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

J.Davilla Italian Aviation in the First World War. Vol.3: Aircraft M-W (A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes 75)

Sommer Biplane

  A Sommer biplane, which entered service with the Specialists Brigade in October 1910. It had a 50-hp engine and had been purchased in France by tenente eng. Giuseppe Saglietti on behalf of the Battaglione Specialisti (Specialist Battalion). In the few days it remained in service, it was used as a trainer for tenente Saglietti, who, made his first flights at Centocelle under the guidance of tenente Savoy. Using this experience, he planned to attend the Sommer school of Douzy to earn pilot’s license.
  Unfortunately, on October 27, the Sommer aircraft suddenly fell from about 80 meters high, while it was preparing to land, causing the death of Saglietti. Steffanini notes in the Centocelle flight register: “...at about 3 meters from the ground he passed to the right of the seat jumping to the ground, but was overwhelmed by the device and remained lifeless there .” It appears that the Sommer may have made too sharp a right turn, and Saglietti attempted to exit the crashing aircraft, which instead crushed him. The ministro della guerra (War Minister) Spingardi ordered a thorough investigation, from which it emerged that Saglietti had previously expressed the doubt that the rudder was not working perfectly.

Журнал Flight

Flight, March 12, 1910

THE SECOND OLYMPIA AERO SHOW.
AEROPLANES.

Sommer.

BIPLANE, designed and built by M. Sommer as a result of his successful experience with a biplane of the Henry Farman type. It is exhibited by the Hon. C. S. Rolls.


Flight, April 23, 1910

FLYER SILHOUETTES FROM OLYMPIA.

THE SOMMER BIPLANE.

Leading Particulars of the Sommer Biplane.

General, Dimensions.-Areas-Main planes, 456 sq. ft.; tail, 67.5 sq. ft.; elevator, 45 sq. ft.; rudder, 9 sq. ft.
Lengths.-Span, 34 ft.; chord, 6 ft. 8 ins.; gap, 6 ft.; skid track, 9 ft.; camber, 4 ins.

   A BIPLANE of the Farman type characterised by a monoplane tail and a very small biplane rudder situated immediately beneath the tail plane. The machine is mounted upon wheels and skis, the latter members being carried right forward to join the outrigger upon which the elevator is mounted. As on the Farman biplane, lateral equilibrium is maintained by the manipulation of flaps inset in the trailing edges of the main planes. These flaps, however, are of different shape to those used on the Farman machine, and they are only introduced into the upper deck.
   An important characteristic of the Sommer biplane is the mounting of the tail plane so that its angle of incidence can be altered during flight. For this purpose a wheel is provided adjacent to the pilot's left hand. The control of the elevator and the balancing flaps is accomplished by a single vertical lever situated immediately in front of the pilot's seat. The control of the rudder is effected by a pivoted foot-rest. These latter features are similar to the original Farman design.
   Some of the minor details of construction on the Sommer biplane are very interesting. The machine is mounted on a wheel and ski chassis, and only one pair of wheels is used, these being mounted on a tubular steel axle that passes between the skis to which it is lashed by elastic springs. The wheels are mounted inside the skis, and have a certain amount of lateral freedom upon the axle. Their normal position is defined by buffer-springs situated on either side of each hub. The axle is trussed by wires passing through holes drilled near the periphery of a disc mounted on the centre of the axle. The principal struts used for attaching the skis to the main spars of the machine have rubber pads inserted under their lower extremities in order to deaden the shock.


Flight, April 30, 1910

Four on an Aeroplane.

   GRADUALLY but surely the capabilities of the aeroplane as regards weight-lifting are being evidenced in an extraordinary way. When Henry Farman at the Rheims Meeting last year carried two passengers besides himself on his machine it was deemed a splendid achievement, but Sommer at Mouzon on Wednesday of last week completely put this in the shade by flying with three passengers, one of them a lady. True, the flight was only a short one of five minutes duration, but during that time he passed over the village of Remilly. The weight carried during the five-mile trip was
M. Sommer = 138 lbs.
Mdlle. Dutrieux = 102 ,,
M. Colombo = 138 "
M. Frey = 132 "
Machine complete with motor and petrol = 550 lbs
Total 1,060 ,,


Mdlle. Dutrieux Carries a Passenger.

   HAVING mastered the details of her Sommer biplane, and made several short quarter-hour flights by herself, Mdlle. Dutrieux, on the 20th inst., flew with a passenger for about six minutes over the Douzy fields near Mouzon. This "aviatress" hopes to take her machine to Russia soon and give exhibition flights there.


Flight, July 2, 1910

French Army has a Sommer Biplane.

   AFTER a trial trip lasting 2 hrs. 10 mins., and a passenger flight of half an hour, Sommer has delivered his first military machine to the French Army. Three other Sommer biplanes, also destined for the Army, are nearly ready for delivery.


Flight, August 20, 1910

THE LATE C. S. ROLLS AND THE SOMMER.

I enclose a photo of the late Hon. C. S. Rolls on, his Sommer machine, taken at Eastchurch at the end of last April. This may be of interest, as I have not seen a photo of this machine published in any paper yet. I do not think he actually did any flying on it, as the day this was taken it was only his second day on it, and he left for Nice a few days later.
Aldershot. F. R. HARFORD.


Flight, October 22, 1910

FOREIGN AVIATION NEWS.

Military Aviation in Germany.

   ON Monday afternoon three aeroplanes succeeded in flying from Johannisthal to Doeberitz Camp, situated between Berlin and Potsdam, the distance being 32 kiloms. Illner was the first to get away, and he completed the course in 35 minutes. He was followed by Jeannin and Brunnhuber, the former on a German-built Farman and the latter on a French Farman, and both of them completed the course in 31 minutes. Each aviator was accompanied by a military officer, and the tests were carried out under the observation of the military authorities. On Tuesday Mente and Thelen, on Wright machines, and Lindpaintner, on a Sommer, had to carry out similar tests, while on Wednesday all the flyers were inspected by a Military Commission which has been appointed to choose the aeroplanes for use in the German Army.


Flight, February 4, 1911

FOREIGN AVIATION NEWS.

Six in an Aeroplane.

   M. ROGER SOMMER, who has for some considerable time been studying the question of passenger carrying by aeroplane, achieved a notable record on Thursday of last week, when, accompanied by five friends, he flew from Douzy to Romilly and back. Two of the passengers were accommodated on the skids of the machine and the remaining three perched themselves up behind the aviator. The lightest of the passengers weighed seven and a half stone.