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Страна: Великобритания

Год: 1913

P.Lewis British Aircraft 1809-1914 (Putnam)

Lee-Richards Annular Monoplane

   Undeterred by the failure of their first attempt at the design of a powered annular-wing aeroplane, Cedric Lee and G. Tilghman Richards continued their experiments with gliders and with wind-tunnel research at East London College. Negotiations with the Blackburn Aeroplane Co., of Leeds, for the construction of a full-size monoplane fell through, but James Radley undertook the work at Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex, assisted by E. C. Gordon England as works manager and test pilot. Wind-tunnel tests at the National Physical Laboratory had given very good results, indicating that the annular wing was without a "burble" point and could be expected to lift at angles of incidence of up to 30°. The stall was gentle, and the span of the wings could be half of that of the conventional type. The machine was built with a normal tractor fuselage, incorporating an enclosed 80 h.p. Gnome engine, with the annular wings braced from a pylon before the front cockpit. The second cockpit was set towards the tail, which incorporated conventional rudder and elevators. The monoplane was flown for the first time on 23rd November, 1913, by Gordon England, who found, after a very fast take-off, that it was tail heavy. It stalled and fell some 150 feet into telegraph wires, but without injury to the pilot, who suffered only from shock.
   After rebuilding, the machine was flown by C. Gordon Bell and N. S. Percival, but was crashed and reconstructed once again. Modifications were made to the design, and the excessive stability found in the early tests was eradicated in the final version, which proved to be a successful flyer. It its final form, additional strut-braced elevators were added at the top of the rudder post, forming a biplane tail. Some 1,000 miles distance was covered by the three versions, with about 128 hours flying time being reached. The design was found to be easy to fly and control, with a good view for the pilot, and would leave the ground at about 30 m.p.h. with a full load.
   Two new annular monoplanes were being built during April, 1914, for the Gordon Bennett race, and the original machine was flown continually until September, 1914. After the 1914-18 War, Tilghman Richards attempted to arouse Air Ministry interest in the design, but was unsuccessful. Span, 22 ft. Length, 23 ft. 3 ins. Wing area, 280 sq. ft. Weight loaded as two-seater, 1,680 lb. Weight loaded as single-seater, 1,500 lb. Maximum speed, 85 m.p.h. Landing speed, 45 m.p.h. Climb, 400 ft. min. Endurance, 3-5 hrs.

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Описание:

  • P.Lewis British Aircraft 1809-1914 (Putnam)
  • M.Goodall, A.Tagg British Aircraft before the Great War (Schiffer)
  • Журнал Flight