This second machine, however, was not a success, and it was not
until 1897 that the second 'Avion,' which was the third
power-driven aeroplane of Ader's construction, was ready for
trial. This was fitted with two steam motors of twenty
horse-power each, driving two four-bladed propellers; the wings
warped automatically: that is to say, if it were necessary to
raise the trailing edge of one wing on the turn, the trailing
edge of the opposite wing was also lowered by the same movement;
an under-carriage was also fitted, the machine running on three
small wheels, and levers controlled by the feet of the aviator
actuated the movement of the tail planes.

On October the 12th, 1897, the first trials of this 'Avion' were
made in the presence of General Mensier, who admitted that the
machine made several hops above the ground, but did not consider
the performance as one of actual flight. The result was so
encouraging, in spite of the partial failure, that, two days
later, General Mensier, accompanied by General Grillon, a
certain Lieutenant Binet, and two civilians named respectively
Sarrau and Leaute, attended for the purpose of giving the
machine an official trial, over which the great controversy
regarding Ader's success or otherwise may be said to have
arisen.

We will take first Ader's own statement as set out in a very
competent account of his work published in Paris in 1910. Here
are Ader's own words: 'After some turns of the propellers, and
after travelling a few metres, we started off at a lively pace;
the pressure-gauge registered about seven atmospheres; almost