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Aviation History
1915
1915 - 0038.PDF
[fjjCHf JANUARY 15, 1915. TRACTOR v. PROPELLER. By "FREGATA.1 MUCH speculation has been going on as to the probable changes that the lessons learned during this war will bring about in the design of aeroplanes. In every branch of aerial warfare—reconnaissance, observation of gunfire, fighting in the air, bomb-dropping, the transport of officers and men from point to point on the field of battle, &c.—much experience has been gained; but it is hardly to be expected that the authorities should publish broadcast, at the present moment, any such valuable information at their disposal. Hence any opinion that may be expressed by an individual as to the utility or superiority of a certain type of machine over another for a specific purpose, must necessarily be a personal one, and it by no means follows that such an opinion may not be modified when all the circumstances and facts are available and thus provide the possibility of seeing things in a new perspective. This is especially so in regard to the relative position of tractor and propeller types of aeroplane as fighting machines, which is often discussed to the detriment of the former, in my opinion, unfairly. Up to the present time, with comparatively few exceptions, constructors have concentrated their attention on the development of the aeroplane for observation purposes ; and rightly so, since it is in this particular sphere that the aeroplane has been, and will still continue to be, pre-eminently suc cessful. The fighting machine has not been neglected; but it has been given a secondary place, because its essential function is to combat the operations of the observation aeroplane. Now, in reconnaissance, speed introduces two warring factors. High speed enables the pilot to get from place to place and return to an assigned place for the purpose of transmitting the information he has gained in the shortest possible time. High speed also spells safety, since in the event of an attack from hostile aircraft, the scout can the more readily out-distance his pursuers. On the other hand, high speed, unless accompanied by a wide speed range, renders effective and exact observation much more difficult of accomplishment, and it may well happen that a reconnaissance may prove to be a positive danger to an army, if it is unable to discover the disposi tions of the enemy's forces. What is required is, a wide speed range—high speed, with the ability to fly slowly—and it is along these lines that such firms as A. V. Roe, Sopwith, Bristol, Vickers and others have been working with such excellent results. The result of their efforts has been to develop the tractor aeroplane, because, at the moment, this machine is superior to the propeller type of machine in regard t© its speed qualities, although signs are not lacking that in the near future it will be possible to obtain equally good performances in this respect from the " pusher " aero planes. And if this be so, the latter will have an un doubted advantage over the tractor machine, as it is the uninterrupted field of view which this type of machine possesses combined with its ability to fly slowly that have enabled it to hold its own and caused it to be so successful in reconnaissance and observation. When, therefore, the requirements of a fighting machine are considered, it is seen that speed is most important— the fighter is an aerial destroyer, and in consequence must be able to overtake its opponent. The tractor has the advantage in speed, but this is accompanied by the limitation of the arc of fire, which does not obtain with the propeller machine, and, since the fighter will always be the pursuer, this disadvantage would appear, at first sight, to be a vital objection to the employment of the tractor aeroplane in this class of work. The point is, however, of minor importance at the moment. Aero planes are capable of travelling in three dimensions, and the higher speed of the tractor machine will permit it to fly round, above or below its opponent, and to manoeuvre for such a position, that it is best able to deliver an attack with the minimum of risk. Many examples could be quoted, in the present war, where superior speed and climbing power have carried the day ; but the time will come when the propeller aeroplane will possess the advan tage in these directions, and then we shall have an ideal fighting machine. Indeed it is hardly too much to say that the fighting aeroplane must be either a propeller machine or a twin tractor, as that machine will be the most successful which can attack from the front. ® ® ® @ THE MOISANT TWO-SEATER MONOPLANE.-Ao interesting American machine, the general design of which, as regards the fuselage and planes, is similar to the Morane, while the under-carriage is of the Bleriot type, a combination which should prove extremely useful. 38
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