BRITISH ARMY AEROPLANE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2479, 19 April 1909, Page 2

BRITISH ARMY AEROPLANE.

THE LATEST EXPERIMENTS. The “Daily Chronicle” thus amusingly comments on the latest' attempt of Colonel Cody when experimenting with; his army flying machine:— There is still no really immediate prospect of Mr. Cody flying over to Paris on the new British Army aeroplane and Challenging the Wright Brothers to an aerial contest. Another trial took place yesterday of this remarkable machine, on which so much time and money has been spent, and it succeeded in beating all its previous records. That is to say, it achieved the following results: — Stuck in the mud and had to be hauled out by a squad of Engineers. Rose a few feet from the ground and came down with a bump. Tyre burst and wheel buckled by tho bump, which ended the “trial."' It is true that the aeroplane has done most of these things before on most occasions on which it has made its appearance in public,, and done them with unfailing regularity, but the new line struck out on this occasion by the adventure in the mud fairly entitles it to claim a “record” for its latest performance. Following the necessary repairs and overhauling consequent on its previous turbulent outing on January 20, the aeroplane made its reappearance in the open air at Aldershot in a later date altered in appearance. A box-kite tail, for instance, had been fixed in the steering frame of the long, narrow, weird-looking machine. Bat Colonel Cody, whose' ]%"ick and cheerful ness are proof against all the blows—■and bumps— of adversity, was once again smilingly prepared to risk his neck for science and England.