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Aviation History
1920
1920 - 0011.PDF
JANUARY I, 1920 from corner to corner. In each bay the strip running in onedirection is single, while that running across it is split so as to_ accommodate between its two halves the corresponding "Flight" Copyright. MARCEL BESSON : Sketch showing one of the wing- tip floats of this interesting little triplane flying-boat m single strip. The pilot is placed on the left-hand side in front,and control is by wheel and foot bar. A central passage leads through to what in the military machine was the rear The two 200 h.p. Hispano-Suiza engines are placed in theangle between the Vee engine struts, and are supported from below by single undercarriage struts, braced laterally by wires.The petrol supply is automatic by two A.M. pumps forcing the fuel to a small gravity tank under the top plane. Thereare no petrol taps whatever in the whole petrol supply system. Marcel BessonThis constructor shows a very neat little triplane flying boat, fitted with one of the fine little 60 h.p. le Rhone engines.The two seats are placed side by side in the boat, and dual controls are provided. Although the machine looks verylightly built one doubts if the engine is sufficient for a two- seater flying boat in anything but a very smooth sea. Forschool purposes and for use over sheltered waters the machine should, however, be quite a handy little craft. Louis BleriotAlthough the Bleriot and Spad machines are shown on the same stand, we prefer to deal with them under separateheadings as the Spads and Bleriot machines are in reality totally different although built by the same company. OfBleriots there is only one machine, the Mammbuth. Photo- graphs of this giant have already been published in FLIGHT,and we have mentioned that we are not particularly enamoured of the design. The distribution of the engines so far apartcannot but have an evil influence on the contrdHability when one or more engines are switched off, and in this respect theMammouth is a good deal reminiscent of the ill-fated Tarrant triplane. The Mammoth carries 26 passengers in addition to thepilot and engineer. The passenger cabin is arranged in two stories, a sort of first and second class in fact. Access to thecabin is through a trap door in the floor, the trap door carrying a ladder which, when the door is closed forms a sort of rein- THE BLERIOT-SPAD STAND : Two views of the Bleriot Mammoth * Flight " Copyright gunner's cockpit, which is now occupied by the " postman."Along each side of the passage are placed mail boxes neatly arranged and easily accessible. THE BL.ERIOT "MAMMOTH'aileron balancer "¥Ught" Copyright. • : Sketch of the forcement of the fuselage floor. In section the body is veryunusual and may, perhaps, best be described by saying that its section is reminiscent of the shape of an ordinary key hole.The reason for this section is apparent on viewing the machine from in front. By keeping the lower part of the body com-paratively narrow the propeller tips have sufficient clearance without the necessity of spacing the engines too far apartlaterally. Above the engines the body is then made wider, as it is not in the way of the airscrews, and more space is thusprovided. The idea of the engine arrangement is, we believe, that in case of flying with something under full load, it ispossible to fly on two engines : the upper engine on one side and the lower engine on the other. In theory this may bequite possible, but in case of the upper or the lower engines both being out of commission the trim of the machine would,one imagines, be seriously upset. The wing bracing is of the type which formed such a prominent feature of the Spadmachines during the War, and although for the small Spad biplanes it was quite satisfactory one does not altogether likeit for a machine of the size of the Mammouth.. Boulton and Paul As already mentioned, the Boulton and Paul all-metal machine, P. to, is tYve maLcYime oi tYve SWN, iiom a. cotu II
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