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Aviation History
1916
1916 - 0240.PDF
the undercarriage. By suitably designing them they can, however, be made to perform yet another duty, that of streamlining the axle. Near the ends where they abut against the wood member these struts fit into an opening cut in the inner cheek plate at the lower end of the strut. In order to further prevent the hori zontal struts from shifting, they are secured by an angle plate to the struts of the undercarriage. This angle plate is extended upwards, and the extension provided with a hole for the diagonal bracing wire of the chassis. Sufficiently far inwards to clear the spool-shaped sleeve referred to above, the horizontal strut is shaped to a section resembling the front half of an ordinary stream line strut, while the horizontal strut behind the axle is shaped to a section similar to the rear portion of a strut—that is to say, machined to a sharp edge. By having the axle resting, when the machine is in the air, between these two transverse struts, the whole will form a fairly good streamline, and therefore offer no great head resistance. While on the subject of undercarriage, the question of tail skid will have to be considered. Since it is a little difficult to fit a tail skid of the ordinary type to the octagonal formers, I suggest using instead a skid made up of several laminations of wood, and to support it on two struts secured to former No. X (see side view of body published on page 57 of our issue of January 20th). The method I suggest for attaching the two stmts to this former is similar to that employed for the inner plane struts. The two struts are of rectan- "Flight" Copyright Attachment of front chassis struts to engine plate and longeron. gular section for the portion of them that is inside the body, and are sawn through transversely to accom modate the three-ply former, to which they are secured by bolts. The part of the tail skid struts that projects ® ® The British Rigid Airship. Rsr-LVINO to Mr. Brookes in "the House of Commons on March 15th, Dr. Macnamara stated that the rigid airship which was under construction lot the Admiralty at the beginning of the war was now being completed. MARCH 23, 1916. outside the covering of the body is shaped to a good streamline section. By suitably arranging the angle at which these two tail skid struts converge, they can be made to meet a short distance below the lower vertical fin of the tail planes. An inspection of the sketch " Flight" Copyright. Perspective sketch of lower part of undercarriage. dealing with the tail skid will, I think, explain the arrangement, which is easily made and should prove satisfactory in practice. At the front the laminated skid is attached to former No. IX by means of a steel clip, thereby preventing any tendency of the skid struts to fold or bend backwards under a severe shock. Should at any time the tail come down hard enough to bend the tail skid until it meets the rudder, the skid will have "Flight" Copyright. Analytical sketch of attachment of vertical and horizontal chassis struts to the short skids. absorbed the greater part of the shock, which will be nearly spent by the time the rudder reaches the ground, and there should, therefore, be little or no danger of damage to the rudder or bottom fin. (To be concluded?) ® ® The New French Minister of War. THE appointment of General Roques to succeed General Gallieni as French Minister of War should mean much for the French air service, as it will be recalled that General Roques was Inspector-General of Military Aeronautics in France until 1912. 240
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