his fuel gave out within 4600 yards of the finish, at which time he was leading Mr. White by about five minutes. The remarkable manner in which

this machine crashed through a 12-inch telegraph pole (cutting out a piece 14 feet long) on landing, without serious injury to either the aviator or the Gnôme motor in front of him, illustrates the safety afforded by the Bleriot design.

Mr. White won this race of 62.14 miles in 61 minutes 4.74 seconds, but he continued for two laps more, and thus, counting out the first two laps, made the required distance in 60 minutes. 41.65 seconds, or in 5 minutes 58 seconds less than the previous world's record of Morane. M. Le Blanc's fastest lap was made at the rate of 67.868 miles per hour. This is not the highest speed straight away but includes the retardation due to the turns.* Mr. White stated that his machine became so heated that he thought it was on fire. Although a speed of 100 miles per hour is freely predicted for the near future, this performance seems to indicate that it will have to come as a result of important improvement in the architecture of the plane surfaces rather than from increase in the motive power. The increased efficiency per horse power claimed for the Wright machines seems to indicate this.

Another interesting feature of the race, in this connection, was that Latham's 16-cylinder, 100 h. p. Antoinette, although much faster than his 8-cylinder, 50 h. p. Antoinette, did not show up well in speed by comparison with the 14-cylinder Gnôme motor Bleriots, of 100 h. p. However, Latham's speed in this racer improved on the following day over a smaller and more difficult course. This may have been due to different wind conditions, but it is probable that more experience in control had something to do with it. Walter Brookins started in this cup race in a "Baby Wright" biplane propelled by an 8-cylinder engine of 60 h. p. He encountered engine difficulties and had to descend quickly, in doing which he was injured and the machine damaged. It was stated, after this accident, that Brookins was not out officially as a contestant, but this machine had exhibited remarkable speed for such low power, it having been credited with 70 miles per hour in some of the unofficial records. During a preliminary trial four cylinders had failed to function properly and so this "hope of the Americans" showed that it had not been sufficiently tuned up to defend the cup.

*The world's record for speed over a closed course with turns was made by Jas. Radley in England. He covered a mile at the rate of 75.45 miles per hour.