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Aviation History
1911
1911 - 0065.PDF
JANUARY 2S, 1911 peculiarities under ordinary flight conditions and now feels quite confident of doing the right thing unconsciously in an emergency. The lever in question is characterised by a hinged handle that is moved sideways by twisting the wrist when it is desired to operate the rudder independently of the wing warping. Normally the stem of the lever is moved to and fro with the handle vertical. This action balances the machine without causing it to swerve from its straight path, for the rudder and warping mechanism are connected so as to operate simultaneously and in the correct relative degree. For special manoeuvres that require a greater or less degree of rudder action for a given amount of warp, the handle s merely moved over to one side or the other, which may t/yGSf] tioned then locks the rudder disc to the warping disc, as may be understood by a glance at the accompanying sketch, which shows why it is obviously impossible for the warping disc to move without the rudder disc unless the handle is thrown over simultaneously and to an extent sufficient to exactly neutralise the lock. Speaking of warping, one of the most interesting photo graphs ever published of the Wright biplane is that among those herewith, which shows the maximum extent of warp possible. The position illustrated corresponds to the lever being pushed right forward with the handle vertical and it will be noticed that the rudder has been turned to an extent sufficient to show the number 20 on the face of one of its planes. Full warp on Mr. Ogilvie's Wright biplane. Note the position of the rudder. The combined movements are th2 result of a pjrmanent interconnection betwsen the two mechanisms, and are effected by simply pushing the control lever forward. be done without disturbing the position of the lever itself. A glance at our illustrations shows how these interconnections are carried out. The handle carries a small bell-crank-lcver that is con nected to a free disc on the operating rock-shaft, by a rod. When the handle is moved independently of the lever, this disc is rotated independently of another similar disc along side it and the rudder to which it is connected moves in dependently of the wing tips that are connected to the other disc. The other disc itself is attached rigidly to the stem of the lever and when the lever is moved to and fro both discs rotate in unison, for the connecting-rod already men- Whilst on the subject of control, it is interesting to point out that the arrangement of the levers on the Wright bi plane is such that the pilot may be either right or left-handed. Suppose, for the sake of example, that he sits in such a posi tion as to use the warp and rudder lever with his right hand, then his pupil will be trained to use the same lever with his left hand, because there is only one such lever on any Wright machine, although the elevator levers are in duplicate. The reason for this is that the duplication of the warp and rudder lever would involve serious complication in the various connections, whereas the elevator connections are not altered in the least by the presence of another lever at the opposite end of the operating rock-shaft. ELY'S FLIGHT TO WARSHIP'S DECK. THE recent demonstration by Mr. Eugene B. Ely of the possibility of aeroplanes working in conjunction with the Naval arm of the service has brought home to the authorities more rapidly the importance of flying machines as an auxiliary for scouting purposes than the most sanguine enthusiasts could have hoped for. It will be recollected that last year in FLIGHT. Mr. Griffith Brewer put forward his views and suggestions in regard to the attempting of this feat, when, as he pointed out, there was little doubt that sooner or later it would be accomplished and ultimately become an every day event. It is only recently that we reported a more or less successful attempt from America in this connection, and by Mr. Ely's work on Thursday, the 19th inst., in San Francisco on a Curtiss biplane, it has now been finally proved that there are no insurmountable difficulties in utilising aeroplanes for the Navy in practical work which may very greatly assist Naval commanders in settling their line of action when engaged in some important movement. Rising from Selfridge Field, near San Francisco, Mr. Ely, after flying over the city and the warships in the Bay, finally came to rest on the deck of the cruiser "Pennsylvania," where a special landing superstructure had been previously erected, similar to the one which was illustrated in FLIGHT on November 26th last. He started at 10.45 and was nyinS over tne Bay within a few minutes, and although it was misty he continued his flight at a fairly low altitude, ultimately sighting the " Penn sylvania," with which vessel he was kept in touch by the hooting of the siren. Before actually coming to rest on the deck of the vessel he flew past her for some hundreds of yards, then, circling back, he rose comparatively slowly, keeping up to the wind towards the stern of the vessel and finally settling down with skilful judgment on the special platform. The successful issue of the attempt was announced by the blasts of the " Pennsylvania's" siren, this being taken up by the whole of the vessels in the harbour. The wooden superstructure measured 130 ft. by 50 ft. wide, and when the Curtiss machine first touched the deck she was travelling probably at 40 miles an hour. A series of rope brakes weighted with sand bags were so arranged that they were caught in special hooks attached to the bi plane and gradually brought the machine to rest within about 60 ft. from first contact. The entire flight occupied about 16 mins. In exactly 1 hour after a lunch in his honour, provided by Captain Pond, Ely once more took his seat on the Curtiss and was immediately away again at high speed, with a gentle drop towards the water before rising high over the ships in the harbour, back on his return journey to Selfridge Field, passing en route at an altitude of about 2,000 ft. over San Francisco. On alighting he was vociferously cheered by the officers of the 13th U.S. Infantry Regiment, who were in camp on the field. 6;
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