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Aviation History
1911
1911 - 1029.PDF
NOVEMBER 25, 1911. it by thirteen day& Of course under the International Patent Laws Convention the date of the German application is also the legal date of the English patent. I duly kept my appointment with the managing director of a famous aeronautical company, as foreshadowed in my letter of above date. I gave two demonstrations. 1st. I held my model vertically laterally (i.e., entirely capsized), and launched it without power in a gentle glide. Result: Model righted itself in falling and fell horizontally. 2nd. I wound the two 8-in. propellers 250 turns each and launched my model as above. Result: Model very quickly righted itself and flew along perfectly stable. The managing director remarked that he was afraid that the irregular diamond centres of my model would offer resistance in a full-size machine which he could not afford under his present power. He was afraid that he would not be able to fly with a passenger, as he had as much as he could do to rise with one now ! I pointed out that if my device meant extra resistance, then it would give increased lift, which would allow him to decrease the size of his planes proportionately. He further remarked that he was afraid my device would not have the same effect on a full-size machine, owing to the conditions being so different. He therefore could not see his way to give my device a trial. An aviator present during my demonstrations, however, remarked in conversation afterwards that he did not see why my device should not be tried on a full-size machine, and that he would like to see it tried very much. My visit, therefore, was a further encouragement to proceed with my demonstrations. If I can convince aviators that my device is worthy of a trial then no doubt it will be tried sooner or later. Also re power, your readers will be interested to know that my model flew with 8-in. propellers and eight strands only of strip elastic a side. As my model weighs y\ ozs and planes are 30 ins. by 6 ins. and 15 ins. by 5\ ins., they will no doubt agree with me that I flew it with very- low power indeed. WILL H. BOOTH (REDIVALLS). (^JCHTJ " A Quaintly-Conceived Scheme." The Editor begs to acknowledge with thanks the large number of letters from various correspondents in connection with the letter upon this matter which appeared in last week's issue of P'LIGHT. Whilst fully appreciating the sentiments expressed in these, the Editor hardly thinks there is any necessity to pursue this matter further. Nottingham Model Aero Club. [1431] I notice in FLIGHT, under Correspondence, that a Nottingham reader enquires whether there is a model club in this district. If he will communicate with me I shall be pleased to furnish him and all others with full particulars of the above club. Central Avenue, Nottingham. D. E. BARCLAY, Secretary. Aviation in Nottingham. [1432] Having been a reader of your paper ever since the first issue, I have noticed enthusiasts in Nottingham have written to you regarding model and full-sized Aero Club for this city and district. For instance, about two and a-half years ago a very well-known Nottingham resident published in your paper that he would like all those interested in this district to communicate with him with the intention of forming such a club in Nottingham. I wrote this gentleman four times and never received an answer, nor have I heard any more about the formation of the club. 1 might also say that we have built our own machine, which cost just under ^600, which is fitted with a 30-horse-power Alvaston motor (photo enclosed), and have spent shillings in advertising that we are prepared to assist in forming an Aero Club foi this district, to try and create interest, and it could not have escaped the eye or the ear of those interested, and as our machine has been on exhibition twice in this town, once for a month and once for a week, now we think we have done our share toward the organising of an Aero Club in Notting ham, but still not downhearted we have managed to yet 15 names for such an organisation, and shall be pleased ti> hear from the Nottingham reader that wrote to your paper last week or anvone else interested. We intend putting our machine in the hands ot the members as scion as they prove proficient on the glider which we are about to construct. SEAKHV, Al.I..EN AND SlAICHV. Hartley Road, Nottingham. Balancers. [1433] With reference to Mr, Newton's letter. No. 1378, in your issue of October 7, 1911, in which he invites dis cussion on the advisability of operating balancers in such a manner that their angle of incidence is negative, i.e., below the line of flight, by tipping their rear edge up or their leading edge down, instead of giving the balancer on the other side of the machine a positive angle of incidence above the line of flight, I am convinced that the former is the correct method of using balancers, and that it is quite possible that many accidents have occurred through this principle not yet having been adopted. It was first, so far as I am aware, explained in my patent, No. 6642, of March i6\ iyio, and was afterwards referred to in my article published in your issue of June 24, 1911. It is now over 18 months since the patent specification was written, and now that other investigators are beginning to see the necessity for some change in the present methods of balancing laterally it may be useful to thus refer to my earlier note on the subject. I am building my own aeroplane in such a manner as to utilise the idea. This particular patent I took out in England only, as I considered it less valuable than the one for automatic lateral stability by means of flexible training planes with outer fixed edges as described in the article referred to above, and for which I took out patents in several countries. The great advantage of giving a negative angle of in cidence, i.e., a downward dip to a balancer, is that the drag which must accompany either a positive or negative angle of incidence is in this case applied on the side of the machine which it is advantageous to retard, i.e., on the side which was too high before the balancer was operated. The action of depressing may be applied in front of, or behind, or in line with the centre of gravity of the aeroplane, and if it is applied behind, as is the case in the model, a'plan of which was published in my article in your issue of June 24, 1911, any slight tendency for the head of the machine to rise more The Nottingham monoplane. IO3I
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