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Aviation History
1910
1910 - 0882.PDF
IMPRESSIONS OF THE PARIS By OISEAU. S H O W—(continued). PARIS FLIGHT SALON.—General view of the centre of the Grand Palais. On the right is seen the Wright biplane, on the left the Maurice Farman biplane, just beyond being the Henry Farman machine, whilst in the foreground, in the centre, is the two-seater Antoinette monoplane. M. SOMMER again shows a biplane which in no way differs from his previous models, but there also appears on his stand a monoplane which has during the past few months made some successful cross country flights. It follows in appearance the conventional lines of the average monoplane, but differs in one or two matters of detail. The fusellage is of the Bleriot type now so commonly employed, and the tail is weight carrying, though with the elevator hinged on to the trailing edge. The angle of inclination of the tail plane can be altered at will by the pilot by means of a wheel fixed by his left hand. This fitting has been copied direct from the Sommer biplane. The control-lever and the chassis also closely resemble those of the biplane. As one might expect, the Gnome motor is fitted. On the next stand is displayed a monoplane which is certainly original in conception, a tandem monoplane built by Clerget and Co. for the special purpose of exploiting a 200-h.p. 8-cyl. V-shaped motor designed by the Clerget Co. Following the usual custom of all those exhibiting two or three-seaters at this Salon, they name it a " military type. An ordinary Bleriot type fusellage of 14 metres in length has two sets of wings, the first of 10 metres from tip to tip in the usual forward position, whilst the latter pair, of 7 metres width, are placed 6 metres from the others. Following immediately behind is a tail plane with rudder and elevator. This rear plane seems almost unnecessarily large in view of the great lifting power of the back planes. Between the two series of main planes three seats, placed equidistantly, are arranged. The front one is that of the mecanicien controlling the motor, the observer takes the middle seat, whilst furthest back of all sits the pilot. I am afraid one is not greatly impressed by the prospective ease of management, and great modifications can be expected before any really satisfactory flights can be made. Messrs. Turcal-Mery and Rougier have designed a biplane of the later type developed by Breguet and Goupy amongst others. The tendency towards reducing the area of the main planes is here clearly demonstrated. The four-branched propeller, also of Turcat- Mery design, is placed in front of the machine, and is driven by a 60-80-h.p. E.N.V. motor. The tail plane, with which is combined the elevator, has underneath it two rudders. The control is by a wheel mounted on a pivoted pillar actuating the elevating and wing- flexing wires, and a foot-bar for steering. To the excellent two- wheeled chassis of this machine is fitted a brake which acts on the ground itself, and is worked by a lever at the pilot's right hand. A pathetic interest is attached to the Turcat-Mery, as not only was it designed by a pilot, Rougier, whose accident at Nice has incapaci tated him from further flying, but it was to have been flown by the unfortunate Chavez had he lived. There is, however, to all appearances, a successful future before it. Another aeroplane, though not of recent initial design, is so altered as to make it almost a new type—the R.E.P. M. Esnault- Pelterie, one of the pioneers of aviation, has, until the last few months, stolidly refused to depart from his early individualistic ideas of how to design a flying machine, with the inevitable consequence that success rarely came his way. Profiting by his own failure to fly really well, and by the experience of others, he has at last allowed sufficient of conventional design to enter into his machine that it has now become of the first rank. A chassis has been added, perhaps a little too closely resembling the Antoinette in superficial appearance to entirely please my fancy, and yet greatly in advance of the one- wheel carriage. The tail, too, has the usual elevator and rudder in place of one confusedly arranged that warped in various curious directions. The wings are stayed by wire cables, as on other monoplanes, and lateral stability is maintained by gauchisse- ment and not by the altering of the entire wing angle. One of the new type R.E.P. 5-cyl. 55-h.p. engines is fitted, driving a two- branch wooden propeller in place of the four-bladed metal propeller used until recently. The entire aeroplane is covered in scarlet " Continental" canvas, therefore appealing greatly to the aesthetic taste of those to whom appearance counts before all things. Another promising machine displayed in the Salon, though placed unfortunately in the obscure side aisles under the galleries, is the S.A.F.A. biplane, to which reference was made in these pages some weeks ago. One is always glad to hear of the success of a machine 880
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