THE SOMMER BIPLANE.
The Sommer biplane is closely similar to the Farman machine, but has the hinged ailerons only on the upper plane. Another difference is that the tail has but one surface, and the rudder is hung beneath it. Its dimensions are:—Spread of main planes, 34 feet; depth (fore-and-aft), 6 feet 8 inches; they are set 6 feet apart. The area of the main planes is 456 square feet; area of tail, 67 square feet; area of rudder, 9 square feet. It is driven by a 50-horsepower Gnome motor, turning an 8-foot, two-bladed propeller.
M. Sommer has flown with three passengers, a total weight of 536 lbs., besides the weight of the machine.