Flying Machines: construction and operation Part 21

New York to Philadelphia Race.--The first intercity aeroplane race ever held in the United States was started from New York City on August 5, and finished in Philadelphia the same day. The prize of $5,000 was offered by a commercial concern with stores in the two cities: Three entrants competed from the Curtiss Exhibition Company. The distance was approximately 83 miles and won by L. Beachey in a Curtiss machine in 1h.

50m. at an average speed of 45 miles per hour.

Tri-State Race.--The tri-state race was the feature event of the Harvard Aviation Society meet held at Squantum, Ma.s.s., August 26 to September 6. It was held Labor Day, September 4, over a course of 174 miles, from Boston to Nashua to Worcester to Providence to Boston. Four compet.i.tors started, of which two finished, the winner, E. Ovington, in a Bleriot machine. Ovington's net flying time, 3h. 6m. 22 1-5s. Winner's prize, $10,000.

AEROPLANES AND DIRIGIBLE BALLOONS IN WARFARE.

Wonderful progress has been made in the development of the aeroplane in this country and in Europe since 1903, and within the last two or three years the leading powers of the world have entered upon extensive tests and experiments to determine its availability and usefulness in land and naval warfare.

At the present time all the great powers are building or purchasing aeroplanes on an extensive scale. They have established government schools for the instruction of their army and navy officers and for experimental work. So-called "Airs.h.i.+p Fleets" have been constructed and placed in commission as auxiliaries to the armies and navies. The fleets of France and Germany are about equal and are larger by far than those of any of the other powers. The length of the dirigibles composing these fleets runs from 150 to 500 feet; they are equipped with engines of from 50 to 500 horse-power, with a rate of speed ranging from 20 to 30 miles per hour. Their approximate range is from 200 to 900 miles; the longest actual run (made by the Zeppelin II, Germany) is 800 miles.

A British naval airs.h.i.+p, one of the largest yet built, was completed last summer. It has cost over $200,000, and it was in course of designing and construction two years. It is 510 feet long; can carry 22 persons, and has a lift of 21 tons.

The relative value of the dirigible balloon and the aeroplane in actual war is yet to be determined. The dirigible is considered to be the safer, yet several large balloons of this cla.s.s in Germany and France have met with disaster, involving loss of lives. The capacity of the dirigible for longer flights and its superior facilities for carrying apparatus and operators for wireless telegraphy are distinct advantages.

There has not yet been much opportunity to test the airs.h.i.+p in actual warfare. The aeroplane has been used by the Italians in Tripoli for scouting and reconnoitering and is said to have justified expectations.

On several occasions the Italian military aviators followed the movements of the enemy, in one instance as far as forty miles inland. At the time of the attack by the Turks a skillful aeroplane reconnaissance revealed the approach of a large Turkish force, believed to be at the time sixty miles away in the mountains.

Aeroplanes and airs.h.i.+ps, as they exist today, would doubtless render very valuable service in a time of war, both over land and water, in scouting, reconnoitering, carrying dispatches, and as some experts believe, in locating submarines and mines placed by the enemy in channels of exits from ports. A "coast aeroplane" could fly out 30 or 40 miles from land, and rising to a great height, descry any hostile s.h.i.+ps on the distant horizon, observe their number, strength, formation and direction, and return within two hours with a report to obtain which would require several swift torpedo-boat destroyers and a much greater time. The question as to whether it would be practicable to bombard an enemy on land or sea with explosive bombs dropped or discharged from flying machines or airs.h.i.+ps, is one which is much discussed but hardly yet determined.

Aeroplanes have been constructed with floats in the place of runners and several attempts have been made, in some cases successfully, to light with them on and to rise from the water. Mr. Curtiss did this at San Francisco, in January, 1911. Attempts have also been made with the aeroplane to alight on and to take flight from the deck of a wars.h.i.+p.

Toward the end of 1910 Aviator Ely flew to land from the cruiser Birmingham, and in January, 1911, he flew from land and alighted on the cruiser Pennsylvania. But in these cases special arrangements were made which would be hardly practicable in a time of actual war.

In November, 1911, a test was made at Newport, R. I., by Lieut. Rodgers, of the navy, of a "hydro-areoplane" as an auxiliary to a battles.h.i.+p. The idea of the test was to alight alongside of the s.h.i.+p, hoist the machine aboard, put out to sea and launch the machine again with the use of a crane. Lieut. Rodgers came down smoothly alongside the Ohio, his machine was easily drawn aboard with a crane, and the Ohio steamed down to the open sea, where it was blowing half a gale. But, owing to the misjudgment of the s.h.i.+p's headway, one of the wings of the machine when it struck the water after being released from the crane, went under the water and was snapped off. Lieut. Rodgers was convinced that this method was too risky and that some other must be devised.

CHAPTER XXVIII. GLOSSARY OF AERONAUTICAL TERMS.

Aerodrome.--Literally a machine that runs in the air. Aerofoil.--The advancing transverse section of an aeroplane.

Aeroplane.--A flying machine of the glider pattern, used in contra-distinction to a dirigible balloon.

Aeronaut.--A person who travels in the air.

Aerostat.--A machine sustaining weight in the air. A balloon is an aerostat.

Aerostatic.--Pertaining to suspension in the air; the art of aerial navigation.

Ailerons.--Small stabilizing planes attached to the main planes to a.s.sist in preserving equilibrium.

Angle of Incidence.--Angle formed by making comparison with a perpendicular line or body.

Angle of Inclination.--Angle at which a flying machine rises. This angle, like that of incidence, is obtained by comparison with an upright, or perpendicular line.

Auxiliary Planes.--Minor plane surfaces, used in conjunction with the main planes for stabilizing purposes.

Biplane.--A flying-machine of the glider type with two surface planes.

Blade Twist.--The angle of twist or curvature on a propeller blade.

Cambered.--Curve or arch in plane, or wing from port to starboard.

Cha.s.sis.--The under framework of a flying machine; the framework of the lower plane.

Control.--System by which the rudders and stabilizing planes are manipulated.

Dihedral.--Having two sides and set at an angle, like dihedral planes, or dihedral propeller blades.

Dirigible.--Obedient to a rudder; something that may be steered or directed.

Helicopter.--Flying machine the lifting power of which is furnished by vertical propellers.

Lateral Curvature.--Parabolic form in a transverse direction.

Lateral Equilibrium or Stability.--Maintenance of the machine on an even keel transversely. If the lateral equilibrium is perfect the extreme ends of the machine will be on a dead level.

Longitudinal Equilibrium or Stability.--Maintenance of the machine on an even keel from front to rear.

Monoplane.--Flying machine with one supporting, or surface plane.

Multiplane.--Flying machine with more than three surface planes.

Ornithopter.--Flying machine with movable bird-like wings.

Parabolic Curves.--Having the form of a parabola--a conic section.

Pitch of Propeller Blade.--See "Twist."

Ribs.--The pieces over which the cloth covering is stretched.

Spread.--The distance from end to end of the main surface; the transverse dimension.

Stanchions.--Upright pieces connecting the upper and lower frames.

Struts.--The pieces which hold together longitudinally the main frame beams.

Superposed.--Placed one over another.

Surface Area.--The amount of cloth-covered supporting surface which furnishes the sustaining quality.

Sustentation.--Suspension in the air. Power of sustentation; the quality of sustaining a weight in the air.

Triplane.--Flying machine with three surface planes.

Thrust of Propeller.--Power with which the blades displace the air.

Width.--The distance from the front to the rear edge of a flying machine.