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Aviation History
1923
1923 - 0052.PDF
JANUARY 25, 1923 GLIDING, SOARING AND AIR-SAILING Those wishing to get in touch with others interested in matters relating to gliding and the construction of gliders are invited to 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. FROM Capt. F. Warren Merriam we learn that he has been very busy lately erecting sheds for the housing of his gliders, preparatory to opening his gliding school at Whiteley Bank, Isle of Wight. The work of erecting the sheds is now completed, and the first of the machines is ready. This is the monoplane built for the Itford competition, but with various modifications. * "••..-* •'• • ; ,•"•*;" ••- ?_.;. i.:./ji : •"•• :7V;. THUS an extra seat has been fitted, and a set of dual controls for school work has been built. Another alteration is that the wing has been raised slightly so as to give pilot and pupil a better view for landing. The seats have been so arranged that the machine can be flown either solo or with a passenger. * * • ALREADY Merriam has had a number of enquiries from people wishing to join the Whiteley Bank School of Gliding, among them being Miss Brand, of Edinburgh, who is anxious to become the first lady pupil to learn to pilot a glider. * * * APART from the gliding school, Merriam is making arrange- ments for doing constructional work, and we understand that he is open to consider constructing machines to clients' own designs, and to carry out full-scale experiments on new forms of wings, new wing sections, etc. ": ]- -...-.- * * • •- ._ ALTOGETHER, the new gliding school is shaping very well, and it should not be long now before we learn that actual practical instruction has commenced. Merriam has an exceptional record as an instructor in flying power-driven machines, and there is no reason to doubt that he will be equally successful in the matter of teaching flying on gliders. We wish him every success, and hope that during the coming year the Whiteley Bank School of Gliding will prosper as it deserves. * * * THE date for commencing attempts on the winning of the Selfridge Prize being January 1 this year, it is now open to anybody to try, and we expect to hear of the first attempts shortly. Several new machines are being built for this competition, -while certain existing ones are being modified in the light of the experience at Itford. * • * APART from the general interest in pure gliding, several amateurs and one or two aircraft firms are at work on the designs of very light machines fitted with low-power engines. Reference has already been made in these columns to the design on which the de Havilland Aircraft Co. are at work. Recently, we learned of an amateur who is building a small light biplane, which is to be fitted with a Douglas motor- cycle engine. He does not contemplate making very extended flights, but thinks that quite a good deal of fun can be got out of such a machine. So do we. * * * LAST week we published under these notes some estimates made by M. Louis Clement relating to the power required for machines of this type. With an average total weight of about 330 lbs, the horse power required is around 3-4 h.p. Allowing for a slightly greater weight and a certain amount of propeller inefficiency, the actual power (as distinct from the thrust-horse power) should not be more than 6-8 h.p. One of the difficulties to be overcome is the lack of a suitable engine, but a good deal might be done with a " faked " motor-cycle engine. The result will not be comparable to the finished product, as fitted with an engine specially designed for the job, but much may be learned in this manner without a great outlay of capital. * • * IT would be useful, however, if an assurance could be obtained from the Air Ministry that the airworthiness certificate fee which is the minimum at present (£65) would not be demanded for machines of this type. Otherwise, progress is likely to be severely hampered. We have already called attention to this question in FLIGHT, but would again remind the Air Ministry that it is highest time something was done. * • • FOR the benefit of those who may have been under the impression that Thoret's performance of flying for seven hours was a " record," it may be stated that this is not the case, the machine having been fitted with an engine, which at once puts it outside the glider class. It would appear that the time has come for considering the low-power type, say with an engine of a certain maximum power, or better still, with a certain maximum permissible volume. Unfortunately, so little is, at present, known about this type that any restric- tions might hamper development. „„• ;.- - •••- •, -. THE STUTTGART MONOPLANE—1922 TYPE THE Flugtechnische Verein of Stuttgart has been interested in gliding for several years, and at least two complete types have been produced by its students. The second of these, known as the 1922 type, was entered for last year's Rhon competition, but with the spectacular performances of the Hannover machine the flights of the Stuttgart scarcely received the attention it merits. By the courtesy of Flugsport we are able to publish this week a brief description of this machine, based upon an article in our German contemporary by Herr P. Brenner, to whom also the drawings and sketches are due. The Stuttgart 1922 type is a cantilever monoplane, in which simplicity of construction has been combined with good aerodynamic properties. The general arrangement drawings, it should be pointed out, somewhat flatter the actual machine, inasmuch as they show a raonoo.oqvL& fuselage, whereas, in point of fact, the outer form is polygonal. Nevertheless, the machine is of very pleasing appearance, and shows a rather greater length between trailing edge and tail planes than do the majority of German gliders. That this fact has been instrumental in a considerable degree in making the machine answer her controls better is scarcely to be doubted. Aerodynamically, the cantilever monoplane wing is characterised by a very pronounced taper in thickness and a somewhat more gradual diminution in chord from root to tip. In order to facilitate transport, the wing is built in three sections, of which the centre portion has a span of 4 -8 m. (15 ft. 9 ins.). The chord near the fuselage is 1 -6 m. (5 ft. 3 ins.) and at the joint 1 -5 m. (4 ft. 11 ins.). The wing section is Gottingen No. 441. Constructionally, the wing is interesting, chiefly on account of the fact that a single spar is used This is in the form of a box, of approximately square section in the centre, tapering off to a rectangular section at the tips. This form of construction must have simplified the wing construction very considerably, as the box spar is not tapered in plan, and consequently the ribs could be cut out, leaving an opening in them of constant width, varying in depth only, according to the depth of the rib itself. The box spar is covered with three-ply, and it is stated that under the most unfavourable conditions (during a steep dive) the factor of safety has been found to be 5. It is thought that, actually, it is greater, owing to the fact that the front portion of the wing is covered with thin three-ply, which may be regarded as a D-section tube and which would considerably strengthen the wing, although it was not taken into account when calculating the factor of safety. The two end pieces are attached tu the centre-section by simple metal straps, and the centre-section itself is of somewhat unusual arrangement, in that only the box spar runs across the fuselage, the leading and trailing edges being cut away, and their place taken by a permanently built-up structure which forms part of the fuselage. The accompany- ing sketch will make clear the arrangement. The manner of attaching the wing to the fuselage is extremely interesting, and it would be difficult to imagine a simpler attachment. Four flat steel straps pass over the wing, and are secured by four buckles of the type used for fastening down magnetos. It will be seen that if the wing is a reasonably good fit in the root on the fuselage, the straps need only hold down the wing, which is located laterally and fore-and-aft by the shape of the cut-out portions and their counterparts on the body. 52
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