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Aviation History
1916
1916 - 0986.PDF
I/IIOHT successors which possessed outstanding differences in design or construction. • The brothers Paul and Pierre Lebaudy, wealthy sugar refiners, inspired by the success of Santos Dumont, com missioned a skilful engineer, M. Julliot, to construct a dirigible on more practice.! lines. With the help of M. Surcouf, a ship was completedjiby October, 1902, and made a successful trial NOVEMBER 9, 1916. known as the " Astra " class. It measured 203 ft. long by 34 ft. diameter, and had a capacity of 113,000 cub. ft. The Envelope was cigar-shaped, with a peculiarly shaped stern, which consisted of a small cylindrical projection having eight smaller cylindrical balloons arranged around it in groups of two, as" clearly shown in the illustration. These cylinders flight. It possessed several novel features, the most important of which was the attachment of the cigar-shaped envelope (187 ft. x 32 ft., capacity 80,670 cub. ft.) to a platform or keel, consisting of a framework of steel tubes, to the rear extensions of which horizontal and vertical planes were attached. Suspended from the keel, by means of 24 steel rods, was the car containing a 35-40 h.p. Mercedes engine driving a. 9 ft. propeller mounted in rigid framework on each side of the car, the thrust from the propellers being transmitted from the car to the keel by a rigid framework of steel tubes. For more than a year " Le Jaune " made numerous successful flights, until in November, 1903, after a flighfc from Paris to Chalais-Meudon, in a wind of about 18 m.p.h., it was dashed against a tree on landing and destroyed. It was re-built in 1904 and considerably improved, the envelope being increased to some 92,000 cub. ft., and given a rounded, instead of a pointed, stern. Stabilising fins were also added to the stern of the envelope, as well as elevating planes at the sides and midships. Known as the " Lebaudy," it made many ascents and long trips, under the eye of the French War Minister, until it met with a similar fate to " Le Jaune " in July, 1905. By now much valuable data had been obtained, and with the appearance, and presentation to the French Government, of the third Lebaudy airship, " Lebaudv" rebuilt, in the close of 1905, there started a regular output of similar vessels from the factory which eventually arose at Moisson. M. Deutsch de la Meurthe, a keen follower of the dirigible, had a small airship built to the designs of M. Tatin in 1903. It had a slim, cigar-shaped envelope, below which was suspended a long rectangular-section nacelle, with a propeller mounted at the rear. The trials were by no means successful, and so another ship, the " Ville-de-Paris," was constructed to the designs of M. Surcouf, in 1906. The '* Ville-de-Paris " was the largest airship, next to the Zeppelins, that had been built up to that time, and, like the Lebaudys, was the forerunner of many subsequent ships of a similar type, 978 took the place of the stabilising planes, built up of a fabric- covered framework, hitherto employed on dirigibles. An air ballonet—by this time recognised as being a most necessary part of the dirigible—and five valves (four were automatic) were employed. A long, rectangular-section nacelle was suspended by lines frohi two rows of strong canvas bands sewn along the envelope from nose to stern, just below the equator line. The engine, a 70 h.p. " Argus," mounted in the fore part of the nacelle, drove a tractor screw 20 ft. in diameter. The pilot and control gear were located almost amidships, and above the stern of the nacelle were a rudder and elevating planes. A series of mishaps dogged the pre liminary trials, but eventually, after minor improvements had been carried out, many successful ascents were accom plished. In 1908, after the first of the Lebaudy airships, " La Patrie," bought by the French Government, was blown away, the " Ville-de-Paris " was presented to the Government to replace her until a new vessel could be built. In the meantime, in England, during 1904-5, E. T. Willows had constructed a small dirigible. It had a cylindrical envelope, of Japanese silk, with rather blunt conical ends, and measured 74 ft. x 18 ft. x 12,000 cub. ft. Suspended below the envelope, by means of diagonally crossed lines, was a long triangular-section nacelle built up of light steel tubing. Mounted at the rear was a 10 ft. propeller, whilst in front was a pair of swivelling tractor screws, employed for steering the ship in a horizontal as well as a vertical plane ; no rudders or elevators. were used. The propeller and steering screws were driven by a 7 h.p. Peugeot engine located, with the pilot, somewhat far back in the nacelle. As the succeeding ships constructed by E., T. Willow's are of special interest, it may be as well to review these en masse before dealing with the other types of 1906. On the data obtained from the experiments with No. 1, a second ship was completed in 1009. This was practically of the semi-rigid type, for the envelope—which was much larger, measuring 86 ft. x 22 ft. x 21,000 cub. ft.—was attached to a keel of bamboo and steel, from which was suspended, by steel cables, a small nacelle. At the rear of the keel was mounted a rudder for horizontal steering, but steering in the vertical plane was effected by means of two propellers, mounted one on each side of the nacelle, which were made to swivel so as to give an upward or downward thrust. The engine employed was a 30 h.p. J.A.P. After many successful trips, including one from Cardiff to London, in 1910, this little ship was re-built, and (enlarged and improved) flew from London to Paris with a passenger (F. W. Goodden, now Major, R.F.C.). In 1912 No. 4 was built, and had the honour of forming a part of the British naval air fleet. Although of the same general lay out. No. 4 differed from the previous model in that the envelope tapered appreciably rearwards from a maximum diameter of some 20 ft. near the nose, and that the 3 5 h.p. Anzani engine, driving two swivelling 4-bladed propellers, was mounted on the keel above a " torpedo " boat suspended from the latter. The boat, carrying pilot and passenger, enabled the ship to alight on water. Originally a vertical fin and rudder were mounted at the rear of the keel, but later these were replaced by surfaces on the stern of the envelope itself. In 1913, No. 5, a similar ship, was con-
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