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FLYING FEVER CATCHES ON IN OTTAWA ["Ottawa Herald," 28 Feb 1911, page 1, column 1] The fever of athletic undertakings may be taking long strides for the leadership but there is a close second. This new arrival is the aero fever. A number of Ottawa's young men and boys have read of the aeroplanes and have dreamed dreams of soaring among the clouds. Recently Dale and Wayne Blair and R. N. Tutt launched a glider which they built at odd moments. The glider proved a success but is now hibernating in a shed until spring comes out again. But while this machine is resting another is being completed as rapidly as possible by another party. Down in the basement of the Washington school building, the high school boys take their course of manual training and there are lathes, planes, saws and everyting that could please the heart of an experienced carpenter. One of the high school students is making a glider. This boy is Clarence Lynn, the son of W. E. Lynn, and a Freshman in school. He is 15 years old and has an inclination for doing things. One day last fall during the fall semester of school young Lynn thought he would like to fly. The thought gave rise to his beginning the construction of the glider. Work began on it at once. Only the regular periods of 80 minutes for three days of each week have been devoted to the glider. It is now almost completed. The glider is sitting on two lumber "horses" and all that remains to be done is to put on the canvas and give the whole a coat of shellac. The aeropolane is 16 feet long, four feet high and three feet wide. Four long strips of fir make the framework on which the rest is built. cross pieces of cypress curved upward from the frame on which the canvas will be placed. The crosspieces are on both sides of the glider. In the center of the lower plane is an open space for the person who rides. From his seat he can control the motion of the glider and guide it by the rudder by the different positions of his body. The rudder is completed and will be put in place in a few days. The perplexing question has been to get the glider out of the manual training shop after it is completed. This has been decided by putting all of the parts in place and adjusting any faults and then to take the structure apart. it will be carried out in pieces and then put together again. As soon as the canvas which will be ready by the end of the week is on, the glider will be tkaen out of doors and made ready to fly. The canvas to be used on the planes is gas-tight and the entire framework of the glider has been reinforced by piano wire. One feature about the glider is that it is very light. The entire weight when all of the canvas and parts are together will not exceed fifty pounds. "I have thought about making a glider for a long time," said Lynn this morning. "Last fall was the first time that I ever, attempted to make one and I am pretty well satisfied with the work so far. We will take the glider out next week and get all of the parts in good working order. Then on the first fine day, it will make the first flight. We will take it to some hill near town. If the flight proves to be a success, then some bicycle wheels will be put under it to assist in lighting on the ground after the flight. This will take the jar of striking the ground from the person who is in the glider." Except with a few suggestions from Clarence Hornaday, director of manual training in the public schools, on some fine point of woodwork, Lynn has done the work with the aid of Gordon Saunders, the son of W. G. Saunders. Gordon is a student in the high school. Lynn will probably make the initial trip in the glider. |
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