The aerodrome, being uninjured in the previous flight, was again placed on the “underneath” launching apparatus, and before attaching the wings a short run was made in order to see that everything was in proper working condition. As everything seemed to be all right, the wings and tail were immediately adjusted for another trial. As the bow was slightly elevated in the previous trial, it was thought best to bring the ‹CG› a little farther forward, and this was accordingly done. As the aerodrome also seemed to drop slightly in leaving the launching car in the above trial, the tension of the launching springs was slightly increased so as to increase the velocity at the moment of release. Just as the sun was setting the aerodrome was again launched, 1 minute and 30 seconds having been required to raise 120 pounds steam pressure, but the pressure was rising very rapidly at the moment of launching. There was an absolutely dead calm prevailing, the river being as smooth as glass. The launching apparatus, with the disappearing track, worked perfectly. Immediately upon being released the aerodrome went straight ahead, with its midrod horizontal, but gradually glided downward as though the wings had very little lifting power, and settled in the water about 200 feet from the house-boat. The velocity of the launching car, 1 foot before the aerodrome was released, was 22 feet a second, as shown by the carbon record sheet. In the above trials of the superposed wings, the conditions of the wind and of the aerodrome were certainly as favorable as could be expected. There was as much power being furnished by the engine as had been furnished in the previous flights with the “single-tier” wings, and the balancing of the aerodrome was exceedingly good. The superposed wings, unquestionably, had a fair trial and proved inferior to the “single-tier” ones, for they had a supporting surface of 2.75 square feet to the pound, whereas with the “single-tier” wings there was approximately 2 square feet to the pound. The decreased lifting power of the superposed wings seems to be another confirmation of the results of the Allegheny experiments with the “plane-dropper.”[40] As more time had already been given to these tests than it seemed well to [p151] spend on them at that time, owing to the pressure of the work of construction for the large machine, it was deemed best to discontinue them for the time being, and as soon as time could be found for it, to construct a set of wings with superposed surfaces, using only two surfaces and making their distance apart at least equal to or greater than their width.