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Aviation History
1918
1918 - 0795.PDF
JULY 18, 1918. REPORT ON THE FRIEDRICHSHAFEN BOMBER. [Issued by the Technical Department (Aircraft Production). Ministry of Munitions. '"* ••*' "• •'.' " "'::~ : - T*'' (Concluded from page 7 j 3.) if t Controls. ' .. Landing Gear.ONLY one set of control gears is fitted; but, as pointed out, As might be expected, the landing gear on this machine the seating^ accommodation is so arranged that any of the is of massive proportions. Two vertical streamline section wood-filled tubes descend from the centre section wing spars, immediately under the engine, to a bridge piece or hollow girder made of welded steel. This is shown in the photo- graph Fig. 46. Through an oval hole in this* girder a short axle carries two 965 mm. X 150 mm. wheels (38 ins. x 6 ins.). These work up and down against the tension of a bundle of steel springs about Jin. in diameter and made of wire approxi- mately TV in- thick. The steel girder is extensively pierced for lightness, and the edges of the holes are swaged inwards. The axle is prevented from moving sideways by plates, and is provided with short steel cables which act as radius rods' and connect it to the front of the girder. The whole of the box girder is covered in with a detachable bag of fabric, which extends up to the small cross bar mounted immediately above the girder. Mudguards are provided behind each landing wheel for the purpose of preventing any mud or stones dislodged by the wheels from coming in contact with the propellers. From the front and rear of the box girder streamline tubes are taken to the ends of the main wing spars, where they abut against the nacelle, and these diagonals are further braced with streamline steel tubes. Both the vertical and diagonal tubes are held in split sockets so as to be easily replaceable if damaged. In addition to the four main landing wheels, a fifth is mounted under the nose of the fuselage, as shown in the photograph Fig. 47. This wheel is 760 mm. x 100 mm. (30 ins. x 4 ins.). It is mounted on a short tubular axle, which is capable of sliding up and down slots in its forks against a strong coil spring, and it is also capable of a certain amount of lateral movement along its axle, also against the action of two small coil springs. The tail portion of the fuselage is protected by a fixed skid made of wood but shod with a steel sole. This is arranged, as shown in photograph Fig. 48, and is fitted with a small coil spring contained inside the fuselage. crew can take charge if, and when, necessary. The elevator and aileron control is shown in sketch Fig. 42. It consists of a tubular steel pillar mounted on a cranked cross bar at its foot. The ailerons are worked by cables passing over a drum on the wheel, whence they descend through fibre guides on the cross bar to another wheel mounted on a countershaft below, from which they are taken along inside the leading edge of the lower wing and finally over pulleys up to the aileron levers on the top plane. The latter are partially concealed in slots let into the trailing edge of the wing. The upper and lower ailerons are con- nected by means of pin jointed tubular steel struts of streamline section. It will be observed from Fig. 42 that a locking device whereby the elevator control can be fixed iri any desired position is fitted, and consists of a slotted link which can be clamped by a butterfly nut to the control lever. This link Fig. 42. Fig. 43. is hinged to a small bracket attached to the panel below •the pilot's seat. Fig. 43 shows the rudder control, from which cables are taken over pulleys and through housings in the nacelle and finally to the end of the fuselage. The cranked rudder bar is of light steel tube, and is arranged to be placed in the pivot box in either of two positions. It is furnished with light steel tubular hoops which act as heel rests and are adjustable. A locking clip is fitted on the floor of the cockpit so that the rudder can be fixed in its neutral position. A novel type of trimming gear is an interesting item of the control. Movement of the elevator control from the normal upright position of the stick is made against the tension of one of two springs which can be alternately extended and relaxed by means of a winch connected to them, as shown in the diagram, Fig. 44. Normally these springs tend to bring the control stick back to a central position, in which the elevator lies flat, but if one of the springs is tensioned by winding up the winch in a clockwise direction, the position to which^he stick will tend to come when released will be such as IP set the elevator at a positive angle. This winch gear, which is illustrated in Fig. 45, is mounted on the right- hand side of the nacelle, and is therefore under the command of the pilot's companion. The crank is furnished with a locking pawl, which engages with a ring of small holes bored in the plate of the winch. The steel springs used in conjunction with this apparatus are some 3 ft. long and about f in. in diameter. The inscrip- tion behind the winch reads : Nose heavy—Right wind. ; v" ~ ' •--.-..-•- Tail heavy—Left wind. ' - " — '>' •"" Fig. 44. Wiring. The whole of the wiring system on the machine is very neatly carried out. There are three main systems ; firstly, the ignition wiring, which is contained for the most part in tubes of glazed and woven fabric, secondly, the heating system, for which the wires are carried in flexible metal conduits, and thirdly, the lighting system, in which a thin celluloid protective tubing is used. Wires are run from th& nacelle along the leading edge of the upper planes to points level with the outermost strut. Here they terminate in a plug fitting placed behind a hinged panel. Apparently lamps are intended to be served by this circuit. Im- mediately in front of the pilot's seat a universally jointed lamp bracket is Fig. 45. mounted on the outside of the nacelle. The exact pur- pose of this lamp is not known, as it could not illuminate any instruments. Armament. Both the forward and rear cockpits are furnished with 793
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