Begin on Level Ground.
Make your first flights on level ground, having a couple of men to
assist you in getting the apparatus under headway. Take your position in
the center rectangle, back far enough to give the forward edges of the
glider an inclination to tilt upward very slightly. Now start and run
forward at a moderately rapid gait, one man at each end of the glider
assisting you. As the glider cuts into the air the wind will catch under
the uplifted edges of the curved planes, and buoy it up so that it will
rise in the air and take you with it. This rise will not be great, just
enough to keep you well clear of the ground. Now project your legs a
little to the front so as to shift the center of gravity a trifle and
bring the edges of the glider on an exact level with the atmosphere.
This, with the momentum acquired in the start, will keep the machine
moving forward for some distance.
