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Aviation History
1921
1921 - 0290.PDF
APRIL 28, 1921 THE EIGHT-ENGINED CAPRONI TAXYING : Note the small flying boat on the left. set of triplanes. The passengers are seated along the sides ofthis enormous hull, and windows are provided along the entire length so as to give all the passengers a good view.The engineers can crawl along the twin fuselage from stern to stern in order to get to the engines and effect minor repairs.In proportion to the span of the machine, the distance between the centre line and the outer engines is very small, andconsequently it is hoped that the yawing couple in case of one of the side engines cutting out will be so small as to comeeasily within the scope of the rudders. These, by the way, are large biplane surfaces placed in the cellule of the reartriplane, and probably it is expected that they will make up in area for their absence of " leverage," placed as they arepractically at the stern of the machine, certainly not behind it. As regards lateral control, there does not appear to beany reason why this should be greatly different from that of the ordinary type of machine. Ailerons are fitted to all threesets of planes, and are so arranged that they act also as elevators. Exactly how this is accomplished we do notknow, but probably the ailerons on the front set of triplanes move down when those of the rear set move up, while thecentre set of ailerons retain their differential action as ailerons pure and simple. Whether this system proved effectiveenough is difficult to say. The trim of the machine, with the weight spread out longitudinally as it is, must be supposedto involve considerable forces, and whether the extra lift on one set, coupled with decreased lift on the set at the otherend of the machine is sufficient seems somewhat doubtful. Much of the weight (that of four engines at each end), forinstance, is concentrated at the ends, so that the longitudinal moment of inertia must be enormous. With regard tointerference between the planes, we are informed that this \ FRONT tOOO CUBIC FEET IOOOO lb OF MAIL 7OO CUBIC FEET 7O0»O Ib OF g TOB PEDOFS OF ieOO lt> EACH 8 BOMB5 "F &SOlb EACH CAPRON32OO H.P. THE CAPRONI TRIPLE-TRIPLANE, EIGHT LIBERTY ENGINES : Scale diagrams and enlarged view*of boat for various purposes. In the front elevation the lower plane only of the middle triplane is shown, in order to avoid confusion. The middle triplane, it will be seen, is on a slightly lower level than the other two.
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