Dirigible BalloonsHayward, Charles B. (Charles Brian)
History
Dirigible Balloons
Hayward, Charles B. (Charles Brian)
Aeronautics; Airships
*Control Surfaces.* The numerous expedients formerly resorted to by
various designers in providing for stabilizing, steering, and elevating
surfaces have been abandoned for forms that are practically a
duplication of aeroplane practice. Experience demonstrated that the
different types of multiplane rudders, elevators, and stabilizing
surfaces employed in earlier days not only offered no operating
advantages but were actually detrimental, in that they increased the
head resistance unnecessarily. Moreover, their complication meant
increased weight and weaker construction. They have accordingly been
displaced by monoplane surfaces which are of exactly the same type of
construction as those used on the aeroplane and the location and
proportions of which are very evidently based on aeroplane practice.
Both the horizontal and vertical stabilizers are of approximately
triangular form and have the steering and elevating surfaces hinged to
them at their after ends, so that, except for the pointed extremity of
the envelope which extends beyond them, the tail unit of the later
Zeppelins is practically the same as the empennage of an aeroplane. The
horizontal surfaces are apparently depended on entirely to effect the
ascent and descent, there being no evidence of swiveling propellers by
means of which the power of the engines could be employed to draw the
airship up or down. The great weight of ballast carried is, of course,
in the form of water, but this is discarded in order to ascend only when
the power of the engines exerted against the elevating planes is no
longer capable of keeping the airship at the altitude desired. In the
low temperatures encountered in night flights, however, the contraction
of the hydrogen gas is so great that the crew has found it necessary to
reduce the weight by discarding not only every pound of ballast but, as
far as possible, everything portable. Despite this, several airships
have fallen when their fuel supply was exhausted, one coming to the
ground in Scotland, two dropping into the North Sea, and three or four
falling in France.
*Operating Controls.* All the operating controls are centered at the
navigating bridge, which is inclosed to form the commander’s cabin. By
means of push buttons, switches, levers, and wheels every operating
function required is set into motion from this central point. Whether
auxiliary motors are carried for the purpose of pumping air into the
balloonets or this is one of the duties of the main engine just back of
the wireless room does not appear, but with the aid of a push button
board the amount of air in any of the balloonets may be increased or
decreased at will. There is a control button for each operation, or two
for each balloonet, which fact necessitates a rather forbidding looking
board, since the more recent Zeppelins have seventeen to nineteen gas
bags within each of which is incorporated an air balloonet.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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