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Aviation History
1912
1912 - 0744.PDF
AUGUST 17, 1912. wing, two above and two below each spar. All are steel cables, and those above take their anchorage on a tripod mast above the pilot's cock-pit. Both pilot and passenger sit tandem in the same cock-pit, the pilot in front having a view over the leading edge of the wmgs. The massive simplicity of the undercarriage, which is a good example of the A frame, also adds to the general effect of sturdi- ness ; a detail of interest on this part of the machine is the bell crank lever device for gearing up the warp so as to increase the wing move ment for a given deflection of the lever. It is a particularly neat machine, and looks robust and rigid, as distinct from the slender build of some monoplanes. Its design is evidently efficient as a type of low head resistance, for although a 100-h.p. Gnome is used, it is well known that this is a very high rating, and allowance for this is necessary when recognising the flying speed of 75 m.p.h. To the Cody in these trials, acknowledgment is first due to the fact that it is in all essentials the original type that first flew at Laffan's Plain. Cody may not be a scientist in mathematical theory, but in practical aeroplane construction he is a genius, and in his method of experiment he does what few geniuses do, which is to evolve a basic design to the limits of its capacity, by eliminating one by one, the unknown factors in its design. Too many men drop a design when it is not perfect at once. Cody, on the contrary, has exhibited the perseverance of a hero, and he deserves to succeed, as indeed he does, for the machine is as handy in the air as if it were a little single-seater instead of a great 'bus that will carry four or five people. It is fast, very fast for a biplane of that size, and it can climb well, although at the moment of writing its proper timed ascent has not been measured. Its speed-range is excellent (the slow test showing 48*5 m.p.h., and the fastest 72^4 m.p.h., i.e., the difference is 23-9 per cent, of the maximum, and nearly 50 per cent, of the minimum) and is in any case far ahead of anything yet achieved in this particular test in these trials. It is impossible for any engineer seriously to study Cody's biplane and not give the designer credit for a wonderful lot that escapes the casual eye. Cody has " made good " and if he had had the engine he has got on his machine now at the Bournemouth meeting, he would have astonished the flying world before others came to make good flying a commonplace occurrence. The present machine is practically the same : divided elevator in front, twin cross tail behind ; both carried on bamboo booms. The 120-h.p. Austro- Daimler engine drives a twin-bladed propeller through a twin roller chain at 7 to 4 gear ratio. Among the little points of great interest are the arched planes, which are also slightly reduced in the gap at the extremities. In " Flight " Copyright. Mr. (J. de Havilland, on the left, who, on Monday last, ascended In the R.A.F. biplane BE 2 to a height of 9,500 ft,, beating the British record for altitude. Walking with him on the right Is Major F. H. Sykes, who accom- panted him as passenger during the flight. flight with full power, the front spar is about an inch and a-half lower than the back spar, so that the planes fly at a very small angle. The large elevator, it is always important to remember, is divided, and warps in harmony with the main planes. The landing chassis is quite remarkable, and time and again has proved its durability and use for landing on bad ground. Almost any part of the machine could be repaired by a blacksmith, which is, or might be, a most useful consideration in war. Salisbury Plain, Monday, August 12th. Sunday's good weather being maintained on Monday morning, the Amesbury and Larkhill Camps were on the field by 4 a.m., and before breakfast the entire aspect of the trials was changed by a sequence of performances accomplished under official observation. No fewer than four machines, Hanriot No. 2, Bleriot No. 4, Maurice Farman and Cody, finished off all tests except road transport, which should be a mere incident in to-day's further proceedings, while Hanriot No. I got a good start with the successful accomplishment of the three hours' flight. Busteed on the Bristol monoplane No. 14 also really set the ball rolling for the British and', Colonial Co. by flying for his three hours' qualifying test and ascending at the same time to over 4,500 ft. Most of the flight was accomplished at over 2,000 ft. and if any pilot deserves credit for a single effort it certainly is Busteed for his endurance and perseverance in this. In the first instance, his engine- misfired more or less persistently, but he pushed on up to 1,800 ft. before it got into its regular beat. Many pilots would have come down, and as pilots are only human, even when flying, I have a sympathetic regard for his sticking to the job. Most of the time, too, the observer was wandering about in the forward cockpit " on reconnaissance bent," and being uncommonly impressed with the machine's stability would now and then stand up, lean over the side or sit on the back of the seat—anywhere, in fact, but where the designer put him. Among other little accomplishments, he marked the wings with a pencil where he would like a little more material cut away for a peep hole, and generally kept Busteed busy in what spare time he could find from the mere manoeuvring of the machine, but the machine did not seem to mind in the least. In flight, the tail of this monoplane is so high that the least change of course imme diately gives rise to the impression that it is about to descend. That this monoplane flies well, is a fact, but, with all deference, it seems extraordinarily interesting to me that the Bristol monoplanes should fly at all, seeing that they were designed and built inside three months, have never previously been tried, belong entirely to a class of their own and are, besides, built so close to the limit of calculated values (this does not refer to materials or strength, but to aerodynamic factors) that a very slight mistake either in the designer's figures or the constructor's sizes would have kept them on terra firma altogether. No man in the aeroplane industry has more confidence in himself than Coanda, and he has loaded his machine up to the hilt. It is cutting things fine for a new design in a trial of this importance, and the risk is greater because there are factors involved that make it difficult to ensure that the inherent merits of the machine shall be given a fair show by the pilot. Take the gliding question that is on everyone's lips, for instance. According to the design of the machine, the pilot is expected to do- something no pilot ordinarily attempts and few of experience have the inclination to try, namely, to make no attempt to put the head down by the aid of the elevator at the commencement of a vol plane descent. The argument is that the machine takes its natural angle automatically by reason of the tilting action of the couple produced by the centre of gravity and centre of pressure, which is released from the restraining force of the tail when the propeller draught ceases to blow on the negative angle elevator. Hence, any positive augmentation of this effect on the part of a pilot who puts his elevator over to a positive angle, is likely to promote a vol piqui, and an unexpectedly rapid descent. There has been some question as to whether this machine would assume its natural gliding attitude on cutting off the motor, but the- evidence of this morning's flight suggests that the c.p. e.g. couple effects its purpose quite well in keeping the tail up when the pro peller draught drops. This is not extraordinary, for the loss of iP under the wings will certainly cause an instantaneous descent, which for the moment will increase the angle of incidence and cause the position of the c.p. to retreat; it is quite possible for this increased leverage to more than compensate for the reduced force, thus increasing the couple and slightly raising the tail. When the machine regains its proper velocity and attitude again, the conditions resume their normal state. These machines carry between 9 and 10 lbs. per sq. ft. of surface, which, while not unknown, is at least unusual, and nearly 50 per cent, more than most monoplanes. Its value for X is enormous, for the machine flew about 1,900 lbs. in the trials, and the 100-h.p. Gnome is notoriously over-rated. In a word, it is the highest- geared flyer for its weight in the competition, and nothing, so far as we know, except the 100-h.p. Nieuport even comes into its class. 744
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