Flying Machines Today
“Hitherto aviation has been almost monopolized by that much-overpraised and much-overtrusted person, ‘the practical man.’ It is much in need of the services of the theorist—the engineer with his mathematical calculations of how a flying machine ought to be built and of how the material used in its construction should be distributed to give the greatest possible amount of strength and efficiency.”
—From the New York Times , January 16, 1911.
FLYING MACHINES TODAY
WILLIAM DUANE ENNIS
Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn
123 ILLUSTRATIONS
NEW YORK
D. VAN NOSTRAND COMPANY
William D. Ennis
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FLYING MACHINES TODAY
Introductory Note
Frontispiece - The Fall of Icarus
Copyright Page
Dedication Page
PREFACE
CONTENTS
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
THE DELIGHTS AND DANGERS OF FLYING
The Dangers of Aviation
What It Is Like to Fly
SOARING FLIGHT BY MAN
What Holds It Up?
Why so Many Sails?
Steering
TURNING CORNERS
What Happens When Making a Turn
Lateral Stability
Wing Warping
Automatic Control
The Gyroscope
Wind Gusts
AIR AND THE WIND
Sailing Balloons
Field and Speed
GAS AND BALLAST
Buoyancy in Air
Ascending and Descending
The Ballonet
The Equilibrator
DIRIGIBLE BALLOONS AND OTHER KINDS
Shapes
Dimensions
Fabrics
Framing
Keeping the Keel Horizontal
Stability
Rudders and Planes
Arrangement and Accessories
Amateur Dirigibles
The Fort Omaha Plant
Balloon Progress
THE QUESTION OF POWER
Resistance of Aeroplanes
Resistance of Dirigibles
Independent Speed and Time Table
The Cost of Speed
The Propeller
GETTING UP AND DOWN: MODELS AND GLIDERS: AEROPLANE DETAILS
Launching
Descending
Gliders
Models
Some Details: Balancing
Weights
Miscellaneous
The Things to Look After
SOME AEROPLANES—SOME ACCOMPLISHMENTS
THE POSSIBILITIES IN AVIATION
The Case of the Dirigible
The Orthopter
The Helicopter
Composite Types
What is Promised
AERIAL WARFARE
Footnotes
Van Nostrand Books on Aeronautics
Transcriber's Note
