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Aviation History
1918
1918 - 0513.PDF
MAY 9, 1918. later, but while dealing with Fig. 3, we would call attention to the mountings for the two machine guns, which this sketch shows. Each gun, it will be seen, is supported on two fork end brackets, the front ones of which are rigidly attached to one of the top cross struts of the body, while the rear ones are so designed as to allow of aligning the guns. Each of these supports is in the form of a fork end mounted on the end of a tubular pillar, which is in turn held in position at its lower end by a split collar on the transverse body strut. This collar may be shifted laterally along the horizontal strut and locked in position at any desired point, thus providing for the lateral alignment of the rear gun support. The vertical adjustment is effected by the vertical displacement of the pillar carrying the fork end, which is locked in position by the vertical part of the split collar or clip. Having dealt with the general construction of the body, we next come to consider its internal fitting up. The pilot's cockpit, which appears to be of somewhat less generous proportions than those usually found by tour sliding collars, the upper two of which are split and fitted with a locking bolt, as shown in the inset, Fig. 4. This locking bolt is rather long, so as to make more accessible the wing nut which tightens up the split collar. The necessary adjustment is easily made from inside the body, both wing nuts being easily reached from the seat. The controls, which are shown in the central sketch of Fig. 5, consist of a vertical tubular control lever mounted on a longitudinal rocking shaft, and of a tubular foot bar for the rudder. The details of the control gear will be readily followed in the sketch. A large collar, to the top and bottom of which are welded the anchorages of the elevator cables, is pivot- ted to the rocking shaft by a horizontal bolt and is free to be moved through a considerable angle in a longitudinal plane owing to being so much larger in diameter than the shaft. The latter, which is carried in bearings formed by clips gripping the lower cross struts, is free to oscillate laterally, and carries near its forward end two cranks placed at an angle and staggered in relation to one another. From these Fig. 4. —The pilot's seat of the Fokker triplane' By means of the split collar and bolt arrangement shown in the in- . set, the seat may be quickly raised or lowered to suit the pilot. on German machines, gives a somewhat ascetic impression contrasted with the somehow cosy and comfortable cockpits of other machines of German origin. This may be partly accounted for by the fact that the body structure is steel tubing, but no doubt the chief reason is to be found in the inadequate upholstering of the seat, which is of the aluminium " bucket" type. The covering is some sort of pegamoid stuff, and looks on the whole " cheap and nasty." This appearance, by the way, is not confined to the seat only, but is noticeable throughout the machine. To finish, as we understand it, there is no pretence, and the workmanship, which is not, of course, by any means the same thing, although the two are frequently confused, even by those who ought to know better, is not by any means beyond reproach. On the whole we are inclined to think that the unfavourable impression left by an inspection of the Fokker triplane is due to bad finish and workman- ship quite as much as if not more than to poor design. The pilot's seat is so mounted as to be capable of being easily adjusted in height. It is supported on a framework of steel tubes, as shown in Fig. 4. This framework is attached to the upright body struts cranks cables pass over pulleys on the top spar to the ailerons. • ^' '• • ' At its upper end the control column carries a double- handled grip and the triggers for the machine guns, as well as the cut-out switch for the engine. The handle on the left is not, however, fixed in the usual manner, but serves, by being pivotted, for operating the engine throttle, via Bowden cables. Two triggers are provided by means of which either of the two machine guns can be brought into gear. On the front of the lever will be seen a bent steel rod which, on being pulled back, puts both machine guns into gear, thus firing them simultaneously. The connection is as usual by Bowden cables, and the interrupter gear is driven by a pinion engaging with the gear wheel that meshes with the magneto and oil pump drives. The gun triggers and other details of the control handle are shown in the inset in the bottom right-hand corner of Fig. 5. The foot bar for the rudder is in the form of a steel tube pivotted around a vertical tube resting at its lower end on a bracket under the floor boards and secured at its upper, after being bent back slightly, to the deck of the body. The pilot's feet rest in loops
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