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Aviation History
1911
1911 - 0713.PDF
AUGUST 19, 1911. The landing carriage is a neat and light wheel and skid combina tion, the axle being sprung by the conventional radius-rods and •elastic shock-absorbers. The cross-members of the chassis are of steel tubing, and it is noticeable that the four main struts are covered with canvas. Very little wire bracing is used, but rigidity is given to the structure by two wooden diagonal struts in compression. These struts extend in front of the chassis proper, and are curved up in hockey-stick fashion to form a protection for the propeller. Shocks occasioned by rough landings are distributed over as much fuselage area as possible by nvans of stranded cables, which pass under the well of the body and over grooves at the top of the chassis- struts, thus forming a kind of cradle. The method of mounting the motor is, without doubt, neat in the •extreme. A sheet-steel cap fits over the front end of the fuselage, and to this is screwed in the usual manner that flat plate keyed to the Gnome crank-shaft which would form the fly-wheel if the cylinders were kept stationary. Aluminium inspection doors are provided for access to the magneto, &c, and an aluminium dome is arranged over the top of the motor, to prevent the spray of oil •from the exhaust reaching the pilot. The weight of the wings when the machine is at rest is supported by two struts erected vertically from the front of the main body in order, at the same time, to strengthen the wings against end stresses when in flight. They are of ample proportions near the base, as 'they also serve to accommodate the front wing spar. The construction of the wings follows conventional lines, with the •exception that the trailing edge is laced to the ribs and is allowed a small degree of flexibility. Aluminium plates are fastened on the under surface of the wings against the main body, to protect the •fabric from becoming saturated with oil. Their brownish tint is due to the treatment of the fabric with " Emaillite,"a preparation that cenders it weather and oil proof, and endows it with exceptional tautness. This same varnish is also employed to proof the main rframe covering and the tail planes. The control is extremely neat, and the movements are more or IfiJCHT) ® ® less natural. A wheel, mounted in the centre of an inverted U-shaped sweep of wood, is rotated for the correction of lateral balance, while a to-and-fro motion controls the elevation. Steering is effected by the usual form of pivoted foot-lever. The wires from the warping-wheel are cariied to a rock-lever on the rear cress-member of the chassis, and after passing over pulleys on the skids, each wire branches into three. These are connected to clips on the rear wing spar. By rotating the wh;el to the left, therefore, the whole of the rear spar of the right wing is pulled down, while the similar spar on the left wing rises a corresponding amount, and vice versd. The combined oil and petrol tank is mounted in the front of the pilot between the two wooden masts, and gauges are fitted so that he is con stantly acquainted with the state of his fuel supply. A small reseive petrol tank is arranged under the Stat, and the fuel is fed under pressure to the Method of cross - bracing main tank by a pump on the right of the main body adopted in the pilot. the Deperdussin mono- The passenger-carrying and school plane. Deperdussin models have purely flat tail planes triangular in shape, but the racer, probably to render the machine more " lively " to the controls or to introduce greater internal strength, possesses a tail in which the upper surface is considerably cambered. This constitutes a lifting plane and contributes to a certain extent to the efficiency of the machine by actually doing work instead of being a solely directive organ. Hinged to the rear of the tail plane is the rectangular elevator, while forward of the rudder extends a small vertical stabilising fin. A neat skid, hinged in the centre and flexibly anchcued at the top, protects the rear of the machine from ground contact. ® ® LONDON FROM ABOVE.—A remarkable photo of Kenntngton Oval and the approaches thereto, taken from Consul Stollwerck's Continental balloon, " Hannover."
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