L.Opdyke French Aeroplanes Before the Great War (Schiffer)

Журнал Flight

Flight, December 13, 1913.

THE STANDS AT THE PARIS AERO SHOW.

BLERIOT.

   On the Bleriot stand are shown no less than six machines and fuselages of various types, and when one considers that there are at the Salon two more Bleriot stands - one for aeroplanes and one for bateaux glisseur - one begins to realise the activity of this well-known firm.
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   The Bleriot biplane has been built with a view to meet the requirements of the French Army. In its general lines it may best be compared with a H. Farman biplane, but it differs from that machine in the constructional details. The chassis is of a very novel type and is similar to the chassis of the Nieuport-Dunne biplane.


Flight, December 20, 1913.

THE PARIS AERO SALON - 1913.

BLERIOT.

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   The biplane exhibited has, we understand, been built with a view to comply with the requirements of the military authorities, for a machine which, while not particularly fast, will be lighter loaded, and, therefore, have a better climbing capacity than the more heavily-loaded monoplane. Superficially, it must be admitted, this machine resembles the well-known Henry Farman biplane, but aerodynatmically, it is quite distinct, the wing section, for instance being absolutely different from that of the Farman. The main planes, of which the top one has a much greater span than the lower one, are connected by six pairs of struts of flattened steel tubes, cross braced in the usual way. The nacelle, which is of rectangular section, is built up of four longerons of ash connected with struts and cross members of steel tube and spruce. The nacelle is secured to the lower main plane by means of bolts passing through the main spar. In the front portion of the nacelle are the pilot s and passenger's seats, arranged tandem fashion, the pilot occupying the front seat. The controls consist ol a single central tubular column, which actuates the ailerons and elevator, while a pivoted foot-bar operates the rudder. In front of the pilot are mounted the usual instruments for cross-country work.
   A tail outrigger, consisting of four steel tubes connected by tubular streamlined struts, carries the tail plane, which consists of a fixed cambered tail plane to the trailing edge of which is hinged the negatively cambered divided elevator. Pivoted round the rear upright strut is the rudder, which is of the Henry Farman type.
   One of the most novel features of this machine is the landing chassis, which structure seems to have been reduced to its simplest possible form, and does not at first sight give the impression of being able to stand up to a very rough landing, but according to the manufacturers it has already been tested and found very efficient. It is illustrated by one of the accompanying sketches, which is, we think, self-explanatory.
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Flight, November 19, 1915.

CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS.-XI.

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   Occasionally M. Bleriot has attempted to break away from his standard type of undercarriage, rarely with success however. At the last Paris Aero Show there was exhibited a "pusher" biplane fitted with a somewhat unusual type of chassis, as shown in our second Bleriot sketch, from which the action is fairly evident. The curved channel steel member that carries the wheel is universally pivoted round the lower end of the vertical chassis strut, while to its forward end is attached a shock absorber enclosed in a metal casing. No great amount of success, we believe, attended this design.
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