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

Журнал Flight

Flight, October 29, 1910

IMPRESSIONS OF THE PARIS SHOW - (continued).
By OISEAU.

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   Another aeroplane, though not of recent initial design, is so altered as to make it almost a new type - the R.E.P. M. Esnault-Pelterie, one of the pioneers of aviation, has, until the last few months, stolidly refused to depart from his early individualistic ideas of how to design a flying machine, with the inevitable consequence that success rarely came his way. Profiting by his own failure to fly really well, and by the experience of others, he has at last allowed sufficient of conventional design to enter into his machine that it has now become of the first rank. A chassis has been added, perhaps a little too closely resembling the Antoinette in superficial appearance to entirely please my fancy, and yet greatly in advance of the one-wheel carriage. The tail, too, has the usual elevator and rudder in place of one confusedly arranged that warped in various curious directions. The wings are stayed by wire cables, as on other monoplanes, and lateral stability is maintained by gauchissement and not by the altering of the entire wing angle. One of the new type R.E.P. 5-cyl. 55-h.p. engines is fitted, driving a two-branch wooden propeller in place of the four-bladed metal propeller used until recently. The entire aeroplane is covered in scarlet "Continental" canvas, therefore appealing greatly to the aesthetic taste of those to whom appearance counts before all things.
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Flight, December 3, 1910

A Record by the R.E.P.

   A NOTABLE performance was accomplished at Buc on Sunday by Laurens when he took out the new R.E.P. two-seater for its first trial. Accompanied by his young wife, Laurens flew for two minutes over the hour, during which time he set up new passenger speed records for distances up to 80 kiloms., and covering 79 kiloms. in the hour. For the sake of comparison we reproduce below the old figures and the new, from which it will be seen that the improvement is a very decided one. Both Laurens and his wife are to be congratulated on this result, especially as the cold and mist made their experience a very trying one.


Flight, December 10, 1910

AEROPLANE SILHOUETTES FROM THE PARIS SHOW.

THE R.E.P. MONOPLANE.

   A FRENCH-BUILT monoplane. Framework of steel tubes covered with Continental aeroplane fabric, coloured red. Planes double-surfaced throughout. M. Robert Esnault-Pelterie, the designer and constructor of both the aeroplane and the engine bearing his initials, though yet but a little over thirty, was one of the earliest successful pioneers of mechanical flight.
   General dimensions. - Length overall, 9.500 metres; width, 12.800 metres; height, 3 metres; length of each wing, 6.300 metres; breadth of each wing at widest point, 2.500 metres; total bearing surface, 25 square metres.
   Seating capacity. - One or two seats.
   Engine. - 50-60-h.p. 5-cyl. semi-radial R.E.P. Normal revoluions, 1,000.
   Propeller. - Normale. Two-bladed in wood, 2.60 metres diameter.
   Wheels and skids. - Two wheels with single central hollow wooden skid. Whole chassis carefully sprung.
   Tail. - Non-lifting tail plane with elevator hinged to trailing, edge, divided to admit of the rudder working in the centre. The rudder is similarly divided to allow for the working of the elevator.
   Lateral stability. By flexing the trailing edges of the mainplanes.
   Weight. - With 50-60-h.p. R.E.P. motor, 480 kilogs.
   Speed. - 90 kiloms. an hour.
   System of control. - By means of two levers situated on opposite sides of the pilot. The left-hand lever when moved backwards elevates the machine, and vice versa. A sideways movement to the left depresses the right wing, and to the right the left wing. The right-hand lever, if moved to the right, steers the machine in that direction, and the opposite movement steers to the left.
   Price. - With 50-60-h.p. R.E.P. engine, 29,000 francs. No other engine is fitted, and the aeroplane is not supplied without a motor.


Flight, January 7, 1911

FRENCH MICHELIN CUP.

The Last Day.

   As we have noted above the closing day, December 31st, witnessed five aviators starting off on attempts for the prize. Henry Farman was the first in the air, and at Etampes he circled round the flying ground for 7 hrs. 11 mins., covering 487 kiloms., after which he was obliged to land owing to the breaking of a lubricating pipe.
   This splendid failure was equalled by a meritorious flight made at Buc, where Pierre Marie on his R.E. P. monoplane succeeded in covering 530 kiloms. in 6h. 29m. 19 1/5s., when he was obliged to land owing to his petrol giving out. Incidentally he set up new records as follows:- 250 kilorns., 3h. 4m. 28s; 300 kiloms., 3h. 40m. 55 2/5s.; 350 kiloms., 4h. 17m. 26 1/5s.; 400 kiloms., 4h. 54m. 6 4/5s.; 450 kiloms., 5h. 30m. 35 3/5s.; 500 kiloms., 6h. 7m. 7 4/5s.
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Laurens Wins the Coupe Deperdussin.

   Two final attempts to better Laurens' record were made on December 31st, but neither of them was successful. At Douzy, Andre Noel started off in spite of the severe wintry conditions, but after he had covered only about 50 kiloms. in 40 mins. he was obliged to land owing to a frozen carburettor. The second attempt was made at Rheims, where Vidard was flying on the Deperdussin monoplane for 55 kiloms., and is said to have beaten the passenger speed record up to that distance, although no times are as yet available. Some difficulty was experienced apparently in obtaining the services of an official timekeeper, and by the time one arrived it was impossible to beat the record. It will be remembered that the winning flight was made on December 21st at Buc, when Laurens, accompanied by M. Hickel and mounted on his R. E.P. monoplane, completed 100 kiloms. in 1 hr. 16 mins.