P.Lewis British Aircraft 1809-1914 (Putnam)
Mackensie-Hughes Triplane
The Mackensie-Hughes Triplane Britannia of E. S. B. Mackensie-Hughes was designed by A. W. Smith of Barking and constructed during 1910. The engine was the four-cylinder 20 h.p. J. A.P., which drove two propellers by chains; the propellers were phased 90° apart, and their blades inter-meshed where their swept discs overlapped. The triplane wings were back-staggered, as were the triplane horizontal tail surfaces. The centre wings were of broad chord, while those above and below were of narrow chord, and lateral control was by means of ailerons on the centre wings. The machine's appearance gave rise to its nickname of "The Staircase". It was tested on 9th July, 1910, and was converted in the following month into the Molesworth Triplane. Span, 23 ft. Wing area, 250 sq. ft. Weight empty, 600 lb.
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M.Goodall, A.Tagg British Aircraft before the Great War (Schiffer)
Deleted by request of (c)Schiffer Publishing
MACKENSIE-HUGHES triplane (E.S.B. Mackensie-Hughes and A.W. Smith, Barking)
This machine, made by A.W. Smith at Barking, arrived at Brooklands in June 1910 and was housed in shed No.22. It carried the name 'Britannia' in large letters on the fuselage sides, but was nicknamed 'The Staircase' by the Brooklands cynics. The machine failed to fly when first tested on 9 July 1910, or subsequently, being under-powered and too heavy. It was soon converted to become the Molesworth triplane (q.v.).
The mainplanes were staggered, with the middle one overlapping the trailing edge of the lowest by nine inches. The top plane was similarly placed above and behind the middle one. The center plane had a chord approximately double that of the others, and it carried ailerons in addition, hinged to the trailing edge. Three pairs of interplane struts of N-form spaced each pair of wings, which were braced to vertical kingposts, above and below the fuselage. The tailplane was also a staggered triplane unit, with elevators on the center panel. The rudder was forward of the tailplane unit, and was hinged on a vertical strut, also carrying the tail wheel below the fuselage. Lateral control was by sideways movement of the back of the seat; rudder and elevator control was by separate levers.
The fuselage, which was fabric covered, was a rectangular section, wooden girder tapering to a point at both front and rear, with the engine housed in a compartment just forward of the pilot. The engine drove the overlapping twin propellers, ahead of the nose through chains and long shafts. The undercarriage was a widely spaced arrangement of struts and twin skids with two pairs of wheels, sprung mounted, on separate axles.
Power: 20hp JAP four-cylinder air-cooled vee driving twin metal propellers by chain and shafts at a reduction of 3 to 2, spaced at ninety degrees in overlapping planes.
Data
Span 23ft
Area 250 sq ft
Weight 600 lb
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