each side of the machine
and are 13 feet 6 inches long. The cross-shaped tail is supported by an
outrigger composed of two long bamboos and of this the vertical plane
is 9 feet by 4 feet, while the horizontal plane is 8 feet by 4 feet. The
over-all length of the machine is 36 feet. The lifting surface is 857
square feet. It will weigh, with a pilot, 1,450 pounds. The distance
between the main planes is 8 feet 6 inches, which is a rather notable
feature in this flyer.
The propeller has a diameter of 11 feet and 2 inches with a 13-foot
6-inch pitch; it is driven at 560 revolutions by a chain, and the gear
reduction between the chain and propeller shaft is two to one.
The machine from elevator to tail plane bristles in original points. The
hump in the ribs has been cut away entirely, so that although the plane
is double surfaced, the surfaces are closest together at a point which
approximates the center of pressure. The plane is practically of two
stream-line forms, of which one is the continuation of the other.
This construction, claims the inventor, will give increased lift, and
decreased head resistance. The trials substantiate this, as the angle of
incidence in flying is only about one in twenty-six.
The ribs in the main planes are made of strips of silver spruce one-half
by one-half inch, while those in the ailerons are solid and one-fourth
inch thick. In the main planes the fabric is held down with thin wooden
fillets. Cody's planes are noted for their neatness, rigidity and
smoothness. Pegamoid fabric is used throughout.
Pressey Automatic Control.
Another ingenious system of automatic control has been perfected by Dr.
J. B. Pressey, of Newport News, Va. The aeroplane is equipped with a
manually operated, vertical rudder, (3), at the stern, and a horizontal,
manually operated, front control, (4), in front. At the ends of the main
plane, and about midway between the upper and lower sections thereof,
there are supplemental planes, (5).
In connection with these supplemental planes (5), there is employed a
gravity influenced weight, the aviator in his seat, for holding them in
a horizontal, or substantially horizontal, position when the main plane
is traveling on an even keel; and for causing them to tip when the main
plane dips laterally, to port or starboard, the planes (5) having
a lifting effect upon the depressed end of the main plane, and a
depressing effect upon the lifted end of the main plane, so as
|