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Aviation History
1909
1909 - 0112.PDF
FEBRUARY 27, 1909. which is said to largely account for the comparatively rapid progress which untaught beginners make with these machines, it is also said to materially impede the rising qualities of the machine as a whole during the operation of starting a flight. The presence of a comparatively small tail on the British Army aeroplane, therefore, gives an individuality to this machine which makes its trials all the more interesting. " Flight " Copyright Photo. THE BRITISH ARMY AEROPLANE.-View of the fore part of themachine, showing the elevator, front rudder, and machinery. The vertical tubes on the right form part of the condenser. The British Army aeroplane, in common with other biplanes, has an elevator in front and a rudder behind ; but in addition to the latter there is a rudder in front also, and the two members work in unison. At present the tail is fixed, but later, experiments may be carried out with this member mounted on hinges, so that it can be worked in unison with the front elevator. If this is done it would of course afford an opportunity for carrying out comparative tests with the elevator and tail working in the same and contrary senses. If the front edges of both tail and elevator were to be raised simultaneously, the effect anticipated would obviously be the bodily • lifting of the machine on an even keel, whereas if the (tail were dipped while the elevator is tilted, so that both sets of planes are tangent to a common circle, the effect should be a rapid and immediate rise on an inclined keel to a higher altitude. Since the last accident, the outrigger framing carrying the elevator—which gave way in midair—has been strengthened by an additional pair •of bamboo members. There are not wanting, by the score, adverse critics of our army aeroplane, but it is surely early days to make disparaging comments on machines which are designed to achieve such an unknown quantity as flight. It is also equally absurd to suppose that Colonel Capper and his men are not doing their level best to win the day as quickly as may be, and it must at least be admitted that Mr. Cody very cheerfully risks his own neck in furthering their common object. They are conducting their trials .under conditions which are certainly far from convenient; in fact, 1 hey are unfairly difficult. They are handicapped for funds, a1 d that apparently to such an extent that .they cannot even afford to build a shed on a ground •which is suitable to practise flight. The workshop .facilities at the balloon factory at South Farnborough may doubtless be a great advantage in the constructional Stages, but it would surely be an economy of time and labour to have the machine installed on the aerodrome during its trials. The nearest ground of any pretensions to decent surface and reasonable extent around the balloon factory is Laffan's Plain, and to get the aero- plane transferred there not only occupies a small squad of men and a couple of horses the better part of an hour, but is attended with such risks of damage to the machine from the innumerable bushes, trees, posts,B and fences which have to be negotiated, that it is almost a wonder that the machine ever arrives intact. Certainly it is entirely _ due to the smartness and alertness of the Royal Engineers belonging to this section that the feat is accomplished. As an in- stance of the difficulties of the task, it is interesting to recall the performance of a man who played " outside right " in charge of that wing of the aeroplane during its transit from the shed to the plain. He never left go of the bicycle wheel which is attached to the lower plane, yet he had to go through a thick furze bush, climb two fences without the use of his hands, and jump a ditch, in order to manoeuvre his part of the machine to safety. Such per- formances as this may be all very well when regarded as field drill, but from the point of view of preparing for a trail flight, it seems a little unnecessary ; moreover, the state of the wind may change materially in a very short time, and it is quite conceivable that a trial might be thereby frustrated before it could even be commenced. Laffan's Plain itself is by no means an ideal aero- drome either. It may be as good as the majority this " Flight " Copyright Photo. THE BRITISH ARMY AEROPLANE.—View of the rearpart of the machine, showing the tail and stern rudder. The two planes constituting the tail were formerly on eitherside of the elevator. At present this tail is fixed, but later experiments may be made with it moving in unison withthe elevator. country can produce, but there is very little doubt that the authorities were well advised to build a slow-speed machine for use there. The British Army aeroplane is large, and it looks perhaps somewhat unwieldy, but Thursday's trials showed that it has an undoubted capacity for getting off the ground very nicely while travelling at quite a moderate rate of speed, and that it 114
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