FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1915
1915 - 0393.PDF
THE THOMAS FLYING BOAT. SOME little time ago we published a description and scale drawings of the Thomas military tractor biplane, which had done so well in its preliminary trials. A few particu lars and the accompanying illustrations of a flying boat built by this same enterprising firm are now to hand. It should be stated at the outset that this flying boat is not (SPORTING TYPE.) by two pairs of vertical interplane struts on each side. The weight of the top plane extension is taken by H»0 struts sloping outwards to a point near the tip, and attached at their lower ends to the bottom plane at the point where the outer pair of struts are secured. The engine—a 90 h.p. Austro-l >aimler—is mounted on a Tbree-quarter front view of the Thomas flying boat. by any means the first to be turned out by the Thomas factory, which is now situated at Ithaca, N.Y., on Lake Cayuga. As a matter of fact, Messrs. Thomas Brothers have had several years of experience in the construction of this type of craft. In its general arrangement the Thomas flying boat structure of steel tubes slightly more than half-way up between the planes. It is started in the usual way by means of a starting handle projecting out in front and within easy reach of pilot or passenger. As is the usual practice in flying boat design, the propeller is placed at the rear of the planes. The trailing edge of the top Three-quarter rear view of the Thomas flying boat. does not represent any radical departure from usual practice, but when one comes to look into the construc tion several innovations are to be found. The main Planes, of which the upper one possesses a considerable overhang, are rectangular in plan form, and are separated plane has been cut away in the centre up to the rear spar to give clearance for the propeller. A small petrol service tank having the shape of a somewhat deeply cambered aerofoil is mounted on top of the upper plane, and petrol is fed to the carburettor from this tank by 393
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
