Spurred on by the success attained by the more experienced
and better known aviators numerous inventors
of lesser fame are almost daily producing practical flying
machines varying radically in construction from
those now in general use.
One of these comparatively new designs is the Van
Anden biplane, made by Frank Van Anden of Islip,
Long Island, a member of the New York Aeronautic
Society. While his machine is wholly experimental,
many successful short flights were made with it last fall
(1909). One flight, made October 19th, 1909, is of particular
interest as showing the practicability of an automatic
stabilizing device installed by the inventor. The
machine was caught in a sudden severe gust of wind
and keeled over, but almost immediately righted itself,
thus demonstrating in a most satisfactory manner the
value of one new attachment.
