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Aviation History
1911
1911 - 0520.PDF
JJJGHT) they are intended to be organs oJ direction and not organs of control in the sense of bahUM e, and it is, of course, a feature of the Weiss monoplane that there M BO provision formechani- caUy correcting lateral disturbance by the use of wing-warping or balancing planes. Construction,illy, the Weiss monoplane is as interesting as it is in design, for almost the entire machine is built of JUNE 17, 1911. « that the knots in the bamboo are clear of one another, A°s Su^tls on this hingeH rolls over^n£;d£anca- niece and the lashing remains taut in all positions, Decause ^urfng the movement it merely unwinds off one member on t0No6t onlTthe body, but also the spars of the wings are made of bamboo on this machine and the manner in which the bamtoo ribs are attached to the spars ^ illustrated in detail in one of the accompanying sketches. " ™" ^.^f^ that the wings have three spars in each and that the ribs are so deep in the centre that the lower rib member has to be specially strutted at this point m order to enable the STE.E.L TU&E- l TO FRONT OF M&CHIINE- Sketch illustrating how the engine Is carried in the Weiss monoplane. bamboo and the joints are for the most part only lashed with twine, although the bamboo diagonals, which are used as struts, have a steel angle-plate joint introduced into the lashing in a manner that is illustrated by one of the accompany ing sketches. It will be observed in this detail illustration of the frame-joint that the diagonals are lashed and pegged to the angle-plate, which thus forms the actual connection between the two members. A modification of this system of construction may be observed in the sketch illustrating how the bamboo diagonals that truss the wing-spars to the under-carriage are attached by ferrule-plates, lashed and pegged in place and provided with a hinged adjustment bolt. The mounting of the rudder also affords an interesting example of lashing, and an ingenious detail that will be observed in this case is the introduction of a smooth distance-piece of wood between the two bamboo members. This distance- piece holds the two pieces of bamboo sufficiently far apart BAMBOO DIAGONALS " Flight " Copyright. Sketch illustrating the body construction oF the Weiss monoplane. Spars and diagonals are made of bamboo. central main spar to afford it any support. The main spar themselves are attached to the body by ash spigots that are fastened into the bamboo and engage with the tubular steel transverse members that form the front of the body, and also serve as a support for the 8-cyl. E.N.V. engine with which this machine is equipped. The engine, as may also be observed from one of the accompanying sketches, is carried in a steel cradle slung from the same transverse steel tubes that support the wings. The body itself is mounted on an A type carriage, of which the principal members are con structed of ash ; its diagonals, however, are made of bamboo. The skids of the under-carriage are suspended to a steel axle, supported on two wire wheels by elastic springs. Between the under-carriage and the engine, fastened to the bottom of the body, is the radiator, which may be seen in the photo graph showing the front of the machine. THE AEROPLANE IN By O. D. THE student of military history will perhaps remember Col. Hamley's comment on the campaign of 1796 in Germany, in " The Operations of War." To quote Col. Hamley :— "It seems that for two armies to operate against a combined enemy by lines where, from distance or want of concert, they are independent of each other, is to confer on the enemy an advantage .... which will compensate for considerable inferiority in numbers." To state briefly the facts of the case: Jourdan and Moreau having been separated through carelessness and the nature of the roads, the Arch-Duke Charles seized the opportunity to interpose his army b-tween them, thus cutting their intercommunications. He then detailed a smaller force to keep Moreau at bay, and attacking Jourdan himself with infinitely superior numbers, he drove him back to Kehl. Moreau, through lack of communication with Jourdan, was unable to ascertain the exact circumstances of the case, and therefore advanced towards Vienna, thus widening the gap between the French armies, and giving the Arch-Duke an easy double victory. Had the communication between Moreau and Jourdan been better, the former would have turned instead of going on towards Vienna, and pursued the Arch-Duke, who would thus have been caught between two fires. Now this is but one of one thousand similar cases in which cam paigns have been lost by lack of efficient communication between the several parts of an army, and it is in this respect, as a means of MILITARY WARFARE. ATKINSON. carrying dispatches, that the aeroplane is bound to make so radical a change in the principles of modern strategy. I have no doubt that it was hard enough for the Arch-Duke to intercept the dispatches on land, but in the air, where there is a third direction in which the aeroplane can move, had Moreau possessed one, it would have been well-nigh impossible to do so. Even if the intervening space were patrolled by the aeroplanes of the interposed army, it would only be a matter of a few extra hours for a machine belonging to part of the separated force to fly round in a large circle to its destination. Even more wide than in strategy are the possibilities of the aero plane in tactics. I do not propose to enter into a lengthy discussion here as to its value for scouting and for carrying staff officers, as this has already been proved in practice by the French at Grand- vilhers. It is worth mention, however, though obvious, that its capabilities for scouting purposes in wooded countries are limited. tor dropping bombs, the method proposed by Capt. Piumatli and described in a recent number of FLIGHT, might be employed, but it seems to me that this throws an undue amount of calculation on the bomb-dropper," considering the short time he has at his disposal, to be of much use over land. For this reason, I have suggested the apparatus in the diagram, which m reality is merely a variation of the theodolite. It consists of, ar?l 1° « thr°JUgh which lhe bonik can be dropped, and is attached to a half-quadrant. A telescope is hinged at the upper end and can move through the half-quadrant. An anemometer will be 522
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