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Aviation History
1914
1914 - 0038.PDF
QFUSHTJ as the upturned wing-tips of the Etrich and Handley Page machines. There seems, however, to be very little necessity of using these ailerons, for during a flight of about twenty minutes' duration on which we accompanied the D.F.W. Company's chief pilot, Herr Roempler, a careful observation of the ailerons revealed the fact that the pilot did not have to move them once during the whole flight. We did a steeply-banked right-hand turn only a short height above the trees just outside the track at Brooklands, where gusts and remous are known to be practically always prevalent, and we fully expected that here at least the ailerons would be called into play, but evidently there was no necessity to do so, for after com- k pleting the turn the machine gradually came M back to an even keel without the alightest move- m ment of the ailerons. Another thing noticed was j§ that on making a turn the " Flight " Copyright. One side of landing chassis showing mounting of wheels. machine seemed to bank automatically to just the right degree, for we did not feel the tendency to lean towards the higher side generally experienced on a machine where warp or ailerons are employed to increase or counteract the bank; the amount of banking must, therefore, have been at least fairly correct for the particular speed and curve. On landing, the good qualities of the chassis were demonstrated, for on running into a small mound in the ground the machine simply bounced slightly and alighted again without any shock. The chassis consists of two pairs of U-shaped steel tubes held rigid by a pyramid of four shorter and thinner steel tubes having their apex underneath the lower main plane where the keel of the fuselage rests on it, and secured to the U-tubes by steel clips. The chassis tubes are attached to the upper longerons by clips and bolts passing outside the tubes, which are therefore not weakened by piercing. Each of the two pairs of wheels is mounted on a short tubular axle, and sprung by means of rubber shock absorbers. Coil springs on each side provide for a slightly sideways ® ® With the Brlstols in Roumania. THE twelve Roumanian officers who were taught at the Bristol Schools last year and then returned to their own country to form the backbone of the Roumanian Flying Corps, have taught a large number of their brother officers to fly, and a good many are still being taught. The Roumanian Army has a full complement of Bristol monoplanes and biplanes, including some of the latest So h.p. tractor biplanes, which are always fully employed. Besides devoting or giving their attention to instructing pupils, these officers do quite a lot of cross-country flying. Capt. Popovici has made several trips of 200 miles and over, having a passenger JANUARY 10, 1914- travel of the machine on alighting. Instead of the usual radius rods, short stranded cables are used to keep the wheels in their normal position. In order to provide a certain amount of speed variation the angle of incidence of the tail plane can be altered while the machine is in flight. The method of doing this is illustrated by one of the accompanying sketches. The tail plane, which is pivoted round a transverse steel tube in the stern of the fuselage, is divided into two halves, and does not fit tightly on to the sides of the fuselage, sufficient space being provided to allow of the upward and downward movement of the tail plane. A short tubular axle, working in bearings in the sides of the fuselage, carries two short crank levers, which work in slotted steel plates on the tail plane. On this axle is mounted a sprocket wheel, from which a short length of chain and stranded cables run to an autoloc wheel mounted on the outside of the fuselage just behind the pilot's seat. By rotating this wheel the axle, which carries the cranks, is revolved, and the front of the tail plane moves up or down according to the direction in which the handwheel is rotated. To the trailing edge of this tail plane is hinged the elevator, which is of the undivided type. On top of the fuselage is mounted a small vertical fin, which has hinged to its trailing edge the rudder. 38 STEE1L W/RC "Flight" Copyright The flexible rear portion of the D.F.W. ribs. Leather edgings around all these hinges allow of easy inspection of the hinges, and in a similar way the fabric with which the fuselage is covered can be removed by undoing the lacing. A short rubber-sprung tail skid is pivoted below the tail planes. Stranded cables are used throughout for the wing bracing, The weight of the machine empty is 1,460 lbs. and its speed is in the neighbourhood of 68 miles per hour. With a supply of fuel sufficient for seven and a half hours' flight, and with pilot and passenger, the machine climbs about 300 ft. per minute, and its gliding angle 1 in 8-5. The machine appeared to require a comparatively long run before taking the air, but Herr Roempler. contends that there is no reason for taking a machine off too soon provided there is room enough to give it a longer run, and when required the machine will, we understand, get off in under 50 yards. Mr. Cecil E- Kny who is the designer and manager of the German Aircraft Works, intends either to erect shops for building the machines in this country, or else to arrange with some large armament firm to build them under licence. ® ® with him, and has shown himself to be an accomplished flyer. With Lieut. Pascanu as passenger, this officer in one of the So h.p. Bristol tractor biplanes, flew to Botosani and back, a total distance of 750 miles. Lieut. Beroinade reached a height of 3,500 ft. on a similar type machine, with full load and passenger, whilst on the following day he took one of these machines up to 12,000 ft., flying on this occasion for upwards of an hour. Lieut Pascanu made several fine flights on the same day, two of theni being cross-country of a duration of two hours each On December 21st, Capt. Popovici set off for a cross-country circuit and covered 83 miles in 50 minutes with a following wind, being at the rate of just over 100 miles an hour.
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