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Aviation History
1913
1913 - 0179.PDF
FEBRUARY 15, 1913. particularly interesting. The front span is of generous dimensions, shaped from spruce. The rear span is a wide diameter steel tube. Over the spars are loosely fitted the ribs in such a manner that con tinual warping of the planes does not fatigue the structure. The ribs are built up of spruce webs and flanges, and where the spars are threaded through them they are thickened up to the full width of the flanges. To strengthen the planes agains: drift, they are cross- braced inside with /v in. stranded cable, and so that the tension of the braces shall not cause the spars to pull together and so bind the ribs, they are separated by adjustable steel rods. The landing gear is composed of two built-up skids, each a little over a foot wide, in the centres of which are mounted the "Flight " Copyright The 60-h.p. Grahame-White hydro-biplane. landing wheels. These latter organs each have two rims to the one wheel and are so designed to prevent the wheel from canting over sideways, which is, with a single tyre wheel, a very likely thing to happen with the method of suspension used. One of our sketches illustrates this point. The body of the machine is supported from the skids by 10 hollow spruce struts, the front two of which are taken straight to the engine bearers. The tail, consisting of a flat stabilizing surface 50 sq. ft. in area, two elevator flaps of a combined area of 25 sq. ft., and a vertical PEAR, . 9.*tfT.©*J ' "Flight" Copyright. The Grahame-White float, as s^en from underneath. Notice that the front section is fiat on the under side, while the rear portion is concave. rudder of 20 sq. ft. surface, is stayed at the end of an open girder construction, built up of three steel tubular longerons and hollow spruce struts. The top member of this girder, as will be seen from our sketches, passes through the propeller boss. The Grahame-White military biplane weighs, without passengers or fuel, 2,103 lbs., and is designed to carry a useful load of 750 lbs. With her 120-h.p. engines fitted, she is expected to have a speed range of from 50 to 70 miles per hour. The 60-h.p. Grahame-White Hydro-biplane is a machine designed to satisfy the demands of the sportsman who is inclined to take up water flying (7JJGHT and who does not necessarily want to be put to too great an etptftW in gratifying his bobby. The body of the biplane, a conventional girder structure, is capped by a flanged steel plate which serves as a mounting for the motor. To strengthen the last bay of Ihejttstlagi to withstand the situation of the engine, it is cross-braced with 5 in. steel tubing. The body construction is interesting in that it is so simple, so cheap to con struct, and forms so sound a "job." Four ash hmftttds art- used. The vertical membeis of the body are of nsh or spruce, according to the strains to be allowed for, while the horizontal cross-members are of steel tubing, a material which permits of a very simple cross bracing fitting being employed. Immediately behind the motor sits the passenger,sheltered from the engine blast bya transparent wind shield. At his back is the main fuel tank, which holds sufficient petrol to keep the machine flying for four hours if need be. Behind that is the pilot's cockpit, very comfortably upholstered. Both pilot and passenger are so seated that they each have a perfect vertical view downwards. The controls are operated by a universally- jointed lever and foot rudder bar in a manner identical to that of the 90-h.p. G.-W. machine. The planes span 42 ft. 6 in. and 22 ft. 6 in. respectively, and have a chord measurement of 5 ft. In cross section they are similar to the wing of the later 50-h.p. Gnome-Uleriot monoplane. For the internal construction of the planes, the front spar is of 1 section ash, while the rear spar, reinforced by a steel strip, is also of ash, but left solid as it is necessarily of lesser dimensions. Where vertical struts join the spars, the ribs are of the Farman IKJX variety. In other parts of the plane, they are built up of spruce flanges and 3-ply webs. The extensions to the top plane are 10 ft. in length and they are hinged to the central cellule that they may lie folded down when the machine is stored. Lateral balance is governed by long compensating ailerons, hinged to the backs of these extensions. Twelve struts separate the planes, the four centre ones, which support the body, being of ash, while all the others are of hallow spruce. "Flight" Copyright. The tall of the Grahame-White hydro-biplane. Floats.—Two main floats which have a "track" of 12 ft. 6 ins., are employed to enable the machine to alight on and start off from water. They are each 15 ft. long and measure at their maximum cross-section 24 ins. wide by 15 ins. deep. A feature of their design is that the first half of the float is flat on the under-surface while the rear portion is concave, having a maximum camber of 4 ins. Air is projected below the after portion of the floats, so that the machine may glide the more easily over the water, by tubes, about 2 in. in diameter, into which air is forced by miniature scoops (see diagram). The skeletons of the floats are latticed girders of spruce and ash. They are covered in the following man ner :—First, a number of strips _ir£\_.. " Flight" Copyright. The air vents in the float of the Grahame-White hydro-biplane. " Flight'' Copyright. Sketch showing how the chassis struts are attached to the interior float con struction on the Grahame-White hydro- biplane. 183 " Flight" Copyright. Diagram of the air inlet pipe of the Grahams - White floats. E 2
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