British Airships, Past, Present, and Future — John Shaqi
British Airships, Past, Present, and FutureWhale, George
History
British Airships, Past, Present, and Future
Whale, George
Aircraft; Airships -- Britain -- History
The car, it will be remembered, is a B.E. 2C fuselage stripped of its
wings, rudders and elevators, with certain other fittings added to
render it suitable for airship work. The undercarriage is formed of
two ash skids, each supported by three struts. The aeroplane landing
wheels, axle and suspensions are abandoned.
In the forward end of the fuselage was installed a 75 horse-power air
cooled Renault engine driving a single four-bladed tractor propeller
through a reduction gear of 2 to 1. The engine is of the 8-cylinder V
type, weighing 438 lb. with a bore of 96 mm. and a stroke of 120 mm.
The Claudel-Hobson type of carburettor is employed with this engine.
The type of magneto used is the Bosch D.V.4, there being one magneto
for each line of cylinders. In the older French Renaults the Bosch
H.L.8 is used, one magneto supplying the current to all the plugs.
Petrol is carried in three tanks, a gravity and intermediate tank as
fitted to the original aeroplane, and a bottom tank placed underneath
the front seat of the car. The petrol is forced by air pressure from
the two lower tanks into the gravity tank and is obtained by a hand
pump fitted outside the car alongside the pilot's seat. The oil tank
is fitted inside the car in front of the observer.
The observer's seat is fitted abaft the engine and the pilot's seat is
aft of the observer. The observer, who is also the wireless operator,
has the wireless apparatus fitted about his seat. This consists of a
receiver and transmitter fitted inside the car, which derives power
from accumulator batteries. The aerial reel is fitted outside the car.
During patrols signals can be sent and received up to and between 50
and 60 miles.
The pilot is responsible for the steering and the running of the
engine, and the controls utilized are the fittings supplied with the
aeroplane. Steering is operated by the feet and elevating by a
vertical wheel mounted in a fore and aft direction across the seat.
The control wires are led aft inside the fairing of the fuselage to the
extreme end, whence they pass to the elevators and rudders.
The instrument board is mounted in front of the pilot. The instruments
comprise a watch, an air-speed indicator graduated in knots, an aneroid
reading to 10,000 feet, an Elliott revolution counter, a Clift
inclinometer reading up to 20 degrees depression or elevation, a map
case with celluloid front.
There are in addition an oil pressure gauge, a petrol pressure gauge, a
glass petrol level and two concentric glass pressure gauges for gas
pressure.
The steering compass is mounted on a small wooden pedestal on the floor
between the pilot's legs.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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