that the mechanical and commercial reputations han started from Hendon and flying to Hampof such makers as the Wrights, Blériot, Far- stead, five miles from London, crossed the startman, Voisin and others had reached a point ing line with a special railway train below to where they did not dare to show an invention in an experimental stage. Critical authorities in 1910 reached the conclusion that aviation had arrived at a point where it was not unreasonable to demand aeroplanes of sufficient size and strength for general touring, so built that they would not break in the air and could start from the ground under ordinary conditions. The machine had now reached a point where comfortable cars mounted inside the frame should be installed for the pilot and passengers and these cars should afford protection against any shocks due to land ing on bad ground. Another desideratum was a better method of stopping the aeroplane after landing. At the end of the year the opinion was generally advanced that the aeroplane had developed to a point where it could be compared with the early history of the automobile. Thus in a few years the long-distance races would be reached and soon efficient engines and machines for ordinary use would be designed. On the theoretical side much remained to be done by improving the forms of wings and propellers and diminishing resistance to forward motion. Smaller angles of ascent were possible. MEETS AND COMPETITIONS During the year there were many aviation meets held at which prizes of great value were offered, so that the professional and exhibition or commercial side in addition to sport and experiments became conspicuous. LOS ANGELES MEET. The first aviation meet to be held in the United States took place at Los Angeles, California, beginning January 10th. For the first time in the United States a number of foreign types of aeroplanes were in competition with those of Americans. Two Farman biplanes and two Blériot monoplanes were shown; also three Curtiss biplanes, operated respectively by C. F. Willard, C. K. Hamil ton and Glenn H. Curtiss. The first noteworthy feature of the meeting was the breaking of the world's record for altitude made but six days before by Latham in France. This figure, 3444 feet, was considerably exceeded by Paulhan whose record was 4165 feet. Paulhan further succeeded in showing the weight-carrying abilities of the Farman aeroplane by flying with two passengers. On January 20th, Curtiss made the longest flight that up to that time he had accomplished, passing around the course thirty times or forty-eight and three tenths (48.3) miles in 1 hour, 16 minutes and 39 seconds. Paulhan, however, was able to make thirty-five circuits of the course and a distance of 36.35 miles in 1 hour and 34 minutes and 34 seconds. guide him. The news of Paulhan's start came to Grahame-White and an hour later, assembling his aeroplane, he started from Wormwood Scrubbs in pursuit of the French aviator. The latter reached Lichfield, 117 miles from London, and there made a landing, as his supply of gasoline amounting to fourteen gallons was exhausted. Grahame-White alighted at Roade near Northhampton, after covering a distance of sixty miles in a flight of one hour and twentythree minutes. Before daybreak next day he was again in the air traveling as far as Polesworth, nearly 100 miles from London after an hour's flight. Although he flew a few miles farther in the afternoon the race was over as far as he was concerned when he reached Polesworth. Paulhan after his stop at Lichfield finished the remaining 68 miles in one hour and twenty-one minutes, reaching Manchester before the special train that accompanied him, thus winning the Daily Mail prize and making a flight that was memorable in the annals of aeronautics. CURTISS'S FLIGHT FROM ALBANY TO NEW YORK. A notable cross-country flight took place on May 6th, 1910 when Glenn H. Curtiss made the trip from Albany to New York in a Curtiss biplane weighing 950 pounds and having a surface area of 236 square feet. This biplane was fitted with a 50-horse-power, eight-cylinder watercooled motor and the longest time it had been kept going in one flight previously had been 38 minutes. An early morning start was made from Albany against a slight wind and the Hudson River was followed as far as Poughkeepsie, a distance of about seventy-five miles. Three miles beyond the railway bridge a landing was made at Camelot, the seventy-four and onequarter miles of the journey having been accomplished in one hour and twenty-three minutes or at the rate of more than fifty-three and sixtyeight hundreths miles an hour (53.68 an hour). After renewing the fuel and lubrication the trip was resumed and the second stage of the journey extended as far as the north end of Manhattan Island where one hour and nine minutes after leaving Poughkeepsie a landing was made, fifty-three and three quarters miles being covered in this second stage. The third stage, fourteen miles to Governor's Island, was accomplished in twenty-two minutes, the entire trip being made without the slightest mishap. The Curtiss biplane used in this flight was similar in construction to that employed in winning the Bennett Cup in 1909 at Rheims. HAMILTON'S FLIGHT BETWEEN PHILADELPHIA AND NEW YORK. Hardly had this last achievement been recorded when another interesting American flight was made between Philadelphia and New York. This trip was entirely cross country, no river being followed and consisted LONDON-TO-MANCHESTER RACE. An import- of a flight from Governor's Island in New York ant sporting event took place on April 27th Bay, across the Bay and the Kill von Kull, foland 28th in England. This was the race be- lowing the Pennsylvania Railroad to Philadel tween London and Manchester for a prize of phia, the direction being given by a white $50,000 offered in 1907 by the London Daily streamer on the roof of a special train. HamilMail. The conditions of the flight provided ton's flight for the greater part of the trip was that the trip should be made within twenty- made at the comparatively low elevation of four hours and with not more than two stops about two hundred feet and ended at Philadel route. On April 23rd, Claude Grahame- phia 1 hour and 50 minutes from the time of White with a Farman biplane in attempting the start. The average speed was estimated this distance was forced to give up after tra- at 47.37 miles per hour or 45.22 miles using versing 115 miles. On April 27th, Louis Paul- the entire time and making no deduction for the en AERONAUTICS 7 various circlings. The return trip was then attempted and for the first thirty-eight miles of the journey a speed of 51.08 miles an hour was averaged. At this time, the engine not running smoothly, a descent was made which resulted in a broken propeller. This being replaced a second start was made and the machine rose under its own power to a height of fifteen hundred feet and completed the trip to Governor's Island. Hamilton's flight was considered the fastest cross-country flight ever executed at the time it was made. INDIANAPOLIS MEET. An aviation meet was held at Indianapolis during the week beginning June 13th, under the auspices of the Wright brothers. In addition to Orville Wright and other aviators, Walter Brookins participated in the flights and made a height record of 4384% feet. This was broken two days later and a record of 4503 feet achieved. This meet was confined exclusively to the Wright aeroplanes and while there was good flying on the part of the various aviators, yet no large amount of general interest was aroused as was the case where different forms of machines were used. RHEIMS AVIATION MEET. This great annual event in 1910 began on July 3rd. and was noteworthy for the records of speed and distance made by monoplanes which French manufacturers had brought to an increased degree of perfection. Charles Wachter lost his life by the breaking of the wings of his Antoinette monoplane and a number of new speed records were made. An interesting record for distance was made by a Belgian, Jan Olieslargers, with a Blériot monoplane. He was able to remain aloft five hours and three minutes and cover 244 miles in a closed circuit at an average speed of 48.31 miles an hour. This gave him a record distance, duration and speed in long distance flight, which in the first two respects as we shall see was exceeded before the end of the year. AERONAUTICS of 101 miles, 389 feet, in 3 hours and 5 minutes and 40 seconds. An interesting world's record also made at this meet was the slow speed record by Brookins, 13 minutes, 48 seconds for 54 miles or an average speed of 22.85 miles an hour. THE INTERNATIONAL AVIATION MEET. The first large and important meeting of aviators from Europe and the United States to be held in America took place during the last week of October at the Belmont Park race course near Mineola, Long Island, N. Y. It aroused great interest and afforded the American public an opportunity to see in actual flights various types of machines as well as to enjoy what was certainly a most novel and interesting spectacle. The aviation field in the opinion of many of the foreign contestants left much to be desired, while unusually high winds common to the late autumn prevailed and interfered more or less with the programme. Belmont Park was marked off by tall wooden monuments or pylons into two courses for the various competitions. The short one, 21⁄2 kilometers or about 11⁄2 miles in length, was used for the hourly distance and daily speed contests, a large number of which were held both for the benefit of the spectator and to tempt the aviators by the prizes offered. The long course, 5 kilometers or about 3 1-10 miles, was used for the international trophy race for the Gordon-Bennett Cup. The prizes offered aggregated $74,800 and exceeded in amount those contested for at any previous aviation meet. The various prizes were divided so that the second, third and fourth men in many of the contests received substantial recognition. This side of the meet was emphasized as the making and operation of aeroplanes had become a matter that only was possible to wealthy amateurs or to inventors and manufacturers seeking direct returns or advertising with a view to selling or exhibiting their machines. France-Count Jacques de Lesseps (Blériot), Alfred Leblanc (Blériot), Hubert Latham (100 horse-power Antoinette), René Barrier (Blériot), Emile Aubrun (Blériot), René Simon (Blériot), Rollan Garros (Demoiselle), C. Audemars (Demoiselle). England-C. Grahame-White (Farman and Blériot), James Radley (Blériot), Alec. Ogilvie (Wright). HARVARD BOSTON MEET. On September 2nd, All things considered, the meet was very at Boston, the Harvard Aeronautic Society representative and Europe and America joined opened a very successful aviation meeting. in showing the best examples of the aeroplane Many of the famous aviators were present and as it had been developed. The entries were as an interesting feature was a bomb-throwing con- follows: test in which the model of a modern battleship was used. The object was to drop a bomb from a height of at least 100 feet so that the deck of the model man-of-war should be hit. A shot within the bulls-eye indicating the smokestacks counted 10 points and hits of less vulnerable places of the ship proportionately less. At one time during this meeting there were four machines in the air, which at this time was quite a novel sight for American spectators. An interesting feature of the meeting was a trip from the aviation field to Boston Light and return twice over, a distance of 33 miles. Grahame-White on September 6th, in a Blériot monoplane made this distance in 41 minutes and 35 seconds. On September 12th this trip was repeated by the same aviator and the time reduced to 34 minutes and 11 seconds. A race between Grahame-White and Curtiss for a $3000 prize was won by the former and seemed to demonstrate the superiority of the monoplane over the biplane for high speed racing. Ralph Johnstone in a Wright biplane made a world's record for accuracy in lighting; his seat being but 5 feet 4 inches from the marking flag when he touched the ground. He also secured the record for duration and distance by a flight America-Ralph Johnstone (Wright), Walter Brookins (Wright), Arch Hoxsey (Wright), Charles K. Hamilton (Curtiss), John B. Moisant (Blériot), J. A. Drexel (Blériot), C. B. Harmon (Farman), H. S. Harkness (Antoinette), C. F. Willard (Curtiss), J. C. Mars (Curtiss), J. A. D. McCurdy (Curtiss), Eugene Ely (Curtiss). TYPES OF AEROPLANES REPRESENTED. The machines here represented all showed improvements on those seen at earlier contests and especially were attempts made to develop high speed. The Wright brothers with their familiar biplanes had entered a new small racing machine. Curtiss, who also had developed the biplane, was represented by a new machine where the upper surface was cut down to a very small amount, leaving the lower surface as the main supporting plane and making the machine 1 hour, 57 minutes, 44.85 seconds elapse time practically a monoplane. Blériot was repre- making a single stop of about three quarters sented by a number of monoplanes differing of an hour after the sixth lap. This gave somewhat in size and power and owned by America the second place, the only other comaviators of different nations. The Santos- petitor being Hubert Latham in a 100 horseDumont "Demoiselle" machines, monoplanes of power 16-cylinder Antoinette monoplane. small surface but capable of considerable speed, was forced to descend after 15 laps, resuming in were also in evidence. The Farman machine the afternoon his flight, which he completed sucwas a biplane, while the Antoinette was a mono- cessfully, the total elapsed time for the race beplane with powerful engines. ing 5 hours, 47 minutes, 53.40 seconds. Despite rather unfavorable conditions of weather the aviation meet drew great throngs to Belmont Park and the spectators were vastly interested in the exhibition of flight as well as in the actual contests themselves. At times there were as many as fourteen aeroplanes in flight simultaneously while frequently several were in close proximity above the heads of the onlookers. In fact it was by this circumstance rather than as a sporting event that the week's flying should be judged, though in the various contests there was keen competition. He This THE STATUE OF LIBERTY COMPETITION. contest was postponed from October 27th on account of weather conditions, and was held on October 30th with three contestants all in Blériot monoplanes; Grahame-White, Count de Lesseps and John B. Moisant, the first named having a 100 horse-power machine and the other contestants machines of 50 horse-power. The contest which carried with it a cash prize of $10,000 offered by Thomas F. Ryan, was of interest, inasmuch as the path of the cross-country flight lay over the densely populated city and GORDON-BENNETT CUP COMPETITION. The the East River and New York Bay with a most important of these was the annual com- sensational turn at the Statue of Liberty. Natpetition for the Gordon-Bennett Trophy and urally the flights were made at a considerable prize of $5000. This was contested for on height and the times of the three contestants October 29th and consisted of 20 circuits of the 3.1 mile course or 62.1 miles (100 kilometers). In the early morning with perfect weather conditions three competitors started, GrahameWhite of England in a 100 horse-power Blériot monoplane, Alfred Leblanc of France in a 100 horse-power Blériot monoplane, and Alec. Ogilvie of England in a small Wright biplane. Leblanc on his last lap met with an accident in which his machine dove to the ground and, striking a telegraph pole, was wrecked. His time for the 19 laps had been 52 minutes, 49.79 seconds, or an average speed of 67 miles an hour. Ogilvie in his flight was forced to descend on account of a faulty spark plug, but resumed flight and was in the air actually 1 hour, 6 minutes, 46.68 seconds, corresponding to an average speed of 55.83 miles per hour. His delay amounted to 59 minutes and 50 seconds, but this did not figure for penalization by the conditions of the race. Grahame-White made the 20 laps in Johnstone 1 hour, 1 minute, and 44 seconds, or an aver- Grahame-White age speed of 61 miles an hour. were very close together, Grahame-White making the journey in 35 minutes 21.3 seconds; Count de Lesseps in 39 minutes 38.5 seconds, and Moisant in 34 minutes 38.5. There were no Wright machines in this competition. BELMONT PARK RECORDS. At the Belmont Park meet a new height record-9714 feet-was made by Johnstone in a new small Wright biplane, while a monoplane record of 8373 feet was made by Drexel. During the week the various aviators were in the air endeavoring to secure records that would count in the aggregate for the totalization of duration and distance prizes. The winners of these contests were as follows: Aviator Latham TOTALIZATION OF DURATION Time Prize $3000 4.47:44.40 1500 4:37:$5.85 1000 4:11:21.20 500 TOTALIZATION OF DISTANCE Laps Prize 106 $1500 Aviator This British aviator thus won the trophy, for the American team selected to defend the trophy met with several misfortunes and thus could not develop its full possibilities. As an elimination contest could not be held on account of the weather, three machines were selected to represent America. There were the tiny Wright racer of Walter Brookins, with a 60 horsepower 8-cylinder V-type motor, the Curtiss LOS ANGELES AVIATION MEET OF DECEMBER, racer, with a 115 horse-power Chrystie 8-cylin- 1910. The city of Los Angeles enjoyed the der, V-type motor, of Charles K. Hamilton and credit for the height records made at the bea 50 horse-power Blériot monoplane of J. Arm- ginning and at the end of the year 1910. On strong Drexel. The Wright machine, which was January 10th, we have seen how Louis Paulhan expected to develop high speed and had passed reached a height of 4164 feet in a Farman bithe starting line at a rate of about 80 plane, while Glenn Curtiss travelled aloft with miles an hour, a few hundred yards beyond it a passenger at a rate of 55 miles an hour. The dropped to the ground striking with terrific world's record for the year was made at the force, and damaging the machine severely, same city on December 26th when Arch Hoxsey though Brookins escaped without injury. in a standard Wright machine flew to a height Drexel after seven laps in a wind of consider- of 11,474 feet. This record was made on the able velocity abandoned the race and Hamilton third day of the December meeting and Hoxsey whose engine failed to work properly was unable to make a single complete circuit of the course. At the last moment John B. Moisant, one of the alternates on the American team, entered the race and reeled off the 20 laps in was in the air for two hours. At this meeting the Antoinette monoplane record was broken by Hubert Latham, who flew for 24 hours. Previous to his public flights Latham had attempted duck-shooting from a monoplane and by |