Learning to fly in the U.S. Army

by E. N. Fales

Fig. 14.—Building a flying boat hull.

Note wing stumps and hydroplane fins.

Fig. 15.—Method of hoisting a marine airplane aboard ship.

The Flying Boat.—In the early hydro-airplane, which was thus developed, the motor and pilot were above in the usual position in the wings, while the hydroplane itself was a considerable distance below the wings. Thus there was a good deal of head resistance. Curtiss set about reducing this head resistance as far as possible and tried to incorporate the pilot’s seat with the hydroplane pontoon. The outcome of his endeavor was that he developed a boat with a tapering stern. The pilot, gasoline tanks, etc., are located inside of the hull; the tapering stern provides a backbone to which the tail surfaces can be readily attached; the wings fixed to the sides of the hull in a manner analogous to the wing fastenings of the modern military airplane; and the motor alone remains exposed to the wind. This is the flying boat; its action on the water is analogous to the action of the hydroplane for the bottom of this boat hull is made in hydroplane form; indeed, in the latest types of flying boat, the hydroplane area is increased by extending it to right and left of the boat hull. The flying boat is an ingenious combination, wherein the characteristics of the hydroplane are combined with the seaworthiness of the ordinary boat, and at the same time wind resistance is reduced to a minimum.

The hydro-airplane remains in use, however, being preferable to the flying boat for certain purposes, and often is termed seaplane.

Future of the Airplane.—In order to be commercially successful and have a commercial future after the war, the following weak points in airplane design must be rectified.

1. Motor.—Airplane motors are imperfect and unreliable at present and there must be considerable progress before this type of motor which is very light and delicate can be considered as reliable or can be made in large enough quantities to cut down the cost.

2. Landing.—The necessity of landing at considerable speed, say 40 to 50 miles per hour, requires a wide flat space, such as is not easy to find, and if the present type of airplane is to become commercially numerous, a large number of landing fields must be developed all over the country.