Part 9 (1/2)

At that time this was the only Dunne aeroplane in existence, but of course the plans were in the possession of the inventor, and it was an easy task to make a second machine from the same model Two more machines were put in hand at Hendon, and a third at Eastchurch

On 18th October, 1913, the Dunne aeroplane made its first public appearance at Hendon, in the London aerodro distinction between this and other biplanes is that its wings or planes, instead of reaching froine, stretch back in the form of the letter V, with the point of the V to the front These wings extend so far to the rear that there is no need of a tail to theplane in front can also be dispensed with

This curious and unique design in aeroplane construction was decided upon by Lieutenant Dunne after a prolonged observation at close quarters of different birds in flight, and the inventor claims for his aeroplane that it is practically uncapsizable Perhaps, however, this is too much to claim for any heavier-than-air n certainly appears to give greater stability, and it is to be hoped that by this and other devices the progress of aviation will not in the future be so deeply tinged with tragedy

CHAPTER xxxI The Rolorious history of pioneer work in aviation, so far as it applies to this country, there is scarcely a ure to be found than Colonel Cody It was the writer's pleasure to co the early years of his experi box-kites at the Alexandra Park, London, and never will his genial sotten

Cody always seemed ready to crack a joke with anyone, and possibly there was no irls of Wood Green he was a popular hero He was usually clad in a ”cowboy” hat, red flannel shi+rt, and buckskin breeches, and his hair hung down to his shoulders On certain occasions he would give a ”Wild West” exhibition at the Alexandra Palace, and one of his arette from a lady's lips One could see that he was entire ht rounds of applause was the hitting of a target while standing with his back to it, simply by the aid of a mirror held at the butt of his rifle

But it is of Cody as an aviator and aeroplane constructor that ish to speak For soenerally the object of ridicule, both in the Press and a the public Why this should have been so is not quite clear; possibly his quaint attire had so to do with it, and unfriendly critics frequently raised a laugh at his expense over the enore were they that the Cody biplane was laughingly called the ”Cody bus” or the ”Cody Cathedral”

But in the end Cody fought down ridicule and won fame, for in competition with some of the finest machines of the day, piloted by some of our most expert airmen, he won the prize of L5000 offered by the Government in 1912 in connection with the Army trials for aeroplanes

In these trials he astonished everyone by obtaining a speed of over 70 hed 2600 pounds

In the opening years of the present century Cody spent e box-kites, and for a tihly popular with boys of North London In these kites he , on some occasions, an altitude of over 2000 feet At all times of the day he could have been seen on the slopes of the Palace Hill, hauling these strange-looking, bat-like objects backward and forward in the wind Reports of his experienerally looked upon as a ”crank” The War Office, however, saw great possibilities in the kites for scouting purposes in time of war, and they paid Cody L5000 for his invention

It is a rather romantic story of how Cody came to take up experiiven by a Mohawk chief to a newspaper representative

”On one occasion when Cody was in a Lancashi+re toith his Wild West show, his son Leon went into the street with a parrot-shaped kite Leon was attired in a red shi+rt, cowboy trousers, and so after him

”'If a boy can interest a croith a little kite, why can't a ht Cody--and so the idea ofbut unsuccessful attempt to cross the Channel in a boat drawn by two kites Had he succeeded he intended to cross the Atlantic by similar means

Later on, Cody turned his attention to the construction of aeroplanes, but he was seriously handicapped by lack of funds His machines were built with the most pri in well-equipped ”shops”, where the machinery is run by electric plant, would marvel at the work accomplished with such tools as those used by Cody

Most of Cody's flights were reat ”Round Britain” race in 1911 It was characteristic of the man that in this race he kept on far in the wake of MM Beauhtest chance of winning the prize; and, days after the successful pilot had arrived back at Brooklands, Cody's ”bus” caed as does it,” he remarked, ”and I meant to do the course, even if I took a year over it”

Of Cody's sad death at Farnborough, when practising in the ill-fated water-plane which he intended to pilot in the sea flight round Great Britain in 1913, we speak in a later chapter

CHAPTER xxxII Three Historic Flights

When the complete history of aviation co events which will doubtless be duly appreciated by the historian, and which ht These are the three great contests organized by the proprietors of the Daily Mail, respectively known as the ”London to Manchester” flight, the ”Round Britain flight in an aeroplane”, and the ”Water-plane flight round Great Britain”

In any account of aviation which deals with the real achieveht what it is to-day, it would be unfair not to enerosity of Lord Northcliffe and his co-directors of the Daily Mail towards the develop, the sue, and prizes to the amount of L15,000 are still on offer In addition to these prizes this journal has maintained pilots who may be described as ”Missionaries of Aviation” Perhaps the forehts in various parts of the country, and has aroused the greatest enthusiasress of aviation undoubtedly owes a great deal to the Press, for the newspaper has succeeded in bringing home to most people the fact that the possession of air-craft is a matter of national i flights up and down an aerodroeneral public, if the newspapers did not record such flights, and though in the very early days of aviation some newspapers adopted an unfriendly attitude towards the possibilities of practical aviation, nearly all the Press has since conize the aeroplane as a valuable ht fro the new science of flight by the award of prizes, and its public-spirited enterprise has donethe British nation

If these three great events had beenelse--such as, for instance, that great horse-race known as ”The Derby”--this chapter would never have been written But they are most worthy of record because all three have ht; they have proved conclusively that aviation is practicable, and that its ultimate entry into the busy life of the world is nodetails

The first L10,000 prize was offered in Noveht by aeroplane from London to Manchester in twenty-four hours, with not es en route In 1910 two colishman, Mr Claude Grahame-White; the other, a Frenchman, M Paulhan

Mr Grahame-White made the first attempt, and he flew remarkably well too, but he was forced to descend at Lichfield--about 113 usty winds which prevailed in the Trent valley The plucky pilot intended to continue the flight early the next ht his biplane was blown over in a gale while it stood in a field, and it was so badly daed that the machine had to be sent back to London to be repaired