How It Flies; or, The Conquest of the Air: The Story of Man's Endeavors to Fly and of the Inventions by Which He Has SucceededFerris, Richard
Science
How It Flies; or, The Conquest of the Air: The Story of Man's Endeavors to Fly and of the Inventions by Which He Has Succeeded
Ferris, Richard
Aeronautics
The tail of the monoplane is a rigid combination of two planes
intersecting each other at right angles along a central bamboo pole
which extends back 3 feet 5½ inches from the rudder-post, to which it
is attached by a double joint, permitting it to move upon either the
vertical or the horizontal axis.
Although this tail, or rudder, may seem at first glance somewhat
complicated in the plans, it will not be found so if the frame of the
upright or vertical plane be first constructed, and that of the level
or horizontal plane afterward built fast to it at right angles.
As with the main plane, the tail is to be covered on both sides with
cloth, the vertical part first; the horizontal halves on either side so
covered that the cloth of the latter may be sewed above and below the
central pole. All of the ribs in the tail are to be stitched in with
“pockets,” as directed for the rods of the main plane.
The construction of the motor is possible to an expert machinist only,
and the aeroplane builder will save time and money by buying his engine
from a reliable maker. It is not necessary to send to France for a
Darracq motor. Any good gasoline engine of equal power, and about the
same weight, will serve the purpose.
The making of the propeller is practicable for a careful workman. The
illustrations will give a better idea than words of how it should be
done. It should be remembered, however, that the safety of the aviator
depends as much upon the propeller as upon any other part of the
machine. The splitting of the blades when in motion has been the cause
of serious accidents. The utmost care, therefore, should be exercised
in the selection of the wood, and in the glueing of the several
sections into one solid mass, allowing the work to dry thoroughly under
heavy pressure.
[Illustration:
Diagram showing how the layers of wood are placed for glueing:
_A_, at the hub; _B_, half way to the tip of the blade; _C_, at
the tip. The dotted lines show the form of the blade at these
points.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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