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Aviation History
1922
1922 - 0545.PDF
SEPTEMBER 21, 1922 Those wishing to get in touch with others interested in matters relating to gliding and the construction of gliders are invited io write to the Editor of FLIGHT, who will be pleased to publish such communications on this page, in order to bring together those who would like to co-operate, either in forming gliding clubs or in private collaboration. GLIDER or Aviette is a question which appears to be well to the fore at the present moment. In Germany there is, at the moment, a preponderance of the "pure gliding" school, while in France—due probably in some measure to the relatively poor results obtained at Combegrasse—there are many who maintain that we are on the wrong track in spending time and money on gliding experiments, and that greater progress would be made by studying the problem of mechanically-propelled flight with machines fitted with engines of very low power. M. Bleriot, the famous French pioneer, has no great belief in the future of the glider, but thinks that the " motor-cycle of the air " offers possibilities. He has backed up his opinions by offering a prize of 15,000 francs to the French pilot who, flying from the French coast, across the Channel, turning above British soil and returning to alight on French soil, has made the double crossing of the Channel with the smallest fuel consumption. To win the prize it is necessary that the petrol consumed must not exceed 3 litres (o-66 gall.). It will be remembered that M. Bleriot was the first to fly across the Channel (in 1909), and that his flight, made on the small Bleriot monoplane with a fan-type Anzani engine of 28 h.p., was in those days •quite as difficult a feat as is the one which he now demands from competitors for his prize. * * * GRADUALLY the durations established with gliders in France are being increased. Barbot, who, after the closing of the meeting at Combegrasse, made an unofficial flight of 9 minutes' duration, has now increased this to 20 mins. 31 sees. Starting from the Superbagneres in the Pyrenees, he headed into a fairly strong wind, and succeeded in remaining aloft for trre period stated. It is not known where he landed, but his starting-point was about 6,000 ft. above sea level. If the flight is homologated it will constitute a record for France. mm -AILING As we have received from a number of readers requests to publish particulars of some of the successful wing sections used on German gliders, we give below the dimensions and aerodynamic characteristics of the section known as G6ttingen No. 441. The dimensions of this section, expressed in percentage of the chord at stations placed at the stated distance from the leading edge, similarly expressed, are as follows :— Dimensions of Gottingen No. 441 Section Station (per cent.). 0 1-25 2-5 5-o 7-5 10 15 20 30 Camber Upper. 3-19 6-12 7-45 9-68 ii- 60 13-03 15-16 10-49 17-55 percent.). ^ Lower. 3-19 1 -06 o-53 O-II o-oo o-11 o-35 o-So I-60 Station (per cent.). 40 50 60 70 80 90 95 100 Camber Upper. 16-97 15-43 I3-56 10-90 7-80 4-26 2-32 0-27 (per cent.) —1 Lower). 2-48 3-30 3-72 3-72 3-24 i-88 1 -06 o-oo The aerodynamic characteristics were found by experiments in one of the Gottingen wind tunnels to be as follows :—- Angle of incidence. — 8 — 6 — 4 — 2 0 2 4 L, (absolute) 0-075 o-120 o- 200 0-275 o-34 0-42 0-48 L/D. 1-7 4-0 14-5 15-2 14-6 13-3 12-2 Angle of incidence. 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 L, (absolute). 0-56 0-62 o-68 °-73 0-78 o-8o — L/E 11.0 IO-O 9.4 a-5 7-7 6-8 5-8 RECENTLY we announced that it was rumoured that the «le Havilland Aircraft Co. were building a glider, but that EI E E E 13 E E The Record Breaker : Herr Hentzen, in the cockpit of his famous " Vam- pyr," on which he remained aloft for3hrs. 10 mins. This machine, as distinct from the Hannover "Greif," has a flat-sided fuse lage. EEEEEHEE E B m m m m E E E J3 E E E * E E E E CAPT. F, WARREN MERRIAM, who taught we forget how many thousand R.N.A.S. and R.A.F. pupils to fly during "the War, is, we learn, quietly building a glider down on the Isle of Wight. It is, we believe, our old friend Merriam's intention to enter the glider for the Daily Mail competition this autumn, and his many years' experience on the old "box kites" should stand him in good stead: after all, flying a box kite (50 Gnome) with a passenger behind you was not unlike flying a glider. If you wanted to get upstairs you had to make use of every little gust to help you, other wise the climb was not spectacular. We are extremely glad io hear of one of the " old boys " taking up this new sport, and should like to hear from others interested. we could not vouch for the accuracy of this statement. We now learn that, for once, rumour is true, and that the machine is, in fact, being built. The glider is to be flown by Capt. Heme, the Daimler pilot, and if it comes up to expectations he intends, after a few practice flights, to make an attempt to fly across the Channel on the machine. Capt. Heme has observed that even power-driven aeroplanes feel the up-currents over the cliffs along the Kentish coast, and he thinks that a light glider, by making use of these, could climb sufficiently high to enable it to glide right across the Channel. As the gliding angle of a good " sail-plane " might be in the neighbourhood of 1 in 16 or 1 in 18, the feat is not, perhaps, so impossible as might appear at first sight. 545
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