FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0245.PDF
MARCH 15, 1917. AT THE AMERICAN AERO The Curtiss AutopJane. THIS machine, one of the greatest attractions of the exhibition, constitutes a modern designer's idea of the " limousine of the air."' The body is a combination of motor car and aeroplane practice, aid follows very closely the lines of a modern TYPES. limousine or coupe car-body. It is constructed mainly ofaluminium, the windows being of celluloid. Elaborate up- holstery and tapestries are employed for the interior, whichaccommodates two passengers at the rear and a " chauffeur " forward. Right in front is a circular radiator, through whichpasses a starting handle for the engine, a Curtiss OXX 100 h.p., which is located under the bonnet. From the engine,power is transmitted through a shaft, extending to the rear of the body, to the four-bladed propeller located at the top.There is a pair of wheels fore and aft, mounted in a similar way as on the Curtiss tractor triplane. The axle of the front pair,however, follows motor car practice, in that the wheels are pivoted and connected to the control so as to enable themachine to be steered on the ground. The triplane wings are also similar to the triplane tractor, except that they are1staggered and the lower plane is of shorter span. The wing section is " F-2 " with an angle of incidence of 40 and adihedral angle of 30 to the lower plane. The top plane is attached to a cabane mounted on the roof of the " car,"whilst the centre and lower planes are attached to the body itself. Covered-in K-shape interplane struts separate theplanes, and interconnected ailerons are fitted to top and centre planes. The tail is carried by a pair of horizontaltubular outriggers attached to the centre plane. The tail surfaces consist of a rectangular horizontal stabiliser, dividedelevators, rudder and triangular vertical fin. Mounted on the bonnet, just above the front wheels, is a small plane. Thegeneral dimensions are as follows :—Span (top and centre) 40 ft. 6 ins., (bottom) 23 ft. 4 ins. ; chord (top and centre)4 ft., (bottom) 3 ft. 6 ins. ; gap, 3 ft. 3 ins. ; stagger, n ins. ; overall length, 27 ft. ; height, 10 ft.; width of body, 3 ft.6 ins. ; speed range, 45-65 m.p.h. ; useful load, 710 lbs. The Cooper Training Biplane. • . " ,,':•".-/•- In general design this machine, built by the John D. CooperAeroplane Corp., of Bridgeport, Conn., mainly for training purposes, resembles the Caudron tractor biplane. The wingsand tail planes have flexible ribs as on the latter machine. The single seater nacelle is also similar. As shown in theaccompanying illustration, the machine is equipped with two floats, mounted on the skids, but for land use these can besubstituted by Farman-type wheels. These floats measure 9 ft. long, 1 ft. 10 ins. beam, and 9 ins. deep, and each weigh46 lbs. Two tail floats are also fitted. A 5-cyl. two-cycle BURGESS-DUNK* \ The '• Automobile." N.Y.AT THE AMERICAN AERO SHOW Some constructional details. From left to right, top row : The I shock-absorbing device on the chassis of the Standard tractor; control-surface crank-lever on the;_ Thomas tractor ; the front steerable wheels on the Curtiss " Autoplane." Bottom row : The Witteman- Lewis bridge-type shock-absorber; tail-skid on the Thomas tractor; the rear strut attachment to thenacelle of the Burgess-Dunne seaplane. 245 F
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
