The Clement Bayard, and subsequently the Astra-Torres, non-rigids,
followed on the early Lebaudys and carried French dirigible
construction up to 1912. The Clement Bayard was a simple non-rigid
having four lobes at the stern end to assist stability. These were
found to retard the speed of the airship, which in the second and
more successful construction was driven by a Clement Bayard motor of
100 horse-power at a speed of 30 miles an hour. On August 23rd, 1909,
while being tried for acceptance by the military authorities, this
vessel achieved a record by flying at a height of 5,000 feet for two
hours. The Astra-Torres non-rigids were designed by a Spaniard, Señor
Torres, and built by the Astra Company. The envelope was of trefoil
shape, this being due to the interior rigging from the suspension band;
the exterior appearance is that of two lobes side by side, overlaid
by a third. The interior rigging, which was adopted with a view to
decreasing air resistance, supports a low-hung car from the centre of
the envelope; steering is accomplished by means of horizontal planes
fixed on the envelope at the stern, and vertical planes depending
beneath the envelope, also at the stern end.
One of the most successful of French pre-war dirigibles was a Clement
Bayard built in 1912. In this twin propellers were placed at the front
and horizontal and vertical rudders in a sort of box formation under
the envelope at the stern. The envelope was stream-lined, while the
car of the machine was placed well forward with horizontal controlling
planes above it and immediately behind the propellers. This airship,
which was named ‘Dupuy de Lome,’ may be ranked as about the most
successful non-rigid dirigible constructed prior to the War.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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