ORNITHOPTERS

AEROPLANE WITH WINGS Dayton Inventor Flies Successfully Without an Engine Special to The New York Times      DAYTON, Ohio, Oct. 17.--Farmers residing south of dayton were astonished late to-day to see an aeroplane like a bird, without an engine, soar over their heads and then gracefully settle to earth.      The airman proved to be Charles E. Stacy, a local inventor, experimenting with his new aeroplane with wings, which he believes has solved the perplexing problem of aerial navigation without the use of artificial motive power. The aviator made six short flights to-day and said that while the invention is not entirely perfected, he believes that it is sufficiently well advanced to assure ultimate success.      "The machine is of the soaring type," said Mr. Stacy. "It is an ornithopter, which means that it soars like a bird. We have been attempting to complete an invention that had been abandoned many years ago."      Mr. Stacy said that the flights to-day were made at the rate of about twenty-five miles an hour. He would not discuss the character of the propelling force, as he declared this to be a secret. The New York Times Published: October 18, 1911 Copyright The New York Times Courtesy of Gary Wysong, 10-28-07

 

TWINING ORNITHOPTER

Twining ornithopter. Jan 15, 1910.      My friend Greg Powers found these two photographs of the Twining ornithopter while searching for photos of Stacy. We have no photo of the Stacy ornithopter, so we can only guess about its configuration. If you are curious, you will find nine links to relevant websites by searching for "Twining Ornithopter" using Google. Library of Congress Collection, (10-31-07)

 

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