FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0697.PDF
J0Z.Y 12, igi7« f/JIGHT The Fokker chaser biplane. 4 ft. 10 ins. respectively). There is neither dihedral angle nor sweepback, but a fairly 'large stagger. The gap is small, bringing the top plane down almost to the upper longerons of the body. A low cabane of the Nieuport type connects the upper plane and the body. The centre section of the upper wing is raised above the rest of the plane so as to give the pilot a better view and facilitate- getting into or out of the cockpit. As in the Halberstadt, there are two pairs of inter-plane struts on each side, these consisting of circular section steel tubes streamlined with wood fairings. ^Lateral balance is maintained, not by means of ailerons as in practically all modern biplanes, but by the now obsolete method of warping the wings, the bracing being arranged accordingly. The body is of the Morane type, of hexagonal section, with a slight turtle back, flattening out towards the rear. The rotary engine is overhung and partly covered in by an aluminium cowl. Above this and slightly to the right is mounted the synchronised machine gun. Occasionally two machine guns are carried, each slightly outward from the centre of the body. TWO-SEATERS (175 H.P.). Of these, a considerable number have already been described in " FLIGHT " from time to time, and there is, therefore.'no necessity to again deal with them here. Suffice it to mention that they are, for the greater part, of very similar design whatever the make, and are used for all sorts of purposes, ranging from reconnaissance to " spotting " and bomb dropping. Generally speaking the pilot occupies the front seat, having in front of him a synchronised machine gun ; while the gunner, who is installed in the rear cockpit, is provided with a gun mounted on a turntable for firing in various directions. To this class belong the Albatros C. Ill, the L.V.G., the Rumpler and the Aviatik. The Roland Two-seater. Since the early days of German aviation the L.F.G. (Luft- Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft) firm have named their machines " Roland," this being the name of their chief designer. The modern Roland two-seater biplane is similar to the single-seater already described. It is considerably smaller than the other German two-seaters, the span being only 30 ft. Both wings are perfectly straight, the top one resting on the roof of the body. On each side is a single inter-plane strut made of ply wood and of streamline section. This member serves the dual function of the usual pair of struts and of incidence wires. The planes are heavily staggered, so much so that the rear spar of the top plane is vertically- above the front spar of the bottom plane. Ailerons are fitted to the upper wing only, and are peculiar in that they are hinged along a false spar, forming an angle with the twornain spars. The Roland two-seater. The body is of three-ply wood, rounded section, and is so deep in front that windows have been provided for the pilot and gunner (who occupies the rear cockpit). The engine is a 175 h.p. Mercedes, and the armament consists of two machine guns and under the body four bombs placed longi- tudinally. The A.E.G. (Type C. IV). The Allgemeine Elektrizitats Gesellschaft build two types of machines—one a twin-engined biplane and the other an ordinary two-seater biplane with single engine. The wings of the single-engined machine, which, like all the A.E.G. machines, is built entirely of steel tube, are of 42 ft. 6 ins. span, so that the machine is a fairly large one. The wings are set at a small dihedral angle and also slope back slightly. There are two pairs of struts on each side, and the machine is remarkable for its exceptionally large gap between the planes. « The wings are built entirely of steel tubi, with the excep- tion of the leading edge and intermediate ribs. The ailerons, it will be seen from the sketch, are of rather peculiar shape, and form on that account a good guide for purposes of identification. Like the rest of the machine, the body is built of steel tube, and is flat-sided except in front, where it is covered •<wr
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
