M.Goodall, A.Tagg British Aircraft before the Great War (Schiffer)
Deleted by request of (c)Schiffer Publishing
GOLDMAN Crucifer biplane (L. Goldman)
This ambitious streamlined biplane was designed by Goldman in 1909 and was built as a model; a full size machine may have been commenced, but there is no evidence that it was ever completed.
The swept back wings were mounted on the torpedo like body on a ball bearing collar so that if a sudden gust of wind struck underneath one wing it moved about the central body without imparting motion to this since it was mounted on the sliding collar.
The engine was mounted within the body and drove twin propellers, mounted in midgap behind the wing, by chains or shafts and gears.
The wings could be folded back over the body and the engine was connected by suitable gearing to the wheels so that the aeroplane with its wings folded could be driven along a road. Lack of finance prevented further development of this clever design.
Журнал Flight
Flight, October 15, 1910
THE CRUCIFER AEROPLANE.
THE accompanying illustrations show a type of aeroplane - not yet actually constructed except in model form - that has as its principal characteristic a floating connection for the attachment of the wings to the body. The body itself is fish-shaped, and is encircled by a huge ball-bearing, to the outer race of which the main planes of the machine are rigidly connected. The object of this method of construction is to allow the planes freedom of canting movement, so that when they are displaced from their proper position of transverse equilibrium their canting shall not have any effect on the position of the body itself. The inventor of this system, which forms the subject of patent No. 8,687 of 1909, is Mr. L. B. Goldman, and the fundamental idea underlying his design is that the principle involved confers an enhanced facility of quick control on the machine to which it is applied.
On the pros and cons of the fundamental principle involved in this system we have some remarks to make in our leader this week. There are several other interesting features of the Crucifer aeroplane deserving of brief reference, although space does not permit of a very detailed description of such a machine as this prior to its practical development.
The control of the planes about the body is intended to be effected by the automatic operation of balancers, A, which are adjusted by a chain mechanism, C, that is moved by a running weight, B. The body of the Crucifer aeroplane is an example of the fish-shaped, or stream line form, construction that in one or other of its various styles must almost necessarily come into vogue in later stages of aviation if the high speeds that are anticipated become common practice. At the moment little effort is made to convert normal pressure into skin friction by enclosing the principal masses on most aeroplanes with a suitable body, although the natural facilities that are afforded by the modern monoplane show something of an advance over the biplane in this particular respect. In this machine, the Crucifer, the body has a hemispherical head, short cylindrical trunk, and a long gradually-tapering tail. Another peculiarity of the Crucifer aeroplane that is worthy of notice is the backward slant of the main planes, in which respect it resembles the Dunne machine.
