P.Lewis British Aircraft 1809-1914 (Putnam)
Aerial Manufacturing Company Monoplane
Aerial Manufacturing Company's monoplane was built at Finsbury, London, during 1909 and was powered by a 50 h.p. engine. Control was several auxiliary horizontal stabilizing planes, and the machine made a number of short hops of between 200 and 250 yds. at Rye, Sussex, when it was tested there by Alec Ogilvie during 1909. Span, 44 ft. Length, 44 ft.
Показать полностью
M.Goodall, A.Tagg British Aircraft before the Great War (Schiffer)
Deleted by request of (c)Schiffer Publishing
AERIAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY monoplane with subsidiary stabilizers. (Aerial Manufacturing Co. of Great Britain and Ireland, Upper Charles St., Finsbury. Designer W.J. Potter, Elysia, Woodham Ferrers, Essex.)
The machine illustrated was built in 1909 and was flown by Alec Ogilvie at Camber Sands, near Rye in Sussex, at the end of the year for distances up to 250 yards.
The special feature was the undercarriage that folded forward in stages and was designed to provide extra lift at takeoff and to provide a braking effect on landing. This was achieved by mounting two aerofoils on the undercarriage, which presented a change of incidence as the undercarriage was raised or lowered. A fixed aerofoil as wide as the fuselage was also fitted forward of the airscrew together with additional small aerofoils on top of the rudder and below the rear fuselage. Another feature was the fuel tank of aerofoil section.
Power: 50hp believed to be a four-cylinder vee NEC two-stroke as used by Ogilvie in his Short-Wright biplane, driving a four-bladed propeller.
Data
Span 44ft
Length 44ft
In 1910 they were reported to be building a Farman type biplane for Edward Mines.
In January 1910 they were advertising aeroplanes with very imposing names 'The British King', 'The British Queen', 'The Flying Scotsman' and 'The Tradescent'. None of them appear to have been sold and nothing further was heard of them. Potter registered the following patents in 1910: 19198 (monoplane), 20108 (biplane), 21189 and 22475.
Показать полностью
Журнал Flight
Flight, November 13, 1909.
ORIGINALITY IN MONOPLANE DESIGN.
AN EXPERIMENTAL MACHINE NOW BUILDING IN LONDON.
VARIOUS unusual features have been embodied in the monoplane of which we reproduce a side elevation herewith, and which is being constructed by the Aerial Manufacturing Co. of Great Britain and Ireland for a client of theirs. First and foremost it will be observed that various subsidiary planes are introduced locally at different spots with the object of assisting in the distribution of strains within the machine itself, while even the petrol tank is shaped similarly, although it is only the width of the main framework. For convenience of reference, the main plane is shown in black, the small supplementary planes, including the elevator, are cross-hatched, and the petrol tank is merely shown in outline in the drawing.
Hardly less noticeable is the curious double-hinged framework, with its wheels in front, that is intended to facilitate starting and alighting. In the position indicated by the full lines, the two small planes carried by it (double cross-hatched) serve to assist in lifting the machine, while since the lower wheel leaves the ground last, the full weight is only taken after a fair altitude has been attained. The further object of the arrangement is to cushion the descent by allowing the lower wheel to reach the ground some time prior to arrival of the complete machine, and then, as the hinges allow the framework to fold up into the position indicated by the dotted lines, to cause the small planes to act as brakes, retarding further forward progress, at the same time that the leaf springs absorb shocks due to any roughness of the ground.
Needless to say both the above-mentioned systems need to be given a practical trial before any conclusive statement can be made concerning their value. Other novel details are being embodied at the same time on this particular monoplane, and hence future experiments with it will be watched with considerable interest. The machine itself is of quite large dimensions, as may be judged from the scale on the drawing, the length overall being no less than 44 ft., and the span being also 44 ft. from tip to tip of the wings. An engine of novel design, developing about 50-h.p., is moreover, we understand, to be employed in conjunction with a 10-foot 4-bladed propeller. In due course, too, it is hoped that the machine will be placed on view in London, but the makers are unable to allow it to he seen in their works at the present time as they are also carrying out other commissions there, in connection with which they are pledged to secrecy.
Показать полностью
