ld be a great deal easier
than the traction on the ground, provided that the second part of the
problem, the sustaining of the machine in the air, would be realised.

The next day, Wednesday the 13th, no further trials were made on account
of the rain and wind.

On Thursday the 14th the Chairman requested that General Grillon, who
had just been appointed a member of the Committee, accompany him so as
to have a second witness.

The weather was fine, but a fairly strong, gusty wind was blowing from
the south. M. Ader explained to the two members of the Committee the
danger of these gusts, since at two points of the circumference the wind
would strike him sideways. The wind was blowing in the direction A B,
the apparatus starting from C, and running in the direction shown by the
arrow. The first dangerous spot would be at B. The apparatus had been
kept in readiness in the event of the wind dying down. Toward sunset the
wind seemed to die down, as it had done on the evening of the 12th. M.
Ader hesitated, which, unfortunately, further events only justified, but
decided to make a new trial.

At the start, which took place at 5.15 p.m., the apparatus, having
the wind in the rear, seemed to run at a fairly regular speed; it was,
nevertheless, easy to note from the marks of the wheels on the ground
that the rear part of the apparatus had been lifted and that the rear
wheel, being the rudder, had not been in constant contact with the
ground. When the machine came to the neighbourhood of B, the two members
of the Committee saw the machine swerve suddenly out of the track in a
semicircle, lean over to the right and finally stop. They immediately
proceeded to the point where the accident had taken place and
endeavoured to find an explanation for the same. The Chairman finally
decided as follows:

M. Ader was the victim of a gust of wind which he had feared as he
explained before starting out; feeling himself thrown out of his course,
he tried to use the rudder energetically, but at that time the rear
wheel was not in contact with the ground, and therefore did not
perform its function; the canvas rudder, which had as its purpose the
manoeuvring of the machine in the air, did not have sufficient action
on the ground. It would have been possible without any doubt to react
by using the propellers at unequal speed, but M. Ader, being still
inexperienced, had not thought of this. Furthermore, he was thrown
out of his course so quic