The Sunday Oregonian., October 24, 1909, SECTION SIX, Page 2, Image 60

THE .SUNDAY OREGOXIAN, PORTLAND, OCTOBER 31, . 1909.
- FLf
BS
HY AN ACROPL.ACM
WHAT makes an aeroplane By?
What holue it up in the air? How
dot It rise or fall, torn to the
i left or right at the will of the operator?
Of the millions of Americans who have
I'tecome liittiuely, interested in the won
(derful achievements of the Wright broth
' era. and who have marveled at the suc
cess of M. Blcriot In flying across tha
t-Engtlh Channel, perhaps few have a
Kclear conception W the mechanical prin
ciples on which tlieee daring aviator have
bni't their machine, aay tha Chicago
'Trioune-
All aeroplane, whether of tl Wright
'biplane or the iileriot monoplane type,
fhave four mechanical necessities that
must he complied with before tlier ran
J fljr. They must- be sustained In the air
rand propelled through it. They sko re
Kiuire a balancing device and a steering
' mechanism. To m ( these requirements
r these machines are built. In the first place,
i around either one or two central mar
' faces commonly referred to as planes,
r although, strictly speaking, these surfaces
'are constructed more along the lines of a
parabola than a plane. They are equipped
: with gasoline engines, simlhir to those
Sised In automobiles, only ltehter. and
1lhi enfrlne!. by turnlntt circular propel
lens sxacily like those used on steamships,
supply the motive power for the machines.
Next in importance to tha functtons of
sustenance and propulsion Is th rl
kanclns; device, and next to IhUl In the
Kmechanlcal necessities of an aeroplane
!rnka the steerins; mechanism.
Ij.'ssentlal Fealurro Common lo .VIU
' In the various types of a"ropIanes thera
are different methods of construction, but
there are certain essential features eom-
jnon to all. Ka.cn type must meet ti'
reeiulrements named above, and in fha
pn'sent development of the aeroplane,
iha manner of dolus; thin does not vary
iprestly In the different machines.
Tfle general outlines of tha Wrlsht
I aeroplane are well known. They consiot
! of two lone, parallel surfaces, called
I planes. In the "V right flying machine tha
' -planes" do not tit this description, be-
cause if you look up at them, as he ma
I chine flies over your bead, .yau observe
'that the under surface of Ue fwo so
! called planes are concave, loohln much
as the human Hi would it they could
be viewed from the lnskle.
To speak literally, as well as figurative
ly, these planes really consist of ribs.
made of white spruce wood, shaped like
a parabola, and spaced about one foot
apart. The ribs are stretched over tight
ly with a good quality of white muslin,
arivinff the planes, when completed, some
thing the appearance of a sail on a Chi
nese fishing boat. The. planes are more
regular in outline than these sails, in
asmuch as they are nearly rectangular
in shape. Except for the corners, which
are rounded, and the rear edges, which
are shaped like the edge of an umbrella,
thev would be perfectly rectangular. The
main planes in the VTrlght machine are
uniform in size, about 40 feet long, six
feet wide, and; are spaced parallel to
each other about six feet apart.
How Aeroplane Is Balanced.
The two planes are held in position by
uprisht struts, or supports, made of
white spruce, and placed, a row of them
, along each edge, perpendicularly between
tiie planes. The ends of these struts,
instead of being fastened rigidly to the
. planes axe hinged, so that the operator
; of the machine, by working a lever, can
!wrp or bend the two big planes Just
ss you can waxp or bend a postal card
y "holding it between your thumb and
'firgers, and then pressing against the
tends. This flexibility in the planes of
Tthe "Wright flying machine is greater in
I the rear edges, the front edges being al
. most rigid. It is by means of this f lexi
' tiUltr of the planes that the Wright
' lirothers balance their machine.
About 10 feet in front of the main
'.planes, .with their edges parallel to the
! latter, axe two smaller planes, called rud
(rter planes. - These are pivoted along a
(liorixontai shaft that is supported and
' I -raced by the franiaworlt extending out
'from the main planes. These rudder
planes are placed about two feet apart.
held together by supports similar to
.those In the big planes,. and are operated
'In unison by a rod extending back to a
' I near the operator'a seat .between
Theblg plane. 1
i When the aeroplane Is flying on a level
'"coarse the two rudder planes are held
exactly parallel to the big- ones. If it
, Is desired to raise the machine, : the
: Tront edges of the rudder planes are
! Uuted npward. and they are turned down
when It U desired to bring the aeroplane
ro the earth. Perpendicularly between
(the two rudder planes la a small D-'t-ehaped
plane. Tola la used to prevent
'he aeroplanes from skidding sideways.
Vertical Planes Assist Big Ones.'
Extending backward from the .main
planes about six feet Is a wooden frame
work lo which are attached two small
vertical planes. These are in t length
equal to the distance between tbe main
planes, held parallel to each other, and
are spaced about a foot apart Their
edges are at right angles to the big
lancs. and they are. so pivoted that
their rear edges may be moved from left
to right and from right to left, exactly
like the rudder of a ship. These planes,
worked In conjunction with the big ones,
assist in the dual function cf turning the
aeroplane from side to side, and in pre
serving its bajance.
-Resting, on the upper efcie of the lower
main plane, and slightly to one side of
Its center, is the engine. The engine In
tl e Wright machine is of special con
struction, designed by the brothers them
selves, and weighs about 170 pounds.
The Wright engine is water cooled.-and
consists of four cylinders, placed upright
in a straight row. Around each cylinder
is a hollow space, spoken of technically
as a Jacket. The gosoline explosions ln
s de the cylinders cause the cylinders to
eet hot. and in tint they would melt or
burst, were it not for the water flowing
through the adjoining Jacket, thus keep
ing them cool. Leading from the Jackets
at one end is a pipe or hose, and at the
other end of this hose, which Is less than
six inches in length, is a email cen
4rtftisraJ pump
This pump uc)ts the water out of the
rackets and sends it Into a series of
flattened brass tubes about four feet
Mil ' ' ...-.: .- 1 1 1 1 m
; 'i
lotig. each tube beins about an inch wide
atid perhaps an eighth of an inch thick
on the inside. The brass that composes
(lie walls of these tubes is extremely
!ln. so that the water, when forced into
them by the pump. Is spread out in thin
' sheets and thus cooled.
After it is cooled It passes out at the
lower and of the cooling device, known
a a radiator, and back Into the Jackets
surrounding the cylinders. By this con
struction both the water and the cylin
ders are kept cool.
The Wrlfht engine Is fitted with, what
is known as a make and break ignition,
automat is lulet valves, and a special' di
rect feed arrangement for supplying the
gasoline to the engine. It has no car
buretor and will deevlop about 30 horse
power. '
Extending backward from the engine,
and slightly above the level of the lower
plane. Is the engine shaft and about
eight feet on either side of this, and at
a point half way between the two big
planes, are two counter shafts, to which
are attached the propellers. The counter
shafts are supported by steel braces, all
held rigidly in place by a multitude of
slender piano wires. Sprocket wheels on
the engine shaft and on the counter shafts
are connected by automobile chains, one
of these chains being twisted, so that
It runs In a line similar to a figure eight.
The effect of this is to turn the pro-,
pellera in opposite directions.
Propellers Ilke Electric Fan Blades.
The propellers themselves are eight feet
In diameter and closely resemble the
blades of an ordinary electric fan. except
that each propeller has two blades In
stead of the four that are usually found
on electric fans. The blades are about
a foot wide at their widest point, and
whirl with such force when the engine la
working smoothly that they will blow
your hat off at a distance of over 100
feet If you stand directly behind them.
The Wright machine has a capacity of
two passengers, the seats bring on the
side of the engine, nearest the center of
the aeroplane. The operator sits in the
seat farthest from the engine, thus caus
ing his weight to balance that of the
engine. The second passenger occupies
the other seat, which is placed on the
center line of the machine. The operat
ing levers, of which there are three, are
placed within easy reach of the aviator.
Before an aeroplane can fly there must
be. in addition to the combination of
parts heretofore given, a starting device.
In the French machines the start is ac
complished by having bicycle wheels
fitted to the lower part of the frame, and
it is on these wheels that the flier rests
when it is on the ground. When it is
desired to start, the aeroplane is taken
to a level stretch of ground "and then,
after the engine is started, the machine
is shoved along on the ground until -It
gains sufficient head-way to lift Itself
by its own propellers.
Wright Flyer Started With Wright.
Before the Wright machine can start it
must be placed on a single wooden rail,
called a monorail, about a hundred feet
long, the weight of the machine being
supported on the rail by a crossbar that
extends horizontally from one of the sled
like runners beneath the machine to the
other. Back of the monorail is a small
tower or derrick, which supports a 1600
pound weight, and to this weight a rope
is tied. The rope passes over a .pulley
at the top of the tower, through another
pulley near its base, over a third pulley
at the far end of the monorail, and back
to the aeroplane, while it is hooked on to
the crossbar by an Li-shaped trigger
which automatically releases itself when
the flying machine gets ready to leave
the rail for its' trip Into the sky.
When the aeroplanlst gets ready to fly
the engine is started, the operator takes
his seat, the weight is released, and the
aeroplane runs along the monorail at a
tremendous clip. Just before the end of
the rail is reached the front edges of the
front rudder planes ore tilted upward,
and the aeroplane, responding to the air
pressure that is now bearing heavily
against the under side of the main planes,
lifts gradually higher and higher. Now
it is that the great principles of aero
plane construction, the supporting force
and the balancing device, come into play.
An understanding of what holds an
aeroplane in the air can best be reached
by going back to the old familiar kite,
A kite is kept elevated by running with
it against the wind, or by allowing the
wind to blow' against it When the kite
flies two forces work against each other;
one, the fore of the wind, the other, the
weight of the kit el It is exactly the same
with an aeroplane, with the exception
that Instead of Valtlug-for the wind to
blow against It. the aeroplane drives
Itself against the wind. ,
Slachlne Not Given Time to Fall.
'Thus It Is seen that when the aeroplane
Is flying through the air, there la a con
stant wind pressure against its under
side. Wilbur Wright, when asked what
kept the machine up, replied "that it
stayed up because it didn't have time to
fall." and that Is about as good an ex
planation as can he given. Stop the en
gine and the filer would tremble to the
earth, but as long as it is pushed against
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the wind It cannot fall. It runs along
on the air like a skater over tliln Ice.
The lifting power of the planes depends,
of course, upon their area and the speed
with which they are driven. Professor
8. P. Lang ley, former secretary of tho
Smithsonian Institution at Washington,
who was first to apply the principle to
flying machines, worked out several for
mulas with relation to planes and their
lifting power.
He did this by constructing a huge con
trivance, something on the order of a
merry-go-round, with a whirling peat at
the center. To the top of the posts he
fastened ropes about a hundred feet long,
and on the far end of the ropes he at
tached planes of various sizes. . When the
post turned, the ropes, with their attached
planes, went whirling through the air In
great circles, and it was by making theso
planes carry weights that Professor
Langley determined their lifting power at
different speeds.
Balancing the Lous-Sought Art.
If an aeroplane had nothing more to
do than sustain Itself In the air the
problem of artificial flight woyld have
been solved centuries ago., There remains
tho extremely difficult art of balancing
the flyer so)' that It will remain on an
even keel. Even birds find it difficult
to maintain their stability In the air.
The hawk. In the constant effort to
steady himself, sways from side to side
In his flight, like an acrobat on & tight
rope. Occasionally a bird will catch the
wind on the top of his wing, with the
result that he goes over sideways, often
falling several feet before regaining his
balance.
The balancing device In the Wright
machine' 1s -secured by an ingenious
scheme for manipulating the two main
planea The planes are so arranged that
they can be warpod endways. Running
along in the muslin that covers the
planes la a stout -wire which extends
from the operator's seat in front to
the far ends of the lower plane. By
moving a levef one end of the lower
plane can be pulled down and the other
end. by the same movement, pulled up.
As the planes are hinged together, one
operation of the lever has the same ef
fect on both of them.
If for any reason, then, such a cross
wind. Inequality of air currents, or per
haps a miscalculation In the distribu
tion of weight, the machine begins, to
The-Four Mechanical
Irinciples Necessaryf
ito 3igHt.; of ' Heaxier
cFhanAir MKines
Explained by a :
Student of
tilt sideways, the operator, by tho use
of his lever, lowers the rear corners of
the two big planea on the side of the
machine that Is sinking, and raises the
corresponding corners on tho other side.
By this movement a greater surface on
the sinking side of the maohroe Is ex
posed to the rush of air that Is com
ing in from in front, and that side of
the flyer nstantly ascends.
Method Claimed to Be Infringement.
Glenn H. Curtiss.' who made such a
brilliant record in the flights at Ithelms
last month, balances his flyer by means
of two small auxiliary planes placed
horizontally half way between the ends
of his main planes. ' By moving this
planes so that the one on the sinking
side of his machine is turned directly
against tha wind, he secures a greater
plane surface on that side of the ma
chine, and thus restores Its balance,
Th3 Wright brothers claim this method
is an infringement of their patents and
now they "have a suit pending in the
New York courts by- which they will
seek to compel CurUsa to use some other
system of balancing.
The balancing of monoplanes, of which
the Frenchman Blerlot's machine is the
best example. Is secured partly by hav
ing the big main plane divided at the
center, so that in flight his machine has
something the appearance of a bird's
outspread wings. If his machine be
gins to sink on one side he lowers the
wing on that side, thus securing a more
upward push of the sir from underneath.
In addition to this he has a long tall
like arrangement attached to the rear tf
his flyer, and this assists In balancing
much as a kite's tall helps keep it on
an even keel. '
Closely related to the balancing device
is the steering mechanism. When the
corners of the big planes are let down
a greater surface on that side of the
machine is exposed to the air, and this
has the effect of halting the speed of
'the machine on that ride. Thus, If the
right hand corners or me Dig pianes
are lowered, the air, pressing against
those corners wltjr more force than it
does at the other -end of the planes,
causes the whole machine to swing
around to the Tight. Meanwhile the rear
rudders are turned - slightly to further
assist In the turning movement.
A monoplane, so called because it has
. , SJ I
Aviation.
f3&&&z:sB it
but one main plane instead of two. Is
different in construction from a biplane
of the Wright and Curtiss types. In
Bleriofs mtchlre the engine is air cooled
and has eight cylinders instead of four.
This gives him a more uniform distri
bution of power. In his machine the
propeller is placed out in front so that
it bores directly into the air as the ma
chine proceeds, thus pulling the flyer
along after it instead of pushing it from
behind. The operator sits above the
engine and is directly behind the pro
peller. He raises and lowers the machine
by changing the angle of the main plane
and steers it from side to side by swing
ing the tail around in the direction he de
sires to go. like a rudder on a ship.
The monoplane does not have as much
plane surface a the biplane, but on the
other hand- it does not have so much
weight to carry. It is also less suscepti
ble to cross currents of winds and other
disturbing elements in the air, because
there is less flat surface for these to
strike against. " .
The development in aeroplanes will be
compelled to wait, more or less, upon the
progress in gas engine construction. In
their present tate gas engines are lia
ble to stop without the least notice, as
any owner of an automobile will testify,
and when the engine stops in an aero
plane it is most likely to come down to
earth with more or less of a thud. Tere
is no getting out and crawling under
the machine, like the chauffeurs do, to
where the trouble Js.
Xo Chance Given for Itetyiirs.
To Insure absoluta safety, the aeroplane
engine must run every second of the time
the machine is in the air. If anything
breaks the operator cannot leave his seat
to see where the trouble is, for that
would overbalance the machine. And gas
engines are disgustingly obstinate some
times. They stop, dead still, without an
Instant's notice, and apparently with no
more reaeon than animates a balky
horse. It's no use talking about the
' v Aff i.-. ' 1 1 rill
"" II i .r-iuW hi- --ill
future of aeroplanes, thenv until the fu
ture of gas engines is determined. The
progress of cne la absolutely dependent
on the progress of the other, unless, of
course, some new method is found to
turn the propellers.
- The question may arise, and often does
in a discussion of aeroplanes, fcs to why
the propellers propel. To a mind unfa
miliar witn mechanical terms it la diffi
cult to explain the exact action of re
volving propellers on the air. Briefly,
it may be said that the air pressure
against all objects Is some 13 pounds to
the square inch. Thus the air presses
against the palm and the back of your
hand at that rate, the two pressures
exactly balancing each othew. Remove
the air adjacent to the palm of your
hand and the pressure from the back
would be 16 pounds for every vacant
square inch on the other side, and the
strain on the back of your hand would
be equivalent to that caused by lifting
a weight as heavy as 15 multiplied by
the number of square inches unoccupied
by air. .
Propellers Create Own Vacuum.
Thus, when the aeroplane propellers
are revolving they are constantly biting
Into the air in front of them and push
ing it behind them. In this way they
create a partial vacuum" In front, . and
what they take away from In front
is added behind, thua to the 15 pounds
per square inch that is already bearing
against the blades from behind is added
the number of pounds pressure that they
are able to subtract from the pressure
in front, making, we will say, 25 pounds
pressure to the square inch behind, and
only five in front. It Is In response to
this pressure from behind that the ma
chine moves forward.
If the -propellers could whirl rapidly
enough they could create an absolute
vacuum In front and have 30 pounds per
square inch on every Inch of their back
surface. If this condition were possible,
or if engines powerful enough and pro-
pellers strong enough to withstand' tnst
preesuns could be made, an aeroplane,
according to such evperis ss the Wrights,
could Jbe sent through the air at a rate
of 6C0 miles an hour.
Effect of Money
Mad Mania
Interest Among Children In
Wholesome Beading Reduced to
a Minimum.
Washington Herald.
rvOES the national tendency to
rd
j commercialism threaten the esthetic
future of the oountry? . How shall we
overcome the frivolous and superficial
tendencies of the times?
People who are bringing up families
and those engaged in the work of
teaching the rising generation ara
everywhere complaining that the money
madness of the fathers Is beginning to
have its effect tipon the children. The
man who Is occupied hcar and soul
with the idea of furthering- his finan
cial standing ajsd the building up of
his commercial interests finds little
time for Improving his mind along the
lines of literature, music and the arts.
It is not wonderful, therefore, that he
should transmit to his progeny a lack
of taste for the beautiful and the
cl A 9S lCA 1
Take the matter of reading, for in
stance. Where is the young boy or
girl of todny who will pore over the
works of Pickens or Scott or Thack
eray or George Eliot? The boys, es
pecially, exhibit but little patience
when the destrabillty of a fundamental
knowledge of the classics of literature
is urged upon them. The thoughtful
parent, conscious that the rapid-fire,
helter-skelter fiction of the day. which
appears in all the magazines and
popular llbraraies. has no good and
often a harmful effect upon thfl form
ing of the child's mind, can only submit
to a condition that is now coming to be
recognized as an inherent . national
tendency. '"
The boy or girl of yesterday who
took delifcht In "Ivunhoe" and "David
Copperfield" has apparently given place
to a generation which, if It reads at
all, devours sensational modern flotlon.
which is either downright Immoral or
so vapid and colorless as to be un
worthy of mention in the same breath
with those earlier works, full of exqui
site descriptions and powerful character
painting. With one or twe exceptions
.and the exceptions are so rare as to
be almost isolated the modern novelist (
Is for action first, action second, and
action all the time. The creation of
atmosphere and real characters - Is a ;
waning art. it would seem, among them. .
While It is entirely undesirable that
ws should become a nation of book
worms or pedants. It is nevertheless
true that the person, who In order to
keep pace with the catapult existence
of today, sees fit to neglect the classics
of literature Is not only robbing him
self of a great deal of pleasure, but la
overlooking a means of brain cultiva
tion which will give him larger per
spective and more intimate knowledge
ofhuman nature.
Variety of work makes a man keener,
and there Is more mental refreshment
to' be derived from good, wholesome
reading than in the pursuit of the vigor
ous and nerve-racking diversions of the
day, which the busy man fondly
Imagines affords him relief from strain
in the brief Intervale of his business
cares.
. In 1910.
Father's In his airship.
Gone to spend the day.
Looking after loans and Bonds
In Europe, o'er the way.
Mother, who likes comfort
And does not care to. roam,
Is shopping via wireless
In Paris, at her home.
Brother, who In deep sea
Has a coral grove.
Is going In his submarine
Among 'his crops lo if ve.
Uncle, in the Navy.
Who's left his ship a span.
Is shooting through pneumatic tubes
To Join her In Japan.
Sister, who's an orator.
Has worked reforms so rare
That even the wanfl meetings
They open now ith prayer:
And when, tired by her labors,
. She'd body rest, and soul.
She goes to spend for pleasure
A wci?k-end at the Pole. '
Detroit Free Frets.
One of the two observatories on the sum
mit of Mont Blanc ha been given up b
oaufle of the violence of the storms.