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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 1312.PDF
HUP military loads, and with the following crew, the range can be greatly increased ; 2 pilots and luggage 440 lb., 2 engineers with luggage 440 lb. ; 2 navigators with luggage 440 lb. ; instruments and wireless 660 lb. ; total, 1,980 lb. The machine is still capable of carrying another 13,400 lb. of fuel and oil (probably by sacrificing performance during the earlier part of the flight—Editor, FLIGHT), which is sufficient for a flight of 30 hours' duration at a cruising speed of 74 m.p.h., which would give it a range of 2,225 miles." Flugsport then gives a glowing account of the ease with which the Linke-Hofmann R II starts and lands, these operations being, it is stated, quite unlike those of ordinary large machines and more like the handling of an ordinary two-seater. It is also pointed out that during flight there is a marked absence of vibration. All control organs are running in ball bearings so that they are very easy for the pilot to handle It is said that on a cold day in January the machine was cruis ing round and round over the aerodrome in order not to lose itself, when one pilot put both his hands into his fur-lined boots while the other put his left hand into his pocket, the machine being steered in a circle by means of one hand. The view from the pilot's seat is said to be exceptionally good, owing to the high position, and the machine is very easy to land, partly on account of the good view, and partly because of the excellent gliding angle of the machine. "The passengers," Flugsport continues, " are accommodated in an enclosed cabin behind and under neath the pilots' cockpit, this position being one of the safest in the whole machine in case of a crash. All the main weights being in front of the cabin, the safety of the passengers is assured, and in the case of the machine turning over on landing, or striking with a wing tip first, there are no heavy engines or THE LINKE-HOFMANN R 11 : General arrangement drawings. OCTOBER 2, 1919 tanks to fall on them. At present accommodation is being provided for 12 passengers. " The risk of fire has been reduced to a minimum by placing all petrol leads and petrol pumps underneath the floor, where they are well away from any part of the engines which might give external sparks. A thorough ventilation of engine room and tank compartment ensures that there are no petrol vapours about, and any petrol leaking out of pipes, etc., flows through the bottom of the fuselage out into the open. " The undercarriage, which is of the same simple Vee type as that of the Linke-Hofmann RI, has proved to be immensely strong. During a landing in the snow the wheels broke through the thin frozen crust and sank into the snow as deep as 12 in., the machine rolling over two ditches and coming to a standstill without turning over. Although the snow was shovelled away in front of the machine it was not possible to move it under its own power, and a snow plough had to be employed to get it back to its shed. According to all the experts who witnessed the landing, any other machine would have turned over. It will be* seen from the above examples that the general reliability of the machine is excellent. It may further be added that not only can the machine remain in horizontal flight with only two engines running, but she has actually been known to climb on two motors. The useful load in that case was 5,300 lb. " The advantages of multi-engined machines with only one airscrew may be summarised as follows : The propeller efficiency is very high, owing to the large diameter and slow running. The drive is of the simplest possible type, with only three spur wheels, which makes for greater reliability. The machine can continue its flight with three or even two engines running. On account of the central placing of the airscrew the danger of breakage of outrigger or inter- plane struts—in machines where the screws axe so mounted—does not exist, and the head resistance is considerably smaller. The single-screw type gives less weight. For instance, a multi-engined machine with shaft drive to two airscrews on the wings has 10 spur wheels and 9 shafts. The single screw type has three spur wheels and four shafts. The engine power is only transmitted through one pair of spur wheels ; whereas in the twin-screw type it is transmitted through two pairs. This alone means a gain in efficiency of 3 to 5 per cent., or in other words, a gain of 30 to 50 h.p. The large propeller has stood up to its work splendidly, while, owing to its strong con struction, it is practically weather-proof. " A further great advantage is the simple two- wheeled Vee undercarriage, which gives small weight and also small air resistance. Springing is by means , of steel springs instead of rubber shock absorbers. The undercarriage is absolutely reliable, even in heavy landings, with a side wind. The wheels are so large that the machine can even taxy across small ditches. " The placing of the whole crew in the fuselage makes it possible for them to communicate with each other and to make themselves understood, which has the advantage of offering possibilities for reducing the number of the crew to a minimum. As there is only one central drive with four spur wheels, it is possible to build this so strong, without any undue addition in weight, that absolute reliability is provided. Even after allowing for a certain amount of patriotic enthusiasm, it would appear that the Linke-Hofmann R II is really a very serious attempt at improving the existing type of multi-engined aeroplane. 1314
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