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Aviation History
1924
1924 - 0467.PDF
JULY 24, 1924 THE UDET " KOLIBRI " LIGHT 'PLANE: This German machine is fitted with a 500 c.c. Douglas engine. AThe three-quarter front view gives a good idea of the general design. A flight of more than two hours' duration has been made on the " Kolibri." Angouleme, a distance of 253 kms. (153*3 miles). From Angouleme a course will be laid for Pornichet, south of the mouth of the Loire and about 30 miles west of Nantes. This stage measures 261 kms. (163 miles). The seventh stage, from Pornichet to Tours, is of 228 kms. (142-5 miles), while the last stage, from Tours to Buc, is only 187 kms. (116-8 miles). The total distance of the Tour de France is 1,807 kms. (about 1,130 miles), but as a day is free in between stages for repairs and overhauls, there is little doubt that most of the 15 machines entered should be able to get round. THE eliminating trials will be held at Buc on July 24, 25 and 26. The start from Buc will take place on Sunday, July 27, with subsequent starts from the turning points as follows :—Clermont-Ferrand, July 29 ; Valence, July 31 ; Nimes, August 2 ; Toulouse, August 4 ; Angouleme, August 6 ; Pornichet, August 8 ; Tours, August 10. In each case the official starting-time is 7 a.m. and any time spent by competitors after that hour will be counted as flying time. Fifteen entries have been received, but possibly some of these may fail to put in an appearance, while it seems possible that one or two may fail to pass the eliminating trials. * * * THERE is a considerable amount of surprise on this side of the Channel at the entry of the A.N.EC. monoplane with 696 c.c. Blackburne engine as a Bleriot machine, to be flown by a French pilot. It is generally considered in aviation circles over here that this monoplane should, in all fairness, have been entered as a British machine, and should have been flown by a British pilot. The machine was, it will be remembered, designed by Mr. Shackleton and built last year by the Air Navigation and Engineering Co. of Addlestone for the Lympne competitions, at which it did surprisingly well, tvin'g with the " Wren " for mileage per gallon and winning the altitude competition, while being but little slower on speed tests than the Parnall " Pixie." As the Blackburne engine is of verv much smaller capacity than that allowed in the French competition, it will be greatly to the credit of all concerned should the A.NEC. win the Tour de France. AFTER a long delay in starting it begins to look as if Germany is at last going to make an effort with low-power machines. Recently several have been produced which more or less fall into the light 'plane class as the term is now understood in this country. One of the latest machines of this type to come to our notice is the Udet " Kolibri," designed and built by the Udet Aircraft Works of Munich. This machine, which is illustrated by the accompanying photographs, is a parasol monoplane with Douglas engine (500 c.c.). At the moment but few particulars are available, but, at any rate, it seems to be established that the machine has quite a good performance, and that some time ago it established a duration " record " by remaining aloft for a little over two hours. * * * IN general design the Udet " Kolibri " is of typical Udet appearance, with its cantilever wing and clean fuselage. The Douglas engine is neatly cowled-in, with only the cylinder heads and exhaust pipes projecting. The fuselage is a ply wood covered structure, with a small door on the port side giving access to the cockpit, which is situated between the wing spar supports. These are in the form of tripods for the front spar, a la Fokker, and small vees for the rear spar. The under-carriage is of very simple type, and would appear to have rather a narrow track for a wing placed high as it is in the Udet U-9. The monoplane wing is of wood con struction, and can be rapidly dismantled for transport, when the machine can be towed by a motor-car or even by a motor cycle, by placing the tail skid on the carrier. * * * THE main dimensions and other characteristics of the Udet "Kolibri" are as follows: Length o.a., 5-47 metres (17 ft. 11 ins.) ; wing span, 10 m. (32 ft. 10 ins.) ; height, 1-82 m. (5 ft. 11 ins.); wing area, 12-5 sq. m. (134-5 sq. ft.) ; weight emptv, 150 kgs. (330 lbs.) ; useful load (pilot, fuel for 4 hours, and 5 kgs. of luggage), 100 kgs. (220 lbs.) ; total loaded weight, 250 kgs. (550 lbs.). The maximum speed is given as 120 km.'h. (75 m.p.h.), and the stalling speed as 50 km./h. (31-3 m.p.h.). The climb is stated to be 1,000 metres (3,2S0 ft.) in 8 mins. It is expected that the " Kolibri " will be marketed at about 6,000 gold marks. THE SHORT "LIGHT 'PLANE TWQ-SEATER Bristol "Cherub" Engine b ^JtL-tZ GRADUALLY the machines being built for this years light 'plane competitions at Lympne are beginning to take form. We believe that three or four are almost finished, and are only waiting for engines, while others are in various stages of progress, ranging from those designed but the construction of which has not been begun, to those nearing completion. By the courtesv of Short Brothers oi Rochester, we are able to lay before our readers this week the first illustrated description to" be published of the Short monoplane two-seater, which this firm has designed and is constructing at their Rochester works. The Short light 'plane two-seater is an ordinary monoplane, if by " ordinary " one understands a monoplane in which the wing is neither of the " parasol " nor of the " low " type. Apart from the fact that the machine is a cantilever mono plane, i.e., without external wing bracing, the Short machine is of interest on account of the fact that the fuselage is built entirely of Duralumin, following the same method that has been successfully employed in the Short " Silver Streak," " Springbok," and, more" recently, in the little twin-engined light flying boat described and illustrated in FLIGHT on April 17, 1924. By this form of construction, originated by Mr. Oswald Short, the outer covering, which is of Duralumin sheet, is riveted to circular or elliptical rings of L-section which form the " frames " of the structure, the outer covering or planking resisting the stresses, assisted by longitudinal stiffening strips, which do not, however, run through from end to end, but are interrupted at the frames. In the two- 467
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