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Aviation History
1909
1909 - 0090.PDF
FEBRUARY 13, 1909. arrival in France. Nothing is more characteristic of this wonderful pioneer than his unostentatious although perfectly open following of the simple life. He insists in living in his shed, and it is even a matter of doubt as to whether he prefers the relative luxury of his establish- ment at Pau to his absolutely unadorned abode at Le Mans. Be that as it may, the Pau Committee, who have constituted themselves, so to speak, his guardian body, have insisted on " doing " him as well as circumstances permit, and they have even succeeded in installing in office a French cook, taking care, however, to choose for this purpose an old soldier who has seen active service. Deprived of his oil stove, and with a stranger wielding his fry-pan, it is small wonder that Wright should at first not have welcomed over effusively the intrusion, but it is now said that the arts of the chef have since effected quite an amiable change in feeling. A British Engine for Army Aeroplane. FROM Mr. Fredk. R. Simms we learn that his firm have under construction a six-cylinder V type engine of 50 h.p. which Mr. S. F. Cody intends to fit to his new aeroplane. It is of special design, and it is estimated that it will weigh about 4^ lbs. per h.p. The cylinders, which have a bore and stroke of no mm., are inclined at an angle of 120 degrees. • :' Fournier Aeroplane. ~ .. HENRY FOURNIER, as we have already announced, is having an aeroplane built by Voisin, on the general lines of the Farman and Delagrange machines. It is being equipped, however, with an Itala engine, and the propeller is so arranged that its speed will be between 1,100 and 1,200 revs, per minute. For this purpose, the propeller is mounted on a secondary shaft, which is geared down from the engine. A minimum of 50-b.h.p. is expected from the motor, which weighs 200 kilogs. Fournier himself is by way of being a heavy-weight, so the machine, when finished, will have to give a good account of its lifting capacity. Ouviere Helicopter. YET another helicopter do we announce this week. It is being built by M. Ouviere, of Marseilles, and is to be of the twin-screw type. These screws will be of different diameters, and will run at different speeds although driven by the same 80-h.p. engine. The total weight of the machine will be 385 kilogs., and it is expected to be capable of lifting a load of 450 kilogs. Rumours of a German Helicopter, WRITING, in his usual lucid manner, of the doings of the European Powers—France, Germany and Italy— and contrasting their aeronautic activities with the apparent indifference displayed by our own Government at home, Mr. H. Massac Buist makes the following statement in the Morning Post of last Tuesday :— " It must not be imagined that because no aeroplane is known to be building for the German Government that the heavier-than-air tppe of machine is being utterly neglected. To the contrary, I have confidential information concerning what is undoubtedly the most notable design that has ever been brought forward for a screw-lifted machine. The system has given such extraordinary results in models that the Government has been influenced to supply the funds to build a full-scale machine. For patent and other reasons the time is not ripe for describing the details of construction, but it may be hinted that the system enables the whole machine to consist of a giant gyroscope such as would be utterly unaffected by the most violent wind storms, while, in the event of the propelling and lifting power suddenly giving out by accident or otherwise, despite there being no aeroplane surfaces, the machine would not drop to earth, but would act automatically as a mechanical parachute. Not the least ingenious feature, too, is that the pitch of the lifting screws is infinitely and independently variable from zero to maximum, so that apart from engine regulation the degree of ' bite ' or purchase power on the air can be altered instantly and at will." Paris and Seine Prizes. OUR readers will remember that the Paris Municipal Council and the Seine General Council placed sums of 15,000 and 5,000 francs respectively at the disposal of the Ligue Nationale Aerienne for the purpose of founding prizes in connection with an aviation trial to take place this year in the Department of the Seine. The primary conditions of the two prizes were similar, and the technical committee of the L.N. have, therefore, divided the total sum into four prizes, to be awarded in connection with the same event. The event itself will consist of making a flight of 10 kiloms. over a specified course, which will be selected either at Issy or Vincennes. A condition of winning the prize is that the course shall be accomplished in less than 15 mins., and, of course, without touching the ground. Competitors will start in turn and will be allowed half an hour for their attempt. They must cross the starting line flying and may make attempts with as many machines as they please, but may not use the same one twice, nor can they carry off more than one prize. The prizes are as follows :—1st, 10,000 frs. ; 2nd, 5,000 frs.; 3rd, 3,500 frs.; 4th, 1,500 frs. Santos Dumont Prize. A THE Commission Sportive of the Aero Club of France has officially recorded the award of the Santos Dumont 4,000 francs prize to M. V. Beauclair. Triaca Prize. .-.-. THE Commission Sportive of the Aero Club of France has decided to award the Triaca 500 francs prize to Wilbur Wright. Vichy Prize. . ^ THE Aero Club de Vichy have founded a prize of 10,000 francs for flying competitions to be held in their district. .... ... - .-.--., • Aviation at Mons. THE Belgian Aero Club ave founded an aviation section at Mons under the auspices of the Hainault Automobile Club. '.-. •,..•-....-• , Austrian Flight Congress. THE first Congress of the Austrian Society for aerial navigation was opened at Luiz by the Archduke Joseph Ferdinand on Monday of this week. Anjou Cup. THE Angers municipality has voted the transference of the 25,000 francs, originally destined for the Auto- mobile Grand Prix, to the scheme for holding a flying meeting in Anjou. Henry Farman—Constructor. NOT satisfied with his role of experimenter, Henry Farman has now definitely entered upon the work of design and construction. He has two machines already in hand, one designed on similar lines to the Voisin biplanes, and the other of quite a different type. Maurice Farman Flies. AT almost his first attempt, Maurice Farman succeeded this week in making a flight of about 300 metres ; the machine, bowerer, was slightly damaged in the descent. 92
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