BREGUET BIPLANE
Only slightly known in the United States but well and favourably known in Europe, particularly in France, is the Breguet biplane, which made wonderful records in the French Army tests in 1911. A brief description will show the difference between this machine and others of the biplane type. It has won many prizes for its stability and lifting powers, and also has shown great speed. The framework is mostly metal and is so elastic that it gives under the pulsations for the wind, so that the machine is not so badly strained by gusts as the more rigid kinds. Also it is thought the elasticity increases its lifting capacity. Of the two main planes the upper one spreads 43-1/2 feet, while the lower one spreads 32-1/2 feet. They are 5-1/2 feet deep, and set 7 feet apart. The body and tail of the machine are made on delicate graceful lines, terminating in the elevation and direction rudders at the rear. There are no rudders, vanes, or other rigging out in front. The lateral balance is maintained by warping the planes. The propeller is at the front of the machine, and is of the tractor type, pulling it through the air instead of pushing it. In the latest machines a metallic three-bladed Breguet propeller, the pitch of which is self-adjusting, is used, but in others a two-bladed wooden propeller, such as is familiar in this country. The long body, or fuselage, as the framework of the tail is called, is enclosed on the latest types of Breguets in use by the French Army, greatly adding to its gracefulness, and decreasing the wind pressure.
There are several other makes of biplanes that could be described to advantage but space prevents it, and the descriptions here given serve to illustrate the principle of the biplane type of aeroplane.