Page:O que eu vi, o que nós veremos (1918).pdf/54

 its commands, for which I always used the first quality steel cables used by clockmakers in church clocks.

I fought, at first, with the greatest difficulties to obtain the complete obedience of the airplane; in my first airplane I put the rudder in front, because it was a general belief, at that time, that it was necessary to do so. The reason given was that, placing it behind, it would be necessary to force down the stern of the aircraft, so that it could rise; there was some truth in this, but the steering difficulties were so great that we had to abandon this arrangement of the rudder. It was like trying to shoot an arrow with its tail forward.

In my first flight, after 60 meters, I lost direction and fell.

This first flight, of 60 meters, was doubted by some, who wanted to consider it just a jump. But I, at heart, was convinced that I had flown and, if I didn't stay longer in the air, it wasn't my machine's fault, but mine alone, that I had lost direction.