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Aviation History
1910
1910 - 0420.PDF
l/GeHS MONOPLANE I. MULTIPLANE. [531] In your issue of January 15th, p. 39, Vol. II, Mr. Roe states, in his article on " Monoplane v. Multiplane," that his acci dent was caused by the sudden turn, and that in a monoplane, with its larger span, the overbalancing effect would be greater. Surely the counteracting effect would also be greater, owing to the greater leverage, as the ailerons or warping would be farther away from the centre than in the triplane ? Could any of your readers tell me what is the wood used in the Finbat monoplanes ? I found it bent easily without heat. St. Peters. J. ALCOCK. OUR INSULAR POSITION. [532] It was to be expected that M. Bleriot's successful Channel flight would raise a chorus of lamentations from the Jeremiahs of the daily Press, to be repeated now it has been crossed a second time, that our insularity was gone—that England was no longer an island, that our fleet would soon be as useless as scrap-iron, and much more in the same strain. Does it not occur to these imaginative writers that exactly the same prophecies might have been made thousands of years ago when the first vessel built by man crossed the Channel ? One can imagine the press-man of that day, writing in the morning paper of the period : " Our insularity is gone ! The Channel which separates us from the Continent has been crossed successfully by a machine which the ingenuity of man has invented ! " And yet we seem to have done very well during all the centuries that have elapsed since. The whole fallacy rests on the popular misconception ot the character of our insular position. The Channel protects us from invasion, because an army cannot march across it to reach this country. It will fulfil that function to the end of time, so long as man's physical attributes remain what they are. Prophecy is a dangerous thing, particularly when dealing with a new science, but one is fairly safe in maintaining that it will be always easier to send an army of 100,000 men with artillery, horses, ammunition and transport from the Continent to England by steamer than by aeroplane or dirigible. In other words the insularity of this country was threatened far more seriously when the first boat crossed from Calais to Dover, or their ancient equivalents, than when M. Bleriot achieved his brilliant flight by aeroplane on Sunday, July 25th, 1909. Co. Cork. MILES A MODEL FARMAN BY A BOY OF 15. [533] Miss Height, of the Clarendon Newsagency, has asked me to write and send you a photo of myself and the model Farman biplane, which she has had in her window as an advertisement for your valuable paper, FLIGHT. I have never seen a full-sized aeroplane, and the whole of my model was built from the instructions given by you. Miss Height asked me to tell you that her exhibition has been the means of putting on a great many more customers for FLIGHT. I shall be pleased to help other readers of FLIGHT who are making a Farman biplane of about the same size as mine (&). I shall be fifteen in September. Grange House, 64, Clarendon Avenue, J. F. MILLER. Leamington Spa. MAY 28, 1910. AEROPLANE AS A GLIDER. [534] Let me ask you through the medium of your valuable paper this question. That if the engine of an aeroplane were to stop through lack of petrol, and the machine itself were undamaged, how would it descend ? Sparkbrook. H. MOLES. [An aeroplane is potentially a glider, and should behave as such if the engine is stopped in mid-air. There is no difference in principle between gliding and flying, except that the flight path of a glide slopes towards the earth, whereas the flight path of a flight may be in any direction, according to the power available from the engine. The same skill will be demanded of the pilot during gliding flight as during mechanically-propelled flight, for the machine will not be more stable under one condition than under the other. Many well- known pilots have stopped their engines in mid-air, and have glided to earth. If the engine stops unexpectedly it may possibly affect the equilibrium of the machine, and disconcert the pilot, but the effect produced under such circumstances is largely determined by the exact position of the centre of gravity in respect to the centre of resistance, and, therefore, depends upon design.—ED.] TRACTOR SCREWS AND BLERIOT MACHINES. [535] I should be very much obliged if you would answer me the following questions :— (i) What are the main differences in curvature or otherwise (it any) between a propeller and a tractor screw ? (ii) Would it be possible to convert a propeller into a tractor screw ? If so, how ? (iii) Could you tell me where I can obtain a tractor screw about 6 or 8 ins. in diameter ? (iv) In the Bleriot monoplane (CC type) what is the height from the ground to the front end of the main plane ? and also (v) What is the height from the ground to the rear end of the tail? Ramsgate. V. LINDSAY THOMPSON. [(i, ii) The difference between a propeller and a tractor screw is merely one of position, a propeller being situated behind, whereas a tractor screw is placed in front. The dimensions and shape are not affected by position so far as the theory of the design is concerned. (iii) Several of the firms advertising in FLIGHT will be able to supply you with a tractor screw of the size you require. (iv, v) The dimensions you require in respect to the Bleriot cross- Channei monoplane can be obtained approximately by scaling from our full-page drawing.—ED.] FLOATS FOR AEROPLANES. [536] Do you know anyone who has experimented with floats or canoes attached to their aeroplanes for practice over water ? Would it be possible to get up enough speed on water to rise ? I know the Voisin glider rose in a strong wind off the water, but it also came down and dived under the surface when it was being towed by a motor boat. LILIAN E. BLAND. [Santos Dumont proposed to use floats on one of his very early machines. Wilbur Wright fitted them as a precaution to his machine during his flights in connection with the Hudson-Fulton Master T. F. Miller with his model Farman outside Miss Height's shop, and on the right the model is seen upon a larger scale in the bands of its constructor. 418
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