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Aviation History
1913
1913 - 0402.PDF
1/llGHT As may be judged from the fact that it has to carry this amount of weight, this biplane is by no means small, and its planes afford some 500 sq. ft. of supporting " Fliglu Copyright. Diagrammatic sketch of the pilot's and passengers' seats In one of the floats of the Radley-England svaterplane. surface. The weight empty is estimated at about 1,400 lbs,, and the calculations for the weight loaded were based on the assumption that the normal wing loading would be in the order of 3! lbs. to the square foot. Actual weights generally differ considerably from estimated weights, and we should expect the final real value to come out somewhat heavier than the above- mentioned figure. The tail is carried by outriggers in the usual manner, but is somewhat interesting in the comparatively small size of the fixed tail plane as compared with that of the "Flight" Copyright Three-quarter rear view of the Radley-England float. elevator flap serving as its extension, which would pro bably tend to increase the sensitiveness of the vertical directional control. Steering in a horizontal direction is carried out in the orthodox manner by means of two balanced rudders, carried by the outriggers and situated under the tail plane. Lateral balance is obtained by means of ailerons of large proportions hinged from the rear spars of the upper main planes. These various steering surfaces are operated by a control of the usual type, consisting of a universally-jointed lever, a backward and forward movement of which operates the elevator, and a side-to-side movement actuates the ailerons, which, by the way, are interconnected, so that when one is depressed the other is correspondingly elevated. The APRIL 12, 1913. rudders are controlled by a footbar in the usual manner, the bar, however, being practically unbreakable, as it is built up of some twelve laminations of wood. As will be seen from the accompanying diagram of the wing section of the main planes, these have a some what small camber, 2 ins. maximum, and have a maxi mum thickness of i\ ins. The angle of incidence is set at 3 degrees. The main spars, which are of " I " section ash, are situated some eight inches from the leading edge, while the rear spars, which are also of " I " section ash, are spaced only 31J ins. from the main spars, roughly, half-way between the latter and the trailing edge. The ribs, which are spaced close together at the inner portion of the wings, are built up of spruce with willow web-blocks, or distance pieces. Mahogany is used for the inner struts carrying the engine, while the " Flight " Copyright. Tail planes of the 150-h.p. Radley-England waterplane. others are of spruce, those carrying the outriggers being made hollow for the sake of lightness, and bound with fabric. The floats, each of which is connected to the lower main planes by three ash struts, have mahogany sides and white pine bottoms, while the floor timbers are of oak. Each float is partly covered over with curved decks of teak, and each has two water-tight compartments, either of which is sufficient to keep the whole machine afloat. The shape of these floats can be seen from our illustrations, and it will also be noticed that they are not stepped in any way. One of the most interesting features in the design of this machine is the manner in which the power plant is arranged. It consists of three 50-h.p. Gnome engines placed in line on a common axis and each supported on either side. Above the engines is a countershaft, which i | i • 1 ' i i * 6" " Flight" Copyright. Wing section, to scale, of the Radley-England waterplane. is driven by all three engines in common by means of triple Coventry chains of the roller type. The tubular countershaft is mounted on ball bearings, and is of very large diameter, and carries at its rearmost end a four- bladed propeller of about 9 ft. 10 ins. diameter, which is geared down to about three-fourths of the engine speed. 408
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