Журнал Flight
Flight, March 15, 1917.
AT THE AMERICAN AERO SHOW - SOME NEW TYPES.
The S. S. Pierce Sporting Tractor.
This is a small, single-seater tractor biplane, lightly but strongly built, specially to meet the requirements of the sportsman. The fuselage is of streamline form, circular in section, mounted 6 ins. above the lower plane on the central interplane struts. The engine, designed specially for the machine by the S. S. Pierce Aero Corp., is a 3-cyl. Y-type, air-cooled, of 35-40 h.p. The planes are staggered 1 ft. and are set at 4° incidence. There are only four pairs of interplane struts, two central pairs to which the fuselage is attached, and one pair on each side of the latter. The tail planes are of somewhat unusual design, the main horizontal surface, which is semi-circular in shape and serves as the elevator, is pivoted on a small horizontal surface projecting from the sides of the rear extremity of the fuselage. The rudder is hinged to a triangular vertical fin. Lateral control is by ailerons on the top plane. A V-type landing chassis is employed, carrying a pair of 26-in. by 4-in. wheels, 4 ft. 4 ins. apart. A Paragon tractor screw, 7 ft. dia. by 3 ft. 6 ins. pitch, is coupled direct to the engine. The exhaust from the engine is led through nickeled pipes below the lower plane. General dimensions :- Span (top) 26 ft., (bottom) 20 ft.; chord, 4 ft.; gap, 5 ft. 6 ins.; supporting surface 182 sq. ft.; overall length, 20 ft.; weight (empty), 630 lbs.; speed range, 35-50 m.p.h.; climbing speed, 300 ft./min.