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Aviation History
1909
1909 - 0081.PDF
FHBRUARY 6, 1900. that I am not a wealthy man, that I should be very foolish to give the results of my experiments in detail for the benefit of those who wish to learn cheaply and at the expense of others, but I am willing to give some of the results for the encouragement of others. I may say that I have researched in nearly every type of machine, Boxlype, single plane, mixed box and single, monoplane and Langley. I have succeeded by special arrangements in obtaining perfect side equilibrium with all types to my satisfaction, having 1,700 flights with one machine without breaking or damaging a single portion of the model; these flights were in all conditions of wind and weather. I have developed a machine which will travel in a straight line in any direction I care to start it, across the wind, diagonally with the wind, or against the wind ; all this without the use of a rudder, the result going to show perfect side-balance and perfect balance of wind pressure. If I wished my models to travel in a curve, I made use of a rudder. I have made flights with :— 1. Steel spring motor model 130 ft., weight of machine complete 2J lbs., motor I lb. in weight. 2. Steel spring motor model 282 ft., weight of machine complete 4i lbs., motor 2£ lbs. 3. Rubber motor model 200 ft., weight of machine complete 6| lbs. 4. Electric motor model f of a minute, no distance taken but time, machine complete 6^ lbs., electric motor 1 lb. 12 ozs. with gear and propeller, accumulator z\ lbs. It took me seven months to develop a motor powerful enough to do the work required, and four months to develop an accumulator. If Mr. Caton is an aeroplanist and an electrician, he will appreciate the difficulties I faced. 5. Petrol motor model, flight varying between 2 to 3 mins., which may be increased by more petrol supply. Weight of machine complete 10 lbs., petrol motor, tank, coil and accumulator 7 lbs. barely. All models were launched by throwing and all carried about the same weight per sq. ft. of canvas, roughly 3 sq. ft. to the pound weight. An accumulator is a secondary battery. I do not see that I have in any way made statements likely to mislead, and I do not see any reason why, if others experimenting possess the required knowledge in aeroplanes, mechanism, petrol motors, electric motors and accumulators, combined with inventive faculty and mechanical ability, they should not do as I have done. Everyone must learn by absolute experience in such experiments, as each portion, aeroplane type, materials, motor, propeller and balance dovetail one into the other, that a knowledge of a portion is useless and more often than not misleading. " There is no royal road to the Calculus," only hard work. Finally, such has been my success that I have had my invention taken up from toys upward to man-carriers with one reservation, that I may at all times have built one large machine for my personal use, and as the person who has taken it up is deep in the aeroplane business I think this may be taken as conclusive that I have gone very near success. This is for one type of machine, the others I still hold. Should a competition take place for models I may be able to recoup some of my expenditure, and "bar accidents" prove my experiments to be correct. Thanking you for the valuable space you have accorded me in your paper. I am, yours very truly, Stoke Newington, Feb. 1st. MONTFORD KAY. .:..• ::.-. To the Editor of FLIGHT. T'_"-.--.. '-"-...:.•:':' SIR,—I have a small aeroplane of the Wright type, 3 ft. across the planes, and shall esteem it a favour if you or any reader of FLIGHT will inform me if it is possible to drive such a model by its own power, and if so, what form of power would be most suitable ? If my model is too small to carry the necessary propelling apparatus to produce flight I shall be glad to know what is the smallest size of model which is capable of doing this. Yours, &c, Leeds, Jan. 31st. "Bl-PLANE." PROGRESS IN FLIGHT. To the Editor of FLIGHT. SIR,—In reply to Mr. Moore-Brabazon's letter, I am now in a position to answer the query, " What of Voisin ? " The Voisin propellers have arrived ! Ten weeks after they accepted the order ! As I have before stated, they were promised in eight days. Mr. Moore-Brabazon asks, "Why, then, does he not make the propellers himself, &c." I have made a pair of propellers oi the same diameter as those ordered from Voisin. My reason for ordering the Voisin propellers was to test them against my own, as my own are on entirely new lines, and I thought it advisable to compare with another make. Voisin's propellers weigh 30 lbs., mine 24 lbs. Voisin's blades are of aluminium, mine of ^-in. steel plate. Voisin's are connected by what appears to be a light steel casting, mine by a forging, silver soldered and riveted. The cost of the Voisin propellers is double that of my own. This in spite of the fact that I had to have special moulds made. Further, may I add that since writing my last letter I have heard of the Holland propeller. This is of British make, half the price of Voisin's, and appears to be in every way a better job. Again, Voisin s were written to three times, inquiring for parti- culars of the boss of their propellers, so that my shafts could be made to fit their bosses. This trivial inquiry they did not reply to. At the present moment I am not impressed with their business methods or their superior (?) workmanship. I am, Sir, yours faithfully, Brook Street, W., Feb. 1st. JACK HUMPHRY. AN AERONAUTICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY. To the Editor of FLIGHT. SIR,—I am forwarding for FLIGHT a list of some of the books I recently had the pleasure of presenting to the Science Library of the Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington. May FLIGHT have a long and prosperous time. Sincerely yours, Jan. 31st. PATRICK V. ALEXANDER. [Below we give this valuable list of books, which are available for reference to all interested in aeronautics.—ED.] List of books presented by Mr. Patrick Y. Alexander to the Science Library, Victoria and Albert Museum, S.W. 59 vols., Newspaper Cuttings, Vols. I to 58, and Vol. IOa (1892- I9O5)- 6 vols., Newspaper Cuttings, 1907. : 15 vols., L'Aerophile, 1893-1907. 39 vols., L'Aerophile, 1868-1906. 2 vols., Bollettino della Societa Aeroiiautica Italiana, 1905-1906. II vols., Illustrirte Mittheilungen des Oberrheinischen, 1897- 1907. 3 vols., Zeitschrift fur Luftschiffahrt undPhysik der Atmosphare, 1894-1896. II vols., Aeronautical Journal, 1897-1907. 7 vols., Zeitschrift des Deutschcn Vertins zur Forderung der Luftschiffahrt, 1885-1891. United States Patents on Aeronautics, 1844-1893. German Patents, 187 8-1899. 3 vols., 1-3, Wissenschaftliche Luftfahrten, 1899 (1) ; 1900 (2). Braunschweid, Band 1-3. Aerial Navigation. C. B. Mansfield, M.A. Macmillan and Co., 1877. Flights in the Air. London : W. S. Betham, 1802. Airopaidia. By T. Baldwin. Chester, 1870. Andree Au Pole Nord en Ballon. Par H. Lachambre et A. Machuron. Lamm. Paris. Aeronautics. Published by " American Engineer and Railway Journal," October, 1893. Aeronautica. By Monck Mason. London, 1838. 2 vols., The Aeronautical Annual, 1896-7. J. Means. Boston, Mass. : W. B. Clarke and Co. London : W. Wesley and Son. Astro Castro. By Hatton Tumor. London : Chapman and Hall, 1865. A System of Aeronautics. By J. Wise. Philadelphia : J. A. Speed, 1850. Portfolio, Aerial Navigation. (Sketches and typed text.) 2 vols., Histoire des Ballons (Vols. I and 2). By Gaston Tissandier. Launette and Co., Paris. 2 vols., My Life and Balloon Experiences. By H. Coxwell. Allen and Co. London, 1887 and 1889. Fourth Aerial Voyage. By Blanchard. Baker and Galiabin, 1784. Ballooning. By G. M. May. Whittaker. London, 1885. Cloudland. By Rev. W. Clement Lay. Stanford. London, 1894. History and Practice of Aerostation. By T. Cavallo. London : C. Dilly, 1784. The Cosmopolitan, for March, 1904. The Conauest of the Air. By J. Alexander. Partridge and Co., 1902. Experiments in Aerodynamics. By S. P. Langley. Washington, U.S.A. : Smithsonian Institution, 1902.
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