Learning to fly in the U.S. Army

by E. N. Fales

Fig. 5.—Details of Bleriot XI monoplane.

Bleriot’s Contribution to Aviation.—Bleriot experimented a great many years before he attained success and did so years after the Wrights had successfully flown. But when he did obtain success, his great ingenuity produced features of design which were a decided step forward. He added a body to the airplane and produced a machine which instead of being a pair of wings with various appendages, was a body to which wings were attached, giving a more shipshape and convenient arrangement. The motor, instead of being located beside the pilot as in the Wright machine, was put in the very front of the body ahead of the pilot where it was not likely to fall on him in case of a smash. This location of the motor entailed the use of a single propeller at the front, a “tractor” screw as it was called, less efficient than the double propeller of the Wrights, but better from the standpoint of mechanical convenience. The body of a Bleriot, which was quite similar to the body of any bird in its general arrangement, projected to the rear in a tapering form and carried at the rear a rudder and elevator. The motor, pilot and tanks were thus enclosed within the body and away from the wind. Bleriot’s contributions were then, better location of the motor, adaptation of the body or “fuselage,” elimination of the front elevator and substitution of the rear elevator.

Nieuport and Fokker’s Contribution to Aviation.—A further advance on Bleriot’s design was made by Nieuport and later by Fokker. The former utilized the fuselage principle of Bleriot and enclosed the whole framework, front and back, to give a stream-line form, and even went so far as to make wind-tunnel experiments from which he was able to choose a very efficient fuselage shape as well as wing and strut efficiency.

(From Hayward’s “Practical Aeronautics.”)

Fig. 6.—Nieuport monoplane.

Representing an advance in speed, due to covered stream-line body.

CHAPTER II
TYPES OF MILITARY AIRPLANES AND THEIR USES

Modern Airplanes Combining Best Features of Previous Experiments.—The modern airplane, of which the Curtiss training machine used at the U. S. Aviation Schools is typical, is a combination of the best features referred to above. It is of the biplane type for, as shown by Chanute, rigid trussing is thus possible, an advantage sufficient to offset the slight loss of efficiency which exists in the biplane. The landing gear consists of two wheels provided with shock absorbers; the body is of the general stream-line type, enclosed from front to back, containing comfortable seats for the passengers and enclosing the motor and tanks away from the wind. The motor is at the front where, in an accident, it will not be on top of the pilot. The warping effect is obtained by hinging flaps at the wing tips, the same effect being obtained while at the same time leaving the whole wing structure rigid and strong rather than flexible and weak, as was the case in the early warping type of machines.

Military Airplanes of Today.—In the modern airplane, therefore, we see that matters of efficiency, to which the Wrights gave great attention, have been sacrificed in favor of convenience, particularly in favor of power and speed. This is the effect of military demands for airplanes where power, speed, and ability to climb fast are vital requirements. To escape from or to destroy an enemy, high speed and ability to climb fast are, of course, prerequisites. Moreover, from the standpoint of safety in maneuvering it is desirable to have a reserve of power and speed. Therefore, the design of military machines has tended in a given direction up to the present.