FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1913
1913 - 0367.PDF
MARCH 2Q, 1913. l/TJCHf is a lack of flotational stability. The most favourable case is when the weight is largely concentrated about the base of the triangle, as in a power-driven model of the tractor type. Apart altogether •from the question of stability, the rubber-driven models in general use (weighing as they do not more than a pound) are so light that they are quite easily, in a gusty wind, blown right out of the water, and naturally capsize. Mr. H. H. Groves' Burst Boiler. Having cut out the piece of steel tubing containing the burst, Mr. Groves has sent the same along for our inspection. None of the tubing seems actually to have been Droken off—but the outer wall of the tubing has "blown" out just like a glass tube bursts while blowing out when heated ; apart from this outer wall there is also an inner lining or section which seems crystallized and very brittle. The piece of tube was in the hottest part of the flame and near the steam end. On taking the plant to pieces to fit a new boiler—one of the tubes from the valve chest to the cylinders gave out and on exami nation—it was found that a crack had evidently been there for Mr. C. Houl berg's model, winner of band - launched contest of Olympia models at Hendon, from a photo by Mr. V. Smith. some time as the surface of the fracture was black for half the •circumference of the tube. Having fitted a new boiler and the damage referred, on running the plant one of the pistons broke up. This was repaired, and then one of the pins, which holds the crankcase cover on, came out. As Mr. Groves says, it is remarkable that all the parts gave out practically speaking at the the same time, like the " one hoss chaise," where every part was of equal strength, and after many years it collapsed all over at once. This particular plant is the one with which Mr. Groves has done practically all his experimenting, and that it should have endured so long clearly proves that there is nothing against this type of plant so far as shortness of life is •concerned. Moreover, in later plants, thicker steel tubing and additional strength in other parts have been employed. Model Club for Northampton. Mr. N. J. Dudley (35, Louise Road, Northampton) will be glad to hear from anyone living in that district, with a view to forming a model club there. " I know for a fact," says Mr. Dudley, " that there are a large number who take in Ki n-.iir regularly." Flight Golf for Paper Models. A correspondent writes us as follows! " A year or so ago the game of flight golf was suggested in these columns to lie playeii in the open with model aeroplanes. I wonder if anyone has tried the game in doors with paper gliders. Ouite an instructive and interesting game may be played in this manner:—Each player is given half a sheet of stiff notepaper, and makes a glider to suit his own particular notion, and then the game begins. Each player launches his model in turn, and endeavours to make it ' land ' on certain prescribed articles of furniture with the minimum number of flights. If it is desired to elaborate the game, it can be carried on through a number of rooms, or even up and down stairs, the numerous turns calling for considerable skill on the part of the operator in setting the rudder and warping the wings of the model. A small metal clip makes a very good weight for balancing purposes, as it can IK- slid backwards and forwards for balancing purposes, or duplicated, &c, if necessary. " Another amusing competition is the ' landing test.' This con sists of a circular paper target, say <) ins. 111 dianietet, upon which the competitors have to land their models from some specified distance. The player getting his model nearest the target in a given round scores ' one,' if it touches the target, 'two,' and if he lands clean on it, ' three.'" There is no doubt that both considerable instruction as well us sport and amusement can be learnt from the above. The game appear to us to be quite as well, or even better, suited for paper gliders indoors than with model aeroplanes out in the open, i.e., so far at any rate as one particular is concerned, viz., the alighting on some prescribed area. If we substitute for this a minimum numlier of flights between two places, say A and B, two or three miles apart, then a cross-country contest of this kind is about the most sportive that we know, especially if there be a number of tall trees in the neighbourhood. Each competitor is obviously accom panied by an observer, and in the case of landing in a tree, the next flight commences from the bottom thereof. Replies in Brief. G. A. 1'EACHE.—In reply to both your queries consult Mr. H. H. Groves, 18, Westerdale Road, East Greenwich, S.E. G. E. MAYO SMITH.—The results of the Aero Club's competition at Hendon are given in FLIGHT, issue March 8th. We cannot supply any further information than that contained therein. We do not at all agree with your remarks as to the model you mention l>eing rather of the flying stick type—we think the design of the model extremely good, and this opinion is shared by many others. ® ® ® ® MODEL CLUB DIARY AND REPORTS. S. F.astera Model Ae.C. (1, RAILWAY APPROACH, BROCKLEY). FLVING will take place thinweek-end at Blackheath, Mltcham, Kidbrooke, and Lee ; times as usual. ® ® © ® CORRESPONDENCE. 7he name and address oj the writer (not necessarily fot publication) MUST in all cases accompany letters intended )or insertion, or containing queries. Correspondents communicating' with regard to letters which have appeared in FLIGHT, would much facilitate ready reference by quoting the number of each letter. The Wlldeblood Patent. 1744] Referring to Mr. Mervyn O'Gorman's notice of my invention (No. 11,334 of 7th May, 1910) in his lecture on stability devices for aeroplanes before the Aeronautical Society on January 29th, will you allow me to say that, so far as it goes, the criticism regarding the possibility of trouble from the invention during a side slip is a perfectly just and useful one. Mr. O'Gorman, after briefly outlining my invention No. 11,334 of 1910 for "automatic lateral balancing planes situated on both sides of an aeroplane and having their outer edges rigid and the planes being otherwise flexible or movable in both upward and downward direction to a limited extent," says " if, however, side-slip occurs towards the left side, the right flap is raised and catches the air as before, thereby precipitating the catastrophe by increasing the lateral slope." Since the invention has for its object the maintenance of the lateral attitude of the aeroplane in right or left wind lines, it is perfectly true that if a decided side-slip were to be thoroughly established, the method referred to would tend to keep the aeroplane on its side slip course, provided there is no wind blowing at the time. As a fact, however, the arrangement tends to prevent the establishment of a side-slip, especially when a wind is blowing, and we know that a dead calm is a very rare occurrence and that the calmer the air the less danger there is of a side-slip due to the upsetting action of a side wind. The tendency to side-slip in present-day machines is, I Ijelieve, largely due to the use of the prevalent system of lateral control, which consists of the warping of planes or ailerons held at a positive angle to the relative wind, combined with a movement of the rudder to overcome the difficulty, imparted by the former manoeuvre, of a consequent back drag on the wrong, i.e., the lower, side of the aeroplane. This tendency to side-slip may be overcome by the adoption of negative angle balancing planes, worked independ ently, which it was the object of my invention No. 6642 of i6tb March 1910, to introduce, and which has received the support of the technical editor of FLIGHT, and other writers, and in I)r. Hankin's observations of bird flight in India. There are other methods of preventing side-slip such as a high fin, though this has the disadvantage of presenting a target to a side wind gust. But it is, I think, fairly certain that within a very short time an aeroplane will be evolved which cannot develop a dangerous side slip any more than a bird can. Assuming, however, that I am wrong in this supposition, it would be a perfectly simple matter to throw my lateral wing tip feathers, with their outer quills and their inner flexible planes, out of action in the unusual event of a side slip, and oddly enough I had recently anticipated the possible objection and designed a method of not only doing this, but of 373
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
