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Aviation History
1925
1925 - 0686.PDF
OCTOBER 22, 1925 i ! • 1 THE "AUTOGIRO Two views of the machine inflight. Note how the high tip speed of the windmillbeat our photographer. machine v.ras evidently under perfect control and showed no tendency to " stall" in the ordinary sense of the term Actually, when descending in a nearly vertical flight path, the rotating wings are, of course, following a helical path so that, although the machine itself is descending almost vertically, the lifting surfaces are actually gliding at fairly high speed, the only difference being that they follow a helical path while the machine itself follows a straight one. Shortly after the conclusion of the test flight a very dis- tinguished party arrived, including the Secretary of State for Air, Sir Samuel Hoare ; the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief- Marshal Sir Hugh Trenchard ; the Air Member for Supply and Research, Air Vice-Marshal Sir Geoffrey Salmond, and a number of other officials prominent in Government aviation circles, conducted by Mr. \\. Sydney Smith, Superintendent of the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough. Capt. Courtney and Senor de La Cierva briefly explained the prin- ciple of the " Autogiro " to an interested assembly, and Capt. Courtney then made several flights on the machine. On one occasion he came down in a very steep glide from about 600 ft , flattening out about 100 ft from the ground, and flying off again without landing. Throughout the machine appeared to be under perfect control. The action of the " Autogiro " has already been described in FLIGHT, but a brief outline may be of assistance, and may serve to fix ideas. The " Autogiro " is, in effect, a four-bladed airscrew mounted on an approximately vertical shaft, and having its blades pivoted around horizontal axes on this shaft. This " wiudmill " is not geared to the engine in any way, but is caused to rotate slowly by the air forces acting HHHHHHHH B H H H H H 13 m The "Autogiro," piloted by Capt. Courtney, making an almost vertical descent. H H H H H H E H H HE 686
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