In 1909, Glenn H. Curtiss, in a plane of his own design, again won the _Scientific American_ award, by flying 24.7 miles over a closed course. The plane he flew was built on order for the New York Aëronautical Society. This was the first airplane order ever received by an American aircraft manufacturer. On July 25, 1909, a Frenchman, Louis Bleriot, flew his monoplane twenty-five miles to cross the English Channel. Immediately there was furor in Europe and golden prizes were posted for new airplane developments and designs. The first big air race, the James Gordon Bennett Cup race, was held at Rheims, France, in 1909. Glenn Curtiss flew his machine against the pick of foreign pilots including Bleriot, whom he beat by six seconds to win the Cup. His speed was forty-six miles an hour. [Illustration] [Illustration: CURTISS CONTROL SYSTEM CLIMB BANK TURN ELEVATOR RUDDER ELEVATOR AND RUDDER CONTROLS AILERON AILERON CONTROL YOKE] Glenn Curtiss had the benefit of the aëronautical research of the Wright Brothers to aid him in designing his first airplanes, but he could not use the wing warping method of control invented by them. This was thoroughly protected by patents. As a result, Curtiss was forced to work out a new system of lateral controls. He developed the aileron method of control for use in turns or circular flight. He did this by mounting small winglike planes on the rear struts of the plane, between the upper and lower wings. These ailerons were hinged to swing up or down and were attached by cables to a yoke which encircled the pilot’s shoulders. The banking of the plane was produced by the movement of the flier as he leaned against the yoke, pushing it in the direction of the desired bank. Vertical motion was achieved by a fore and aft pressure on the control column by the flier. The wheel on the control column was attached to the vertical rudder by cables. Right or left steering was produced by turning the wheel in the desired direction. To make a climbing turn to the right, the flier would lean against the yoke, pushing to the right. At the same time he would turn his wheel gently to the right and pull the control slightly toward himself. Curtiss’ method of control led the way to the modern type of wing aileron and the general system of control was basically the same as that in use today. POWER FOR THE AIRPLANE Going back to the four forces that govern the flight of a plane, we find _thrust_ pulling the plane forward. _Thrust_ is the force that keeps the plane in the air; without it the airplane could not leave the ground for sustained flight. _Thrust_ is created by the propeller. The propeller blades function in the same manner as the wings. Just as the wing of a plane bites into the air to cause _lift_, the propeller blades, patterned after wing camber, bite into the air to create _thrust_. Their action on the air is similar to a screw biting its way into wood.