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Happy landings are always assured if you ride in an airplane, which actually takes off, and flies under its own power, yet cannot fall or get out of control regardless of how the novice mixes the controls. It consists of a conventional type of ship, powered with a five-horsepower electric motor, which is controlled by an operator on the ground. The plane is attached to one end of a beam, which in turn is pivoted on the top of a central stand, allowing the ship to revolve and move in a vertical plane. A hydraulic check allows only a limited movement up and down of the beam, and on the end opposite the ship the beam has stabilizing equipment in the form of a horizontal surface set at the same angle as the plane’s wings and a vertical surface or fin in the form of a tank containing sufficient water to counterbalance the weight of the ship. The horizontal surface counteracts pressure as the plane banks and the vertical fin counteracts the drag when the ship is going against the wind and retards the ship as it flies with the wind. An adjustable counterbalance, also controlled by the ground operator, helps balance the varying passenger load. By adjusting the speed of the motor in the plane or the counterbalance, the ship can be made to fly at a height of from one to twenty-five feet and takes off when it has reached a speed of about twenty miles per hour. By using controls in the cabin, the passenger can zoom and dip the ship in a businesslike manner. When the motor is throttled or cut off the plane glides to a landing. When in flight, the beam and most of the stand are hidden from the view of the flyer.
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