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Aviation History
1912
1912 - 0995.PDF
NOVEMBER 2, 1912. the French constructors have to thank an encouraging Govern ment. It must make the hearts of most of our British manu facturers ache when they see how their French confreres are looted after. From the Salon has vanished the dirigible. Last year there was a complete Astra dirigible suspended from the roof and two or three nacelles were on exhibition. This year the only objects that remind one of the lighter-than-air school are two spherical balloons and two little models of dirigibles—one on the Zodiac, another on the Con tinental stand. A newcomer to the Show is the " Aviette." A perfectly hopeless collection of these are foregathered at the Champs Elys^es end of the hall. Hydro-aeroplanes have grown considerably in force since last year. Then there was only one—the Voisin " Canard," a machine which is absent from the Show this year. Now there are no fewer than eleven, seven of them hydro-biplanes, and the rest of the single-decker type. As a class, the hydro-aeroplanes do not seem any too happy, except in the case of the Henry Farman machine and that of the Caudron Brothers. The constructors of the two examples mentioned have each used a type of float which suits, as concerns appearance, the type of machine. In the remainder, especially in the monoplanes, the floats seem unwieldy, and alto gether mar an otherwise graceful outline. But, perhaps, this is because we are as yet comparatively unused to them. Those hydro-machines in which the float and the fuselage are combined in one unit are very little more pleasing, for one immediately feels that such low centres of gravity and head resistance are undesirable. Donnet Leveque eliminate the centre of gravity trouble by putting their engine up high between the planes. [/SO"*] But one other firm, to make their "coque" stable as a water craft, have placed the motor quite low inside the body. Of the land aeroplanes, monoplanes are, as usual, in preponderance. There are 46 monoplanes as against 20 biplanes. The chief im provements resulting from the past year's work lie in detail design. Here we must certainly give the laurel wreath to the Hanriot firm. Their exhibit is recognised as the " clou " of the Salon. M. Pagny, their designer, has excelled himself, and the Nieuport firm, with whom he was connected formerly, must be mightily sorry they ever lost his services. They are getting things to a fine point on the Hanriot when they provide a box containing tools and engine parts just behind the pilot's seat; when they so mount the Gnome engine that it can be taken clear of the machine inside of 60 seconds ; when wings and stabilizer may be folded back against the fuselage in less than five minutes without interfering with the adjustment; and when the propeller coupling is so designed that it may be urged off its taper by turning a nut between the coupling and front carlingu<\ Besides these there are innumerable neat points. It is a clever engineer's job throughout, which is more than can be said of some of the other machines on exhibition. Sommer seems to have lost himself entirely in the biplane he is showing this year. His last year's model was promising, but his present one —scarcely ! The Nieuport people, too, have not gone forward. Their present chassis is delicate enough, in all conscience. The pilot of their new model will, if he is not extraordinarily careful, find himself going tent-pegging. A glance at our sketch of their new landing carriage will set this point clear. Their workmanship, however, is superb. Henry Farman has undoubtedly gone ahead. His present workmanship is a revelation compared with what he turned out even a year since. Whatever some people delight to say about his ' Flight' Copyright. either side, SOME LANDING CHASSIS.—In the centre the all-steel chassis of the new 80-h.p. Ble'rlot monoplane. On those of the Morane-Saulnier and Caudron respectively, with detailed pictures showing how the suspension is effected. 995
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