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Aviation History
1912
1912 - 0219.PDF
MARCH 9, 1912. motion. The maximum vertical travel of the wheels is about 8 inches, but it is seldom that the skids come in contact with the ground. It is certainly not advisable that they should do so, as the shocks transmitted to the whole machine would be excessive. The rear skid carries a weight of about 200 lbs., but owing to the pro peller slip stream passing over the lifting-tail planes, the skid leaves the ground in a few yards. A machine which has a weight-carrying iA IGHT tail-plane has the advantage of not tending to pitch forward when landing on soft ground, owing to the weight being well back in relation to the position of the wheels ; but, owing to its disadvantages from an aerodynamic point of view, the weight- carrying tail is giving place to the purely direc tional tail. In the latter case there is practically no lift given to the rear part of the machine by the propeller-slip, and therefore the wheels must be placed farther back, in order to diminish the weight on the rear skid, which makes for a greater tendency to pitch forward when landing. It was probably for this reason that the Bleriot monoplane entered for the French Military Trials was fitted with a weight-carrying tail, although this type had previously been abandoned in favour of a direc- rubber cables. The tail of the machine is supported by a skid of bent cane, which carries a comparatively light load. The absence of any kind of front skid makes this type of undercarriage unsuit able for use on very uneven ground, as there is nothing to prevent the machine turning over should the wheels be suddenly retarded by an obstruction, or by sinking into soft ground. Whether swivelling wheels as adopted by BWriot are desirable, is a very debatable point. When flying in a side wind, the machine naturally has a lateral motion relatively to the ground and, unless it can be brought head to the wind when landing, the undercarriage and wheels aie subjected to severe side strains. Swivelling wheels obviate this trouble, but are attended by certain disadvantages which probably outweigh their useful feature. These are—extra weight, head-resistance, and complication, and also difficulty in steering on the gTound because, if it is anything but level, the machine always tends to run down hill. The more useful practice of making wheels with wide hubs sufficiently strong to with stand side strains and do away with swivelling devices enables the machine to be steered on the ground with certainty, and makes for a cleaner and lighter design. It is interesting to note that in the latest type of BleViot the undercarriage has been tional tail. The motor fixed to this machine was a 140-h.p. Gnome, and with this weight well forward, there would naturally be trouble in the landing-test, which included alighting on ploughed land. In its original form of eight struts and our wheels, the head-resistance in the ~ Farman type was excessive, but in the latest models the number of struts has been halved. Bleriot Monoplane —The two main rolling-wheels have a track of about 6 feet, and are allowed a vertical travel of 12 in., the sus pension being by rubber cable. The wheels are arranged to swivel through about 45°, and are held in the normal position by light ® ® A North Sea Airship Project. IT is reported that the Hamburg-Amerika line intends to shortly secure a number of dirigibles with a view to starting an airship service over the North Sea. The report states that sheds will shortly be constructed at Wilhelmshaven, Hamburg, Heligoland, Kiel and Bremen. "Parseval XI" Out for Szventjen Hours. ON the 19th ult. at 4.35 in the afternoon " Parseval XI" with eight persons on board started from Tegel and was cruising for seventeen hours. On landing the following morning at 9.50 there was still sufficient petrol on board for eight hours. On Monday the airship made the stipulated height test by cruising for a couple of hours with ten persons on board, at an altitude of 1,500 metres. Fig. 3.—Blenot Monoplane. greatly simplified by the adoption of non-swivelling wheels. These are shown in the sketch. The head-resistance and weight are both rather high in the early types. ( To he concluded.) ® ® Eleven on " Parseval VI." LEAVING Bitterfeld at 1.37 on the afternoon of the 20th ult. with eleven passengers on board, " Parseval VI " cruised over to Johannisthal, where a landing was effected at 3.50 p.m. " Victoria Louise" Goes to Frankfort. ON Monday the new Zeppelin cruiser, " Victoria Louise," with twenty persons on board, left Friedreichshafen at a quarter to ten, and passing Bale at 12.43, Baden at 2.25, and Carlsruhe at 2.40, landed successfully at Frankfort at 4.40. A Circular Voyage by " Adjudant Reau." WITH Captain Renaux iil command the " Adjudant Reau " left Issy on the 28th ult., carrying fourteen passengers on board and completed a circuit of 100 kilometres over Meudon, Jouy-en-Josas, the Chevreuse Valley, Boulay-les-Trous, Limours, Cernay la Ville, Versailles and Issey, the trip taking 2 hrs. 10 mins. 219
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