Air Wonder Stories, December 1929 — page 53: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

__ was pressed, and a well- done much to further the cause of aviation by 4 Treat Corporation, Fiscal Agents, looked 1G] Up as his secretary entered the private pay office, ee = “That crack-pot inventor is out here again, and he says that he is not going away until he sees you,” she announced, indifferently. “Well, dammit, send him in and let’s get the torture over with.” The girl started 9 t was almost knocked over at the door by that “crackpot inventor” as he dashed in, “Glad to see you, Mr. Treat, I’m Joe Flannelcake of the Sunset Aviation Club. You remember me; I was one of the fel- lows that helped launch that glider the day you dedicated our field. I’ve come to you to demonstrate the greatest plane the aviation industry has ever known; a revolutionary idea in heavier-than-air craft. As you know, it has long been the idea of aviators to produce a machine that would tise vertically from the ground, without a running take-off. My friend, I have just such a machine; a°machine that fills a long-felt need; present planes will become obsolete over night; everyone will be riding in a ‘Flannelcake Flyer’; you can’t go wrong, it’s ——” “Hey, wait a minute! Take a breath, will you?” said Mr. Treat: “Listen, young fellow, I don’t in- tend to listen to you practice. side-show ifaekine over some fool notion of yours. Now, what do you want; make it short!” The self-styled inventor did» not seem bothered at the rebuke; he only smiled blandly, and continued: “Mr. Treat, you are in business for money; I have a stunt here that will make you plenty, if you. want to finance it, I haye a machine that will rise vesneally that alone ought to interest you.” “Tf it were trite, it would interest me, but if you’re another helicopter nut, I can’t be bothered. By the way, did_you make this machine yet?” “No, I haven’t; but that’s where you come Go humorous science stories are a ravity, and we feel that the present one will give you more than-one hearty laugh. Incidentally, there ts nothing contained in the science of this story that will not be evolved in time. Inventors are becoming thicker than pro- verbial flies, and not a day goes by without some of our wealthy (or near wealthy) men being pestered to death by budding inventors with new-fangled inventions. Frequently, too, although the inventions may be crude at the time they are brought out, and may seem ridicu- lous to us, they eventually become necessities in, if you will—” “Get out of here! I haven’t time to listen to fairy tales!” “But Mr. Treat, I haven't explained yet—” A button on the desk dressed but mean-looking man walked in, Said Mr. Treat, “You're not going to, either! Oscar, give this guy the: works,” Oscar responded by lightly tossing Joe Flan- ~ neleake into the hallway. Horace Treat was pri- marily a hard - boiled financier; but he had of life. Lilienthal and the a “‘crank.” inventor. FLANNELCAKE'S INVENTION H. McKAY It is not so many years ago that men like Wright Brothers were laughed at, and Alexander Graham Bell, who invented the telephone, was shown the door as At any rate, the present effort of our new author gives us an excellent and laugh- provoking picture of a type of present-day ORACE TREAT, of Treat, Trout andstarting glider clubs in different districts, and by his interests in aviation societies; His. position had made him the target for a numberof get-rich-quick inventors who hoped for his financial backing. But, after this last inventor had gone he felt'that ing spite of the fellow’s book-agent tactics he seemed sincere. fee eh say. young. | Two months later, a man bearing a model airplane sought admittance at the palatial Treat home in Sea Cliff Terrace. The butler announced to Mr. Treat the arrival of a Mr. Flannelcake. “Throw him out! I’ve séen enough of that flat- head,” growled Horace Treat. As the butler left the library, one of the full-length windows. opened, and the ever-smiling face of Joe Flannelcake appeared. “You ain’t seen nothing yet, Mr. Treat,” said he: “I’ve got my plane here, and it wor Horace Treat’s anger was mixed with curiosity;.so he said nothing as the inventor entered the room and placed his model plane on the floor. It resembled the conventional. form of toy plane, except that the rear air- foils or elevators were of the same size as the front wings.. In fact, there was. no telling which was the front; for each end had a propeller mounted on it. It seemed as though constructed from two toy airships, hooked tail to tail. Horace Treat looked at it closely: “Which way does it go, anyway?” “Up,” returned Joe, smiling blandly as ever: “Yes: sir, it goes up.” “Well, let’s see it go, then,” snorted the financier, First Success JOE started to wind up the model: “You:see, Mr. Treat, this plane is powered by a steel spring, of the type found in German-made mechanical toys; it is light and efficient. A propeller is connected to each end of the spring ; which causes’ both-propellers to-turn, but in opposite direc- tions. You will notice a small gear on this ‘ prop ;’ this is the-rear end of the plane. This gear has a stop fastened to. the teeth at‘one point, which auto- matically stops the rear propeller after it has turned a certain number of times, Now the idea of the thing is, that when both screws turn, the plane will not move ‘along the-ground, because they pull against each other. The angle of the wings is adjustable and, in Starting, the front and Tear wings are tilted op- positely. The wind from the propellers strikes the wing surface, and is de- flected downwards, caus-