The Advisory Committee for Aeronautics: A Twenty‐First Anniversary Review of the Important Pioneer Work Done by the Aeronautical Research Committee's Predecessor

THE Advisory Committee for Aeronautics was appointed on April 30, 1909. The twenty‐one years since that date contain nearly the whole history of flight by men. To quote from Sir Walter Raleigh, “At the beginning of the year 1909 the mystery and craft of flying was still known only to the few. In the two years which followed, it was divulged to the many, and became a public spectacle.” In the previous year, in France, Henri Farman, Delagrange, and Blériot had flown their various machines. For some years previously, the Wrights had been at work in America, and in 1903 had flown in a power‐driven machine. In August, 1908, Wilbur Wright had shown, in France, what might be achieved by the application of scientific investigation and research to the art of flying, and had caused Delagrange, who witnessed his manoeuvres in the air at the Hunandières race‐course, to exclaim, “Eh bien. Nous n'existons pas, nous sommes battus.”