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Aviation History
1910
1910 - 0138.PDF
yUGHf) FEBRUARY 26, 1910. THE AEROPLANE VERSUS THE DIRIGIBLE. By J. LAURENCE PRITCHARD, B.A. SOME weeks ago there appeared, in the correspondence columns of a- daily newspaper, a letter in which the writer stated that he thought the aeroplane a mere toy, and, furthermore, that Great Britain ought to pay all her attention to the dirigible balloon. That letter made me think, and since then I have spoken with many people on the subject, and the majority of them agree with that correspondent. It seems to me, therefore, there is a widespread disbelief in the powers of the aeroplane and an analogous faith in the powers of the dirigible balloon. That such beliefs should exist, among Englishmen (for they certainly do not hold on the Con tinent to any extent), is cause enough for this article. A detailed comparison between an aeroplane and a dirigible has not before appeared in print to my know ledge, and such a comparison will, I think, prove instructive, not to say controversial. Still, I am a firm believer in the heavier-than-air machine and its future possibilities, and I am therefore prepared to brave any storm that may arise. The Zeppelin dirigible is by f;ir the best known and most popular of all dirigible balloons. The Wright aeroplane holds a corresponding position in the heavier- than-air world. I have taken these two machines, there fore, as machines typical of their class, to pit against one another. That there are better machines for comparison than the Wright and the Zeppelin I am prepared to admit, but if I had chosen them I should have been accused of favouritism towards the aeroplane, an accusation I wish to avoid. In 1852 Giffard constructed the first balloon that had an independent motion of its own. That was over fifty years ago, and the utmost speed that that dirigible attained was six miles per hour. Its engine was one of 3-h.p. The latest and most cumbersome type of Zeppelin has three motors of 345 total h.p., working six propellers. It has attained a speed of 34 miles an hour. It is stated that it can carry 20 passengers in addition to its crew of 7 or 8. If we say 30 men in all we shall be erring more on the side of exaggeration than otherwise. Now, consider a Wright aeroplane on a comparable basis with this. The best ground of comparison that naturally presents itself is the propelling power of the two machines—the engines. At present the Wright machine has an engine of 30-h.p., and the total weight of the machine with pilot and passenger is about 1,150 lbs. That is to say, the Wright engine lifts over 38 lbs. per h.p. Say it lifts only 35 lbs. per h.p. With engines of 450-h.p., a Wright machine would lift 15,750 lbs. Thirty-five passengers at 150 lbs. each would weigh 5,250 lbs., leaving a margin of well over 10,000 lbs. for the weight of the actual machine, a weight which would be more than ample. Moreover such a machine would greatly exceed the speed of 34 to 40 miles an hour that a Zeppelin with such engines would attain. Wright, with his present 30-h.p. engine, flies at 40 miles an hour. With engines of 450-h.p. Medals for Dirigible Pilots. . AT its last meeting the Airship Committee of the Ae.C.F. awarded several medals offered by the Club in connection with dirigibles. Medals for duration were it will be no exaggeration to say that the speed of the machine would be well over 100 miles an hour. It is to be noted, too, that at this speed the aero plane would have a greater lilting power than I have given, a lifting power calculated on a speed of 40 miles an hour. Also the Wright machine compared with a Zeppelin of similar h.p., would not only fly faster and carry more weight, but would not be such an unwieldy object. The total supporting surface of such an aeroplane would be about 7,800 sq. ft., and the length of the main planes would be only 150 ft. The length of the comparable Zeppelin would be more than three times that amount. Again, the surface of the Zeppelin militates against flying while that of the aeroplane is necessary for flight. Now consider the cost of upkeep of the two machines. First of all, a Zeppelin depends for its lifting power upon the hydrogen that it contains. This hydrogen is constantly leaking, and the cost of its replacement works out, at a very conservative estimate, to ^2,500 a year. This is apart from the cost of running the enormous engines, cost of repairs, insurance, &c. The cost of running the Wright engines would, of course, be the same as in the rival machine. Repairs and so on would actually be less in the Wright, but say that they are the same. We still have the cost of inflating and keeping inflated the Zeppelin vessel, which cost is against the value of the machine. I am of the belief, too, that the aeroplane will be more useful in every way than the dirigible in warfare. A Wright machine of the size that I have suggested, would for one thing be able to. travel faster than its rival. At •a speed of 100 miles an hour it would possess greater stability, and with only three or four men on board it could carry a very large supply of petrol, giving it a greater sphere of action. It could go up in any wind that wasn't actually a gale, which can hardly be said of its rival. At the great speed at which it would travel it would be very difficult to hit, and it could go up to higher regions than the dirigible balloon, which would make it still more safe against the enemy's guns. That the future of travelling in the air lies with the heavier-than-air machines as against the lighter-than-air vessels has been the belief of all the great theorists of the past and is now the accomplished fact of the practical man in the present. As Sir Hiram Maxim has pointed out, "All Nature's flying machines are heavier than air, and depend altogether upon the development of dynamic energy." The dirigible cannot show the advance that the aeroplane has shown, and unless the materials of which it is constructed are radically altered and strengthened in every way, there is no doubt that it will never exceed a speed of 50 miles an hour. Undoubtedly the dirigible has come to stop—where it is! Note.—The above is only a short sketch of the various points of comparison between the aeroplane and the dirigible balloon, and any correspondence on the subject would be welcomed and answered, if necessary, in a future article.) awarded to the commander of the ill-fated " Republique," and M. Juchmes; the medal for longest distance to M. Kapferer; medal for altitude to M. Capazza; and the medal for the best sporting results to Count de la Vaulx. 9 ® ® © 134
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