PLATE XXIV.
A Wright Model Ready for Flight.
Although nearly all the aëroplanes, nowadays, are mounted on ordinary bicycle wheels, the Wrights prefer a simple system of skids, not unlike the runners of a sleigh. One of the great advantages of the skids is the fact that they take up the shock on landing more completely than wheels and protect the machine from many a hard bump.
The airship rests on a small frame mounted on two wheels, placed tandem, and is balanced on a small trolley which runs along a rail about twenty-five feet in length. It is started by the pull of a rope attached to a 1500 pound weight, which drops from a derrick fifteen feet in height. When everything is ready, the temporary wheels are taken away, the rope is attached, and finally the weight released. The machine glides swiftly down the track, and when the necessary speed has been reached, the pilot raises his elevating planes, a trifle, and the ship glides gracefully upward and onward.
CHAPTER V
OTHER AEROPLANES APPEAR
IN the summer of 1904 the boys of Paris were greatly interested in watching a curious, giant kite in flight over the River Seine. The string of this kite was drawn by a fast motor boat, which darted along, while the kite rose high in the air. Its inventor tinkered with it, and changed its wings about until it finally flew like no other kite ever seen in France. All this was by no means mere play, however, for many scientists watched the kite as it soared about and a great deal of valuable information about the behavior of kites of this shape was learned. The man with the kite, who soon became famous in the world of aviation, was named Voisin. The aëroplane, which he afterwards built, modeled on this kite, was flown in many remarkable flights by Henry Farman, Delagrange, Paulhan, and others. Like the Wright airship, Voisin’s is a biplane or double plane model.
Although at first glance, the Voisin and Wright aëroplanes may seem very much alike, as we look more closely, we will find many points of contrast. The Voisin model has a large tail-piece, consisting of two vertical planes, which project far behind. These planes are believed to make its flight very steady. A single vertical rudder is placed between the two rear edges of this plane. The rudders are turned by horizontal, sliding bars attached to the wheels, directly before the pilot’s seat, like an automobile. The horizontal rudder in front, which corresponds to the Wrights’ double lifting plane, is single and is placed lower down than in the Wright model.
The steadiness of the Voisin aëroplane in flight is gained without flexing the planes. A series of four vertical planes connect the upper and lower wings which give the machine much the appearance of a box kite. These walls are arranged so that the space enclosed at either end is almost square. It is believed that the arrangement of these walls keeps the air from sliding off the under surface of the horizontal planes, and thus greater lifting power is obtained. It is claimed that the model has much greater longitudinal stability than the Wrights’ machine. In other words, the long tail piece prevents the machine from tipping or pitching when the wind gusts come unevenly. The box-like or cellular form, it is believed also, adds to its stability. The model holds the record for flying at the lowest speed—22.8 miles an hour. On the other hand, the Voisin model cannot, with any degree of safety, coast down on the air from great altitudes, like the Wright model.