The sun., 1909-11-17
STARTING THE AEROPLANE.
For Military lises the I.aunchtng Method
seems to he More Desirable.

To rHR EDIToR or THE SUS- Sir: Some
aeroplane machines depend entirely upon
their own motive power for starting in
flight others obtain the necessary initial
velocity by the aid Of eAtraneous power.
In the com petitive tests which will take
place In 1910 the two methods OF starting
are likely TO reveal the respective advan-
tages and disadvantages OF each. For con-
veneDce let us call the methods the wheel
start and the launcber start. The chief
advantage OF the former is thar in aviation
fields or In a level country the machine
stands u very good chance OF renewed flight
after an involuntary stop. II is otherwise
with a machine designed with reduced sur
faces for high speed aud dependent at ali
times upon a powerful apparatus for launch
ing. should this fact tell AGAINST the method
which requires n tauncher? In the writer's
opinion " should not.
AZ nying machines hecome more common
aeroplane sheds will increase in number.
and these may be provided with launching
apparatus at small cost The aviators will
need garages just as mot o. orsts do.
II may be said by some that the accident nj
stoppa ge OF AN aerial motor entails too IDus h
Inconvenience in the case OF machine
which requires launcher. In reUly IL may
be remarked thHt in he early days OF the
automobile horses were often called To its
aid, and IL may he the sane with the nyii>g
machine in its early days. vet With fnIther
Improvement in the reliability oil motors
aud with launching stations not more than
twenty-hvS miles apart IL v i'll not he a great
nnder'a King 10 ny from station 10 station
Even in the present state NJ the art a flying
machine would not be considered mar ket-
able II ~ could not ty its Twenty-Five miles
with "a reasonable degree OF certainty.
The chief advantage OF starting from the
ground on wheels has been menticHed; now
lei ms consider some OF the handicaps OF
self-starting machines While such machines
will undou bt edly be further developed for
g..k. haaNka
Il seems probable that for utiltarian az well
~ for racing purposes high speed machines
will be in demand: The supporting power
of an aeroplaue increases approximately
! "a the square OF the velocity. II machine
Is designed for a speed Of sixty miles an
hour its sustaining surfaces need be less
than half OF the area required in a machine
designei to travel al forty miles an hour.
such a machine cannot get on the ground
AZ a moderate speed and rapid running upon
the average field shakes the machine and
puts severe strain upon the tension mem
bers OF the frame. IL one OF them is weak
ened the danger turks unseen.
N the machine is started from n well de-
| signed launcher u goes smoothly into the
sidered Large birds face the wind when
beginning flight. and the revolving launcher
is turned to face win Tndward when en- the nyinS
about Topography IN trying TO avoid side
winds in starting The time appears 20 be
will participate in military manGuvres
signalling scouts. IL will then be necessary
Tor them to start AZ times from places IN
uneven country. and such places must be
made ready at very short notice. In order
to do this IL will be necessary to have porta-
BILE launchers which can be quickly taken
apart. placed on mules. carried TO the chosen
place and quickly reassembled
In the case of the machine dependent upon
its own power for starting. the higher the
speed required in the air the higher must be
its maximum speed upon the ground. Wheel
mounted machines will stand a certain
amount OF racking but there Il a limit. II IL
not possible to take a parade ground into the
battlefield. JAMES MEANs.
BOsTOS November Is.