A TRIAL FLIGHT
Tom Swift and Ned Newton watched the odd man curiously. Afterward Ned
said he thought Mr. Damon had gone to the door to ascertain if his wife
might be eavesdropping, since she did not altogether approve of many of
the things he did in connection with the young inventor.
“I thought maybe he was going to get his checkbook,” Tom said later. He
was always a very hopeful individual.
But when Mr. Damon returned to his seat after his tiptoeing visit to the
closed door he remarked in a low voice:
“You can’t be too careful.”
“About what?” asked Tom, impressed by his friend’s manner.
“About letting your plans become known before you are ready to spring
this new airline express on the public,” was the answer.
“Why, you don’t suspect any one in your own house, do you?” asked Ned.
“Not my wife, of course,” Mr. Damon answered. “But there have been
several queer characters around here of late. Several men have called,
trying to get me to hire them as a valet. Bless my necktie, as if I
needed a valet! Of course I sent them away, but yesterday the maid let
another one in while I was busy in my study, and the fellow had the
impudence to walk right up to my door. My wife caught him standing there
listening after the maid had gone away, and Mrs. Damon sent the fellow
flying, I’ll tell you.
“I suspect, Tom, that he had something to do with the gang that is
trying to get your new apparatus away from you. He must know that I am
your friend and often go on trips with you, and possibly he thought he
might get some information here, in a sneaking way. That’s why I wanted
to make sure no one was out in the hall listening. It’s all right. I
looked out through the crack and no one is there. Now go on with your
explanation.”
Tom did, elaborating on his plans for a big aeroplane in two sections,
the part where the passengers were to be carried being like a big
autocar, able to move under its own power.
“It is this feature that will save a lot of time,” he explained. “After
the first aeroplane starts from Long Island the passengers will not have
to move out of their seats until they reach San Francisco. Or, if we
start at night, in case it is found desirable to have overnight trips, a
man can go to sleep in New York and awaken at the Golden Gate, that is,
if he wants to sleep that long.”
“It’s a big undertaking!” said the odd man.
“But Tom can carry it through if any one can,” declared Ned.
“The worst of it is that it’s going to take a mint of money,” sighed the
young inventor. “That’s why I’m calling on you and some of my other
friends to take stock, Mr. Damon. How does it strike you?”
To the credit of Mr. Damon be it said that he did not hesitate a moment.
He held out his hand to his friend and said:
“I’m with you, Tom Swift! I’ll invest all I can afford. I wish it was
more, but I’ve spent a lot on that new aeroplane of mine that I nearly
smashed. However, I have a few dollars left in the bank. Though you
needn’t say anything to my wife about this,” he went on in a low voice
as he got out his checkbook.
Tom and Ned smiled as they gave a promise of secrecy, and a little later
the young inventor left with his first contribution toward financing the
airline express—a check for five thousand dollars.
Tom Swift spent busy days during the next few weeks. Like all new
enterprises, this one was not easy to start, though many of Tom’s
friends, whom he approached with a plea that they buy stock which would
pay big dividends if the plan succeeded, at once purchased blocks.
Others required more persuasion, and not a few said they would buy stock
if they could see the machines in operation.
“That’s what we’ve got to do, Ned,” decided the young inventor, when it
was evident that the enterprise might fail through lack of capital.
“We’ve got to show these Missouri birds that we can fly this combined
auto and aeroplane. Gee, I’m sorry now Dad and I have all our ready
money tied up in those other matters.”
“But can you build a trial machine?” asked the treasurer of the Swift
concern.
“I can as soon as my patent papers come through from Washington,” Tom
said. “That’s where the hitch is now. After all the machines we have
made in our plant, it would be queer if we couldn’t build a speedy
aeroplane of extra power and also a chassis to clamp on to carry the
passengers. That’s where the patent comes in—the method of combining
the two.”
“But I understood that the patents had been allowed,” said Mr. Damon,
who was present. “That was the latest advice from your Washington
lawyer.”
“Yes, I know. But several matters have come up since then. Some one is
trying to throw a monkey wrench into the gear wheels, so to speak, and I
suspect it is the same gang that tried to put me out of the way—the
scoundrels headed by Schlump and Kenny. I think I shall have to make a
trip to Washington myself.”
“Be careful, Tom,” warned Ned Newton. “They may get you on the way
there.”
“I guess I can look out for myself,” was the answer.
But when Mary Nestor heard what Tom proposed to do, she added her
warning to Ned’s. However, Tom was firm and then Mary delivered her
ultimatum.
“If you go to Washington, I’m going, too,” she declared.
“Good!” cried Tom. “I’ve been wanting a little excursion with you, Mary,
and we’ll make a party of it and take Ned and Helen along. That will be
fun!”
“That’s the idea!” Ned declared. “It will be a bold gang that dares to
start anything with the two girls along.”
It may be mentioned here that Tom’s patents were really of a three-fold
nature. One consisted of the peculiar construction of the passenger car
to be used in the ocean-to-ocean flight, the second was a patent on the
method of clamping this car to the aeroplane, and the third covered the
method of manufacturing the duralumin alloy of which the car and a part
of the aeroplane were to be constructed. Ordinary duralumin is composed
of ninety-four per cent. aluminum and the rest copper and magnesium; but
Tom had a secret formula of his own, not only for mixing these
ingredients, but also in the melting and forging processes. His
duralumin he considered stronger than any ever used in an aeroplane and
it was at least three per cent. lighter in weight than any which had
ever been offered to him.
There is nothing like going yourself when you want a thing done, as Tom
found, and he had not been many days in Washington, whither his three
friends accompanied him, before he had matters connected with his
patents straightened out and he was assured by a high government
authority that his claim was original, valid, and would eventually be
allowed, thus giving him the sole right to make airline express machines
for a limited period.
Perhaps this action of the patent authorities was hastened when an old
army officer, a friend of Tom’s father, heard about the matter and
declared such a machine would be of great value to the United States in
case of another war.
This officer impressed his views on certain friends of his in the patent
office, and the result was that the usual leaden wheels in that
institution began to move more rapidly.
“If you can wait long enough,” said General Malcolm, who had been of
such service to Tom, “I believe I can even get you a government
subsidy.”
“How long would it take to get the government to invest money in this
new undertaking of mine?” Tom wanted to know.
“Oh, probably two or three years. A bill would have to be introduced in
Congress—it might take four years.”
“I expect to make the first flight inside of a month,” Tom laughed.
Tom and his friends returned to Shopton, and then followed many
strenuous days and nights of work for the young inventor. Those who had
faith in Tom and those who knew and understood Ned Newton’s unusual
knowledge and judgment in financial matters so talked to their friends
that eventually outsiders put one hundred thousand dollars into the
scheme and this, together with the money Mr. Damon and other
acquaintances subscribed and with what Tom and his father had, gave them
enough cash to build three planes and two cars.
Essentially there was nothing new or startling in the construction of
either of these machines. My readers are all familiar with the general
outline of an aeroplane. Beneath the fuselage which held the engine and
a cockpit for the pilot and his helper was built a heavy frame to which
could be clamped the passenger car.
This car was like a Pullman parlor car combined with a sleeper. It had
some folding berths and also some easy chairs. There was a small dining
room and a buffet kitchen, and many conveniences were installed. Tom
limited the number of passengers to be carried on any one trip to ten,
saying he could enlarge the cars if he found the machine was going to be
a success.
In due time the two cars and the three planes received their last coats
of varnish, the powerful engines were installed after a rigid block
test, and one day Tom announced to Ned that all was in readiness for a
trial flight.
“Want to come along?” asked the young inventor.
“Sure!” was the quick answer. “Anybody else going?”
“Yes. Mr. Damon is game and Father insists on accompanying us. I think
I’ll take Koku along—he might come in handy in case anything should
happen.”
It was decided to make the start from the big field outside of the Swift
plant, and one morning one of the planes and its accompanying passenger
car was rolled out on the level stretch. To make the test under the same
conditions that would prevail when the airline express was in service,
Tom and his friends entered the passenger car at one end of the field.
“We will imagine,” explained Tom, “that we have just landed here from
the plane that brought us from Long Island to Chicago on the first lap
of the transcontinental flight. Now we will run over and attach
ourselves to the other plane.”
As has been said, the passenger car could move under its own power, as
can an automobile. Tom started the motor and skillfully guided the car
under the waiting aeroplane. In a moment workmen had fastened the
clamps.
“Let her go!” Tom called to the pilot in the aeroplane, and the big
propellers began to revolve with a thundering sound. The engine seemed
working perfectly and a moment later the whole machine—the airline
express—began to roll forward across the field. There was a moment of
doubt as to whether or not the aeroplane would raise itself and the
heavy weight it had to carry, but Tom had made his calculations well,
and, to his delight and that of his friends, the machine began to soar
upward.
“Hurray!” cried Ned. “She’s doing it!”
“Yes, we’re off on the first real flight, anyhow,” agreed Tom.
“It works better than I expected,” Mr. Swift said. All along he had been
a bit skeptical about this new scheme.
A little later they were sailing over Lake Carlopa and Mr. Damon,
looking down from one of the observations of the car, said:
“Aren’t we flying a bit low, Tom?”
“Yes, I think we are,” agreed the young inventor. “Put her up a bit!” he
signaled to the pilot through the speaking tube.
Back came the answer:
“I can’t! Something has gone wrong! I’m losing power! I’m afraid we’re
in for a fall!”