WOOD triplane glider ornithopter (B. Graham Wood., 17 Glenthorne Rd., New Southgate, London N)

   Wood was a lecturer at the North London Polytechnic and chairman of the Polytechnic Gliding Club, founded in January 1912. He took his pilot's certificate at the Hewlett and Blondeau School at Brooklands.
   In addition to arranging club activities, he constructed a triplane glider with 'beating wings', which was ready for testing in October 1912. The glider was very lightly constructed with the three wings reducing in span, with the shortest at the top. The wings had considerable stagger and dihedral and the single pairs of interplane struts were canted outwards. The wings were made in halves and pivoted at the center. They were connected by rods and cables to actuate the downward movement, by means of a foot bar. A semicircular fin on a light boom, was braced by cables. The intention was to develop the machine as a glider before operating the flapping mechanism. It was not recorded if the machine was tried as an ornithopter.