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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0447.PDF
MAY IO, 1917. very considerably as regards size. A case in point is theflying boat known as the type H-12, which was illustrated in our issue of April 26th, 1917. In general arrangementthis machine differs comparatively little from the " America," and it has not, therefore, been included in our descriptions of" totally enclosed " aeroplanes to which category it naturally belongs. During the years 1915 and 1916 experiments Were carriedout in America with a highly original flying boat of the enclosed type, built by the Lawrence-Lewis Aeroplane Co.of Chicago. This machine, of which no detail information is yet available, has a main float or boat built of wood in theusual way, to which is added a superstructure of stringers and fabric forming a long cabin. The pilot obtains a viewof the surrounding country through windows in the side and nose of this cabin, and as the propeller is mounted highup, and the pilot is placed a considerable distance behind the lower plane, he has a fairly free view in practically alldirections. The engine is placed down in the nose of the boatjand drives the tractor screw through gearing. Thebiplane wings are remarkable on account of the fact that no system of lateral control, either warp or ailerons, is employed,the wings being apparently shaped to give a certain amount of inherent lateral stability. It has been announced that transformed from a weapon or war into a commerciallyuseful vehicle of the air, and without any very radical changes, except as regards size, the Handley-Page can be easily picturedas a trans-continental mail carrier of the future. At the aero show held at New York early this year therewas exhibited a Curtiss triplane, which aroused the greatest interest owing to the decidedly novel lines on which it wasconstructed. The Curtiss Autoplane as it was called was really a motor car with wings, and although there were those•who, at the time of the show, were inclined to smile and regard the machine as something of a joke on the part of theCurtiss firm, or at most a machine built solely for the purpose of creating a sensation at shows and in processions, a briefconsideration will suffice to show that the machine, in spite of unconventional design, is not the freak aerodynamicallysome critics suggest. The engine, a ioo h.p. Curtiss, is mounted in front under a bonnet, motor car fashion, and isprovided With the ordinary starting handle projecting through the radiator in the nose. A four wheeled under carriage isfitted, the front wheels of which are connected up to the controls in such a manner as to allow of steerirfg the machineon the ground at low speeds. Inside the limousine body are three seats, the pilot's in front, and two passenger seats sideby side further back. The upper plane is attached to a The successful Handley-Page biplane built in England since the outbreak of war and now doing extremely useful work. further particulars of this machine will be published shortly,and in view of the decided originality of the machine these will be awaited with interest.Regarding what has been done in this country in the way of enclosed aeroplanes since the outbreak of war little can, ofcourse, be said. As, however, the Germans are known to have captured one of the large Handley-Page biplanes practicallyintact, it may be permissible to give a few particulars of this very successful machine. Strictly speaking the Handley-Page biplane is not a" totally enclosed " machine, as the gunner, who is placed right out in the nose, and the pilot both have their headprojecting above the covering. Had it not been for the fact that this machine is being used for military purposes, therecan be little doubt, however, that it would have been totally enclosed, and when machines of this type come to be employedon commercial work in peace time, the total covering in will follow as a matter of course, the general arrangement of themachine naturally lending itself to this feature. It appears probable that in this case the pilot will occupy the front seat,and windows will be provided above, below, in front and on the sides, so that the view will be practically unrestricted inall these directions. For pleasure flying in peace times it would indeed be difficult to imagine a machine offering greaterpossibilities in the way of comfortable accommodation of passengers, while the weight carrying capability of themachine will render possible the transportation of con- siderable quantities of lighter goods such as the mails, &c.With only very slight modifications the machine could be cabane resting on the roof of the body, while the two lowerplanes, the bottom one of which is of shorter span than the other two, are attached to the body. The propeller is mountedapproximately on a level with the centre wing, and is driven through a long shaft from the engine. In addition to therear elevator which, with the other tail units, is mounted on two booms, there is a small front elevator projecting outfrom the engine bonnet, giving the impression of mud guards. At first sight it would appear that the head resistance wouldbe somewhat excessive, but owing to the shape of the body, a section through a plane on level with the bottom of thewindows would approximate very closely to a stream line section, so that the real resistance may probably be found tobe a good deal less than one would at first expect. Placed where it is, the propeller should coincide pretty well with thecentre of resistance, as it must be remembered that the upper wing carries a greater load than the other two, and that,although the resistance of the body is acting fairly low down, the bottom plane is of short span and offers but little resistance.The machine would have a very low centre of gravity, cer- tainly, but this has not proved detrimental to good flying insuch machines as the Morane parasol, and the centre of side area also appears to be quite low in comparison with the centreof lift of the three wings. • A constructional feature which could, we think, be improved upon is the method of mountingthe tail planes, which does not impress one as being any too strong. Otherwise the machine appears to us to promisevery well in many respects, and the Curtiss firm are to be congratulated on being first to produce what really seems to 447
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