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Aviation History
1913
1913 - 0218.PDF
(T^GHT "Flight" Copyright. A chassis detail of the Vickers monoplane. fitted in front of them, so that they may suffer no inconvenience from the propeller draught. So carefully has this been carried out that when the machine is flying the occu pants can detect scarcely any wind at all. Dual control is fitted. The seats are arranged well forward in the body, so that the occupants have a good clear view over the leading edge of the wings. To still further increase their range of vision, Cellon windows are let into the sides of the body. An interest ing fitting in the cockpit is a Ciift anti-drift compass, which is mounted over a hole in the floor and by which the machine may be kept on a true course in a side wind. The landing chassis is of the central skid and double wheel FEBRUARY 22, 1013. motor installed, the machine has been timed to attain and maintain a speed of over 70 miles per hour. The 60-80-h.p. Vickers Biplane.—A very interesting machine, not only for the fact that, hitherto, the Vickers organisation have confined their attentions exclusively to monoplane construction, but for the great amount of thought and care that, it is evident, has been spent on its construction and design. Standing before this biplane, the first feature that arrests the attention is that there is a Vickers automatic gun protruding from the front of the neatly rounded Duralumin covered body. Then, even the lay mind can arrive at the principal reason why the propeller has been arranged at the rear of the machine—it is designed to have that position mainly in order to give an unobstructed range of fire in front of the biplane. The body of the machine, which extends forwards from the main planes, is constructed in a precisely similar manner to that of the monoplane we have just described. In its interior sit the passenger and behind him the pilot, both sheltered to a great extent from the wind by the neat metallic covering that is fitted over the body. Seated in front, the observer, and he will have to be a gunner too, has a perfectly clear view all VICK.ERS MONOPLANE DETAILS, struts are assembled to the central skid. " Flight " Copyright. -The sketch on the left illustrates the fitting by which the two front V-set chassis It also shows how the wing cables are attached. That on the right shows the tail. type."- Two Vs of stout steel tube support the body from a long ash skid, which is curved up in front and which is armoured by the application of Duralumin sheeting. Two axles, carrying the rolling wheels, extend on either side of the skid. Landing shocks are absorbed by elastic springs in tension. The wingi are built about two tubular steel spars cored with wood. Over them the ash ribs are loosely fitted in such a manner that continual warping of the wings does not tend to weaken them in any way. On the under side of the wings three stranded steel cables proceed to each spar, and these take the main lift. In a similar manner the wings are braced from above to a cabane above the pilot's cockpit. around him. The gun before him is arranged to swivel through an angle of 60° in both horizontal and vertical planes, while the ammunition is stored in a box, travelling on wires, beneath his seat. When the gun is not in use the ammunition box is in a position just over the centre of pressure of the planes; when it is required to operate it, the box is wound forward on its wire rails and brought within reach of the gunner. As we have remarked, the pilot sits immediately behind him, and he grips a double-handled vertical lever whereby he controls the machine. Still further behind, the motor is mounted, its lugs bolted to the top two members of the fuselage. The planes are made on a system which has little difference from that observed in the building of the Vickers monoplane wings. " Flight" Copyright. The 60 80-h.p. Vickers biplane. The tail is formed by the splaying out of the body at the rear to give a fixed stabilising surface behind which are hinged the two lifting flaps. On this monoplane, as distinct from the one that flew in connection with the Military Competitions at Salisbury, a vertical fin is fitted, which precedes an unbalanced directional rudder. A small steel skid protects the tail unit, but it is probable that it very seldom comes into play, for most of the weight of the tail on land ing is taken by the backward laminated extension of the main landing skid. Fitted with an engine of 70-h.p., this monoplane shows a speed of 63 miles per hour, and is capable of climbing with the useful load aboard of pilot, passenger, and sufficient fuel for a 3j-hours' flight at the rate of 250 ft. per minute. With an 80-h.p. Gnome 224 " Flight" Copyrigkt. The front of the cockpit of the Vickers biplane, showing the mounting of the automatic gun.
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