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Aviation History
1910
1910 - 0034.PDF
I/JJGHT] THE FATAL ACCIDENT TO M. LEON JAMUARY S, VfOm. DELAGRANGE. YET another name has been added to the list of martyrs who have sacrificed their lives to the new art of flying, and this time it is one of the "kings of the air " who has been suddenly called to his rest. M.Leon Delagrange, who met with a fatal accident at the Croix d'Hins aerodrome on Tuesday last, was one to whom the flying movement owed a tremendous amount, for he was one of the first to own a Voisin machine as far back as February, 1907, but it was not until the end of that year that M. Dela^range was trying the machine himself. Born in 1870, at Orleans, M. Delagrange was a man possessed of much artistic talent, which found expression in his sculpture, and during the fourteen years he exhibited at the Salon of the Societe des Artistes Francois, his work won for him several medals. He had an inclination for mechanics, and it was perhaps hardly to be wondered at that the experiments of his former companions at the art school—M. Gabriel Voisin and Mr. Henry Fa rman—should have aroused his keen interest. In 1906 he designed and ordered a machine from MM. Voisin Freres, which was piloted in its initial trials by one or other of the Voisin brothers. From the time he won the Aero Club of France 200- metre prize on March 28th, T9o8, he went forward rapidly, and held the world's distance records from April 10th to June 22nd, 1908, during which time they advanced from 2^5 kiloms. to 17 kiloms. On September 6th, 1908, he was again in front, with a record of 24^7 kiloms., flown in 29 mins. 53 sees. During this time his friendly rival was Mr. Henry Farman, using a similar Voisin machine, and it was the latter who was M. Dela- grange's companion in a passenger flight at the end of March, 1908. In the early part of last year M. Delagrange had some lessons on the Wright machine under Comte Lambert, but he remained true to his old love, the Voisin machine, until September last, when the Bleriot monoplane claimed his attention. It was on one of these machines that he appeared at Doncaster, and only as late as December 30th he made a splendid flight on his Bleriot, with which he had been experimenting at Juvisy for some time. He then flew for 2 hrs. 32 mins., a record for mono planes, and in that time he completed 200 kiloms. When it is remembered that the present world's record, standing to the credit of Henry Farman, is only 232-212 kiloms. in 4h. 17m. 53s., it will be seen that it was a splendid performance, easily beating the world's speed records. Two days later he went down to the new aerodrome at Croix d'Hins, near Bordeaux, and on the 3rd inst. made a flight of 15 kiloms. in 8 mins., but found it very difficult to continue owing to the thick fog. Tne following day he started at half past two, and had made three circuits of the ground when, while executing a turning movement, his left wing suddenly collapsed and the machine fell from a height of about 40 ft. on to one of the hangars. M. Delagrange was thrown out of the machine and killed almost instantly. His death will be a great loss to the movement, for he had had a great experience and with different types of machines. The actual cause of the accident is not clear, but as M. Bleriot points out, it may have been caused by the modifications made by M. Delagrange in his desire for improvement. Originally, the monoplane, which was of the cross-Channel type, was built for an 18-h.p. Anzani, but M. Delagrange had replaced this with a 40-h.p. engine, apparently without realising that in doubling the speed of his machine the resistance would be four times as great, and so would strain every part of the frame and stays to the utmost. In France, as in Britain, the calamity has called forth widespread sympathy. ® ® ® CORRESPONDENCE:. *»* The name and address of the writer not necessarily for publication^ MUsT in all cases accompany letters intended for iisertion, or containing queries. . NOTICE.—Correspondents asking questions relating to articles which they have read in FLIGHT, would much facilitate our work of reference by kindly indicating the volume and page in their letters. PROPELLERS AND THEIR POSITION. [274] In writing to you a day or two ago, I intended to ask you the following questions, and should be very glad if you would answer them for me now : — 1. I see that in all the monoplanes the axis of the propeller is about on a level with the edge of the plane, and in biplanes about half-way between the two. What are the principles governing this position, and what would be the result of placing the propeller either higher or lower ? 2. What factors should be considered in fitting two or three blades (or even four) to a propeller ? Has a two-bladed propeller any marked advantages or disadvantages as against a four-bladed propeller ? Your advice will be much appreciated. South Croydon. C. A. RANGER. [When it is desired to move any ohject by pushing it or pulling hi it is always advantageous to try and apply the force in a line with the centre of gravity, which, in general, may be taken as the centre •of bulk for objects of more or less symmetrical shape. A heavy •case lying on the ground, for instance, would not be so readily moved by pushing against the top edge as lower down the side. The reason for this is that the resistance or inertia to movement possess-d by the mass of the object itself is virtually concentrated at the centre of gravity, so that when a force is applied to any other point a tilting effect is set up that is distinctly disadvantageous to straigtforward propulsion. In a flying machine the same general reasoning applies. The axis of the propeller is commonly directed through the centre of gravity, in order that its propulsive effect may not disturb the equilibrium of the machine. The question raised by our correspondent as to the number ot blades that should be used in a propeller is not easily answered in brief. Every blade in the propeller adds so much the more skin friction to the resistance that has to be overcome in rotating the propeller through the air. Other things being equal, therefore, the fewer the blades the better. On the other hand, the object of the propeller is to accelerate a column of air having a diameter equal to that of the propeller itself, and it is essential that at least so many blades should be used as will enable the full screw effect to be maintained. It would appear that two blades are commonly sufficient. Another fact that ought to be considered is balance. In marine practice three-bladed propellers meet with much favour on this score, but in aeroplane work they are not generally used. Con siderations of expense and difficulty of manufacture also, of course, influence design.—ED.] FLIGHT GOLF. [275] During the holidays I picked up FLIGHT of Decem ber 18th, and read that excellent article on flight golf. Now that there are a number of such excellent models made by 30
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