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Aviation History
1910
1910 - 0876.PDF
f/POHT insisted upon that data of actual flyers " hang together "—knowledge of a few measurements is as likely to mislead as to help. In any event, supposing we have full and accurate data, it is necessary to approach them in the right spirit. The study of natural flyers is essential for a proper understanding of the principles of flight, but attempts at slavish imitation are likely to lead to disappointment. There are several different methods of flying exemplified in nature, and we cannot appreciate these in their true perspective unless we are familiar with the natural conditions which limit them or render them possible. The doctrine of evolution shows that natural flyers are moulded by their environment, that is, they are what they are in order to meet certain conditions of existence with the means at their disposal (which means are, of course, equally the products of past environ ments). Before slavishly copying their solutions of the problems which they have had to solve, we must ask ourselves whether our aims are the same as theirs, and whether the means at our disposal are similar. If we approach the matter from this point of view we shall see that although we can in many ways find parallels between the problems before natural flyers and ourselves, wc have different means at our disposal for solving them. For instance, no natural power plant is made of such strong material or has at its disposal such concentrated energy as the petrol motor ; we can get into the bulk of an eagle many times more power than any eagle can ever possess. On the other hand, although we can make very good wings, we shall never be able to produce a wing with the all-round efficiency of the wing of a bat or a bird so long as we are limited to dead matter for our material, and the inability to produce an artificial brain and nervous system as effective as a natural one limits the application of the enhanced power at our disposal. The foregoing may seem very trite and obvious, but it has been truly said that nothing needs so much insistence on as the obvious. We shall be well advised to follow natural flyers only in so far as they afford an indication of the first principles which we are endeavouring to discover. Although we could not seek for such principles in a better place than amongst natural flyers, when we have obtained an insight into them, we should proceed to apply them to our problems with the means at our disposal. The manner in which natural flyers have applied them with the means at their disposal we should always bear in mind, but " gang our ain gait " all the same. That this method of procedure will lead us very far from the present type of machine I am convinced, but how far the flying machine of the future will follow bird, bat, or insect flight only time will show. Approximate data of certain birds which soar :— Common Name. -WeiBht- Surfac-e- SPan- Golden eagle Griffon vulture Egyptian vulture . Sea eagle Common kite Balbuzzard (osprey) Heron Goshawk ... Sparrow hawk Stork | Australian crane ... The number of strokes per second naturally varies with circum stances, but it does not exceed three in the case of the large birds, and is normally less. Surbiton. ' OCTAVIUS. Lbs. 7 10 4 7 I i 3 o 0 5 20 ozs. 0 8 0 o 8 o 8 10 6 o o sq. ft. 6 9 4 6 3 3 3^ I I 4 7 ft. 8 8 44 8 4* 44 44 2* I* 64 IO OCT6BER 22, 10,10. THREE-BLADED PROPELLERS. [829] Concerning Mr. Bowles' letter (778) about three-bladed propellers, the earlier Breguet biplane was fitted with one, coupled to a 50-h.p. Renault. The propeller appears, from the post-card which I enclose, to have been built of metal blades riveted to three arms of tubular steel. As to whether any flights were made with this or not, I can't say, but M. Breguet appears to have given it up in his newer machines for the ordinary two-bladed. Chelsea. J- R- BLUNT. M. BLONDEAU AT BROOKLANDS. [830] Would you kindly correct an error in FLIGHT which has appeared more than once. M. Blondeau is my partner, and there fore it is not representing things as they actually are to say he flew on Mrs. Grace Bird's biplane. The error arose by my signing the entry for the Neill Cup when M. Blondeau was not in England, and consequently he had to fly in my name. Brooklands Track, Oct. 16th. GRACE BIRD. AERODROME IN NORTH AFRICA. [831] Conjecturing many of your readers would be interested in knowing of a flying ground over 5 miles in diameter with a perfect surface, I would mention Lake Sedjoumi, immediately behind the city of Tunis, North Africa. This lake has a clay bottom, is never deeper than a foot in mid-winter, and is usually quite dry from April till December. While, of course, the air currents during the daytime are very strong under the Tunisian climate, yet the air is generally calm at night. The bottom is moderately hard, and perfectly smooth. I often cycled across, and used this lake to experiment with a bicycle pulled by a kite. However, nobody crosses it usually, the nights are clear, and there are a number of good automobile mechanics in Tunis. The area of the lake is about 20 square miles, and I do not think such an extent of absolutely smooth ground can be obtained elsewhere within forty-eight hours of London, especially free of rent. Winnipeg, Man. GEO. H. D. ARMANDARITZ. CYCLE AEROPLANE. [832] I have been taking in your magazine for some time, and find it extremely helpful and interesting. I am rather puzzled at an article I saw in a Patent Agent's magazine, relating to an aeroplane which was propelled by foot. The machine resembled a monoplane with an ordinary bicycle underneath, with the propeller geared from the back wheel. It further stated that someone had flown on it for six miles. Do you think such a thing is possible ? Newcastle-on-Tyne. C. E. NOGGIN. [We have not heard of any man ever having flown by his own power on this or any other sort of machine.—ED.] THE IDENTIFICATION OF AERIAL VESSELS. [833] The difficulty of identification of friend from foe in future warfare—when aerial vessels are anticipated to play an important part—seems to have escaped notice. Let us assume that in five years time the crossing and re-crossing of aerial craft will create no more interest than the movements of motor cars do to-day ; we shall have become so used to them that interest in their presence will have disappeared. This will probably be the case, so let us further assume that this country is at war, how can we on earth distinguish The early Breguet machine, referred to in Mr. J. R, Blum's letter 874
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