The first half of the aviation season of 1909 brought forth many improvements which seemed to augur well for the public demonstrations to follow. Hubert Latham, with the swallowlike _Antoinette_ monoplane, designed by Levavasseur, the inventor of the _Antoinette_ motor, began soaring grandly in the sky and into fame. Paul Tissandier, on May 20th at Pau, established a new French record by flying 1 hour and 2 minutes. The Voisin brothers were perfecting in detail their boxlike aëroplanes, noted for inherent stability, and destined to achieve further renown during the summer, under the dexterous hand of intrepid young Paulhan. This new and daring young aviator, after a few practice flights, began making world records. On July 15th, he flew 1 hour, 7 minutes and 19 seconds. On July 18th he made a new world’s record for altitude, driving his Voisin aloft 150 meters at Douai. Impatient Roger Sommer, rejecting his own make of biplane, purchased a machine from Farman, and after a little practice, broke the world’s record for distance on August 7th, by flying at Chalons, 2 hours, 27 minutes, 15 seconds. Many others were advancing in skill, and would erelong achieve excellent results. Most strenuous of all, perhaps, were Curtiss and Blériot, the champions of high speed, respectively in the biplane and monoplane, and Farman, the winner of large prizes. In the latter part of April, Henri Farman tested a new biplane of his own design and manufacture, which proved very satisfactory. It resembled his former craft, but was provided with small balancing planes hinged to the rear margins of the wings near their tips. This machine, furthermore, was provided with both landing skids and wheels, the latter yielding to any unusual stress by means of elastic connections, so that the skids took up the shock. With this improved biplane, Farman beat his former records by flying continuously 1 hour, 23 minutes, at Chalons, on July 19th. Four days later he made a new cross-country record by flying from the Chalons parade ground to Suppe, about forty miles, in 1 hour and 5 minutes. These flights were gently suggestive of what might be expected at Rheims the following month.