Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-28
HIGH SCHOOL BOY, AERONAU1
EVERARD BoECKH DESIGNS
AND PATENTS MoNoPLANE.
Machines Estimated Topnotch
Speed, 80 Miles an Hour.
Under Construction.

Aeroplane building In Washington is as
Stunning almost the form of an epidemic.
The latest candidate for honors is Ever
ard Boeckh, first year boy in the Tech
meal High School. who has designed a
monoplane on which patents have just
been issued. The machine has been work.
ed out on paper and construction is to be
commenced at once by manufacturing
company in Southwest Washington
The machine has a single plane so feet
across and 40 feet from front to rear. 1t
Is in the form Of an oval. cut off at the
lateral ends. and has a total spread of
something over $50 square feet. not in
Guiding the tail. The top plane Is abso-
lutely fiat. which is conducive to speed.
though not to lifting power. and the
young inventor depends on a supplement-
airy plane with a lifting curve under the
front of the machine for getting into the
air. The machine is equipped under the
Platform with a centerpo"rd something
like that of a boat. and the tail, which
makes the total length of the machine 50
feet, is built with a broad horizontal sec
ton and a smaller vertical section on the
upper side.
Driven by Six-Cylinder Engine.
The plane is to be driven by a six-cylin-
der engine Of sixty horsepower and
Weighing 80 pounds. This engine has not
yet been constructed, but is being built
independently at the same works which
will construct the aeroplane. The total
weight of the plane is $50 pounds. and 1t
is designed 10 carry two passengers in
addition to the operator. 1t runs on four
bicycle wheels. which are fixed to the
under part of the main platform and are
not movable, the designer depending on
the machine getting into the air before
it is necessary to do any steering.
Young Boeckh is from Toronto. Canada,
and has been interested in aeroplanes
since the first success of McCurdy and
Baldwin who are themselves Canadians.
He has been In Washington about a year
and has devoted all of his time in the
Technical High School to study of me-
chanics, with view to aerial work.
Special Paint Used.
The main plane of the machine is to be
covered with light silk rendered water
proof and impervious by a special paint.
One of the features of the machine is a
sort of gutter at the truncated ends of the
main plane. These rise about foot in
the air and curve inward. the object being
to offer resistance to any side gust that
tends to upset the machine. 1t is believed
board under the main platform and the
vertical rudder at the rear. will make the
machine entirely stable in the air.
The rear rudder is worked from the
operators seat, and this is the only lever
that has to be manipulated aside from
the stopping and starting Of the engine.
The propeller is fixed in front of the
machine. 1t is OF four blades and built
Of aluminium. 1t drives direct off the
main shaft of the engine and is designed
to make about 1 200 revolutions.
Owing to. the large amount of sup
porting surface compared with the to-
tai weight of the machine and operator,
Mr.. Boeckh thinks that he can make a
minimum speed of eighteen miles per
hour and still stay in the air. The maxi
mum speed is figured at eighty miles per
hour in accordance with the speed of
the engine and the pitch of the propeller.
The engine is air cooled and Of special
type. 1t alone will cost about $1,000 and
the total cost Of the machine probably
will be about $4,000.
1t is not known how long the construc-
ton will take, but it is thought that If
work is commenced at once the aeroplane
will be ready for trial in the course of
the coming winter.