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Aviation History
1911
1911 - 0176.PDF
[pi * "~,HT ui Captain Sanders at the helm of his biplane. the level of the skids. Landing is thus accomplished on the skids direct, which not only saves the wheels and axle from damage, but generally is the means of alighting with greater safety. The control of the machine is effected by a steering-wheel mounted, motor car fashion, on an inclined column, which MARCH 4, 1911. has a universal motion on its pivoted support in addition to the rotary motion imparted by the wheel. Moving the steering column side ways controls the balancing planes, while the rudder answers to the circular motion of the wheel. The elevator is controlled by duplicate levers, one on either side of the pilot's seat. At present the machine is fitted with a 50-h.p. Alvaston motor, which is water-cooled through spiral tube radiators mounted alongside the pilot's- seat. The radiators are slightly offset to the direction of flight in order to get an equal draught over all the tubes. Twin propellers of 8 ft. 6 ins. diameter are carried by brackets midway in the gap immediately behind the main planes and are driven by chains at 400 r.p.m. The entering edge of the propeller-blade is peculiar and similar in principle to the entering edges of the main planes, which are concave instead of convex, the idea, according to the designer, being that the air is compressed on contact and afterwards expands against the lower surface. The main planes have a dihedral angle and the upper plane, which overlaps the lower plane, has down-turned extremities. Both planes are built in three sections and can be easily dismantled. Silver spruce is used through out for the construction of the spars and frame work generally, except for the engine-bed, which is made of ash, and the diagonal bracing of the under-carriage, for which strip manganese steel is used. Pegamoid cloth is used as a surfacing material. A new type of biplane is at the present moment being constructed and will be exhibited at Olympia. It will differ, among other respects, from the type illustrated in having a single propeller instead of two. DROPPINQ EXPLOSIVES IN AERIAL WARFARE. AT a meeting of the members of the Royal United Service Institution held on the 22nd ult., and presided over by Sir Andrew Noble, Bart., Mr. Walter F. Reid, President of the Society of Chemical Industry, gave an address on the subject of " The Use of Explosives in Aerial Warfare, with some remarks on Methods of Defence." In the course of his address, Mr. Reid said that the general impression that the use of explosives from aerial craft was prohibited was an erroneous one, both Germany and France having withdrawn from such an agreement in 1907. He did not think there was any doubt that in the next European war explosives from aeroplanes would be used, and if we did not take proper steps to meet this threatened danger from above serious consequences might be anticipated. Unless some great change was made in the construction of aerial craft the attacking power of aeroplanes would be limited by the fact that they would be unable to carry charges of explosives which would do more than local damage. Rapid progress was essential, and to aim correctly from a rapidly-moving platform seemed to be a very difficult matter, and would require great skill and practice to attain average results. Before the end of the year there would, he thought, be a sufficient number of British aeronauts to deal with any foreign airmen who might reach our shores. Alluding to the relative effectiveness of dirigibles and aeroplanes, he pointed out that an aeroplane could be propelled at such a rate that it could easily overtake the swiftest dirigible, rise above it, and destroy it without being exposed to appreciable danger. The most effective missiles, he thought, were small bombs provided with contact ignition. Aeroplanes, he continued, were free from any serious danger from artillery. He did not say they were out of range of artillery, but they were out of any serious danger. It was not easy to hit an aeroplane 3,000 ft. or 4,000 ft. in the air. The position as it now stood seemed to be that aeroplanes of the highest speed and efficiency possessed means of attack and defence. Nothing could prevent aeroplanes or dirigibles at night entering British territory unless we had a fleet of aeroplanes to meet them, and, generally speaking, the aerial craft would have to descend to within rifle range to be of any practical use. In the course of the subsequent discussion Col. F. Stone, R.A., said that the effect of explosives trom aeroplanes and balloons had been extremely disappointing to the most sanguine supporters of this method of warfare. The movement was yet in its infancy, but he did not suppose it would revolutionise warfare in any case. The difficulties of hitting from a moving platform and at an uncertain distance from the target must be infinitely greater. He had very little faith in anything like successful practice from the air upon enemies upon the earth. As to the discharge of heavy bombs, speaking roughly, one might take it as a useful guide that a dirigible of 500,000 cubic feet capacity could very easily, in addition to ordinary load, carry high explosives to the amount of at least 1,500 lb. He deprecated the hysterical views as to dirigibles laying towns in waste and playing havoc with the civilised organisation. He thought that once and for all these views should be expelled from the public mind. Mr. Reid, replying to the discussion, said he thought an aeroplane could carry a charge of explosives of from 200 lb. to 3001b. at least, provided it was suspended as near as possible to the centre of gravity. As to dirigibles, if a charge of 1,000 lb. were dropped from a dirigible, he should be sorry to be in it. The Cause of Hoxsey's Death. IN an article dealing with the fatal accident to A. Hoxsey at Los Angeles the Scientific American states that it is believed the aviator was overtaken by a form of mountain sickness which caused him to become unconscious and the weight of his body leaning upon the levers may have moved them sufficiently to make the machine dive at a very steep angle until it finally struck the ground. The remarkable photograph which we reproduce in this issue shows the machine during the last 560 feet of its descent. Tust previous to this Hoxsey had come down from a height of 7,000 feet in less than three minutes, and from the experience of Morane and Drexel it is felt that this must have brought on the sickness. Morane once confessed that as a result of making too rapid a descent he lost control of his machine and was only saved by a miracle. As further evidence of the probability of this cause of the accident, our contemporary quotes the report in regard to blood pressure of aviators made by Prof. R. Moulinier and reproduced in FLIGHT some time ago, and further refers to the death of Maloney in California in 1905. This pioneer aviator fell several thousand feet in the Montgomery glider, and an examination of his body showed no broken bones or bruises sufficient to cause death. The doctors gave it as their opinion that Maloney was stricken with heart failure and died during his descent, which, however, was no means as swift as that of Hoxsey. 178
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