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Aviation History
1911
1911 - 0860.PDF
(pSHf] OCTOBER 7, 1911. THE NIEUPORT TWO-SEATER MONOPLANE. IN the process of evolution of his present machine from its extremely primitive prototype, M. Edouard Nieupoit, who has for years been known to the motoring community as a manufacturer oi ignition specialities, has kept the three features of simplicity, efficiency and speed as keystones of his design. He has been eminently successful, for the Nieuport monoplane of to-day is an embodiment of all these features in a most original design. It is in fact, perhaps, the simplest-looking aeroplane that has yet been produced. To illustrate its spetdiness, it is only necessary to recall Weymann s victory 111 the Gordon-Bennett race on a machine oi this make. Its efficiency is vouched ior by the iact that at one time a Nitu- port held the speed reeOld © with a 3<>h.p. twin-cylmder motor, the speed itself H heing higher than that n.aGe by feature in their construction is that the I-section main spars of ash are not oi even section along their entire length, but vary in thick ness according to the strains imposed. Thus it has been found that the greatest strength is necessary at a point situated a few feet from the inner end of the spar, the tie wires being taken into account in this calculation. The main spars are braced well forward to the skid, and stianded-wire cables, previously sut jected to a 3"t°n test, are employed for this purpose. Above the planes, the tie wires are solid ana, of course, much lighter, as there is not so much strain. On the particular machine here described, which belongs to the two-seaur military type, the control is unusual, in that wing-warping is accomplished by the feet, the rudder movement as well as the action oi the elevating planes being under the control of a hand- ltver. This application of foot-control 10 the wings is not new, but is decidedly uncommon, and in the opinion of Mr. Maurice Ducrocq, the well-known aviator who represents the Nieuport machines in On the left sketch Illustrating the control system on the Nieuport monoplane, and on the right the Nieuport undercarriage. Grahame White with a 100-h.p. monoplane at Belmont Park last year. As for its simplicity of construction, this can be gathered, in a measure, from the following description, but better still from a glance at the actual machine. Nieuport's study of the reduction of head resistance has con tributed largely to the efficiency of his machine. The wings are double-surfaced, of a section closely analagous to that advocated by Horatio Phillips, and they taper towards the tips. The under surface about the entering edge has a convex curve where it passes the main spar. The trailing edge, too, is given a slightly upward turn, instead of forming a more or less tangential continuation of the cambered portion of the plane, as in the Bleriot and most other wings. The maximum camber is about 3f ins. It is this particular wing curve, together with the fact that the machine has little head resistance, and flies with an extremely small angle of incidence, that decide its great speed. Steel enters largely into the construction, the undercarriage, with its central sl<id and leaf-spring "axle," being made entirely of this material, while the tail members, all of which are perfectly flat, cons'st of si eel tubular frames covered on both sides with fabric. The body is of wood on the ordinary square girder principle, a few struts in the fore part, however, being steel tubes similar to those used in the undercarriage. The body is unusually deep in the region of the pilot's seat, in order that his whole body may be enclosed, while its shape is such that it can cleave through the air with a minimum of resistance. A slight dihedral angle is given to the wings, and an interesting ® ® British Boys Build a Triplane. A MACHINE which should reflect considerable credit upon its builders is in ourse of construciion in the carpenter's workshop at University College School, Hampstead, where, under the direction of Geoffrey Hill, its inventor and designer, a triplane with an Antoinette type of tail and several original ideas, is in course of completion. Master Hill, who is the son of the Vice-Chancellor of London University, is extremely enthusiastic upon his work, and he and his helpers hope within a few weeks to bring the machine out for gliding trips somewhere in the neighbourhood of Cricklewood. Should the glider prove as suitable as its designer hopes, his next effort will be in the direction of an engine-driven plane. The Unsuccessful Southport Flying Meeting. AFTER all, those in connection with the Southport Town Council who voted against the carrying out of a flying meeting for this country, it is, perhaps, a more natural action on the part of the pilot in an emergency. It is, of course, arranged that an upward tilt of one plane is corrected by pressure on that side of the foot- lever. Exactly how this movement is transmitted can be gathered from a reference to the accompanying sketches, wherein it will be seen that a cross-bar is permanently fixed to the upper extremity of a rock-shaft which passes diagonally through the floor of the body to the skid, terminating in a small crank to which the two sets of warping-wires are attached. The movement is thus effected in a simple manner without the use of pulleys and with the minimum amount of friction. The hand-lever is mounted by a swivel-joint on a short shaft that lies along the floor inside the body, having bearings in two tubular cross-members. A forward and backward movement of this lever operates the elevator through the agency of wires passing round pulleys at both ends of the short rock-shaft. A lateral motion of the lever actuates the rudder wires by means of a crank, which is really formed by an extension of the rear pulley sheave, and is, of course, fixed permanently to the rock-shaft. It might easily be supposed, owing to the great depth of the body and the low po-ition of the seats, that the pilot's view would be somewhat restricted ; but in this connection it must be remembered that the pilot's seat is very little behind the leading edge of the wings, and that the machine flies with the tail unusually high. A 50-h.p. Gnome motor coupled to an 8 ft. 4 in. Integrale propeller is fitted, and with this power-plant the machine is capable of maintaining a speed of 63 m.p.h. ® ® the general good of the town were right in their estimate of the final result, but in all probability they would have been very much in the wrong had it not been that the elements had taken it into their heads to plump entirely for their side. As it was, the miserable weather, which practically precluded all attempts at flight by Mr. Grahame-White and Mr. Hubert, was responsible for the monetary loss which followed upon the event. Apparently, the guarantors will be called upon for the major part, if not the whole, of their bonds, but, incidentally, the result has shown the spirit which exists amongst those who have the town's benefit at heart, in the offer of the Mayor, Alderman Austin, to pay over from his salary a balance of ;£ 500 which has not been found necessary to expend in his official capacity. He suggests, although he has paid considerable sums out of his private purse for entertainments to children and old people, that this balance should be devoted to the deficit which has arisen in connection with the aviation meeting. 862
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