The Washington herald., 1910-06-05

crosspiece OF the framework Of the rudder
back TO the steering wheel. II is fastened
at the hub OF the wheel. The wheel
works backward and forward as well as
turning So the same hand that is steer
ing the aeroplane to right or left by
turn OF the wheel can. at the same time.
be raising the aeroplane by drawing the
wheel back toward the driver. as one
picks VI" a stumbling horse, or else
forced esTthward by a forward thrust
More vital sin than the altitude rudder
and certainly more OF a departure from
all other known methods Of equilibrium,
are the stabllizing rudders or fms, b b.
The working Of these is shown In Fig. g.
To understand the use Of these. the
most continuously employed pieces OF
steering gear on an aeroplane, IL is neces-
saTy 10 remember that an aeroplane is
poised as delicately on its airy even keel
a tghtrope walker on his wire. The
stabilizing fms serve the same purpose as
does the fan OF the Japaneses tightrope
performer. The save the flyer from tip
ping over 10 one side or the other.
Fig 3 viii show how this Is done.
Once more It is an application of the
principle of catching the wind on the
underside Of horizontal plane tpget an
upward pressure. and on the upper side
10 get q downward pressure. Fig.
shows a front elevation Of the stabilizing
planes and as much of the rest Of the
seroplane as Is necessary to the compre-
hension of their action. The purpose
Of the arrangement here shown IS TO tilt
the one plane upward and the opposite
one downward az the same time.
The control Of the planes. b b, lies in
the wires c c The axis OF each
plane lies in the dotted line, A. The
wires, &C, fastened behind the axes of
the planes, tilt them by an upward or
downward pull. The wires c run down
from each plane TO a pulley al the corner
OF the lower sustaining plane, p. From
the pulley they run straight to the top of
the back OF the drivers seat, S. There
they are fastened.
This seat-bach swings from side TO side
like the backs OF some old chairs. The
difference is that the old chairs were not
designed TO sway. while this back is.
When il sways 10 the right. it pulls the
wire that draws down the rear OF the
stabilizing plane out at the left wing tip,
When the seat sways 20 the left, il draws
down the stabilizing plane at the right
wing tip.
The wiring, c, runs also up from the
tops of the stabilizing planes through
pulieys overhead, and so connects the
stabiliZing planes from above. When.
therefore. one stabiliZing plane has its
after edge pulled down by the fitting OF
the seat back, the same pull, communi-
Gated by the wire overhead TO the other
stabilizing plane. pulls its rear end up.
Whichever way the one stabilizing plane
IS turned, the other one is turned op-
positely.
The manner in which this action rights
the aeroplane viii be readily understood.
The process is as follows: AS soon as, in
the course of fight, the aeroplane says to
the left the driver leans over to the right
In his seat. It is the motion that he
would naturally make to find his own
equilibrium. In leaning to the right he
pushes the seat back over with him.
This pulls the wire that draws down the
left stabilizing fms after part. Thus the
fin turns on its axis, or In such a way as
TO present a slanting under surface TO the
wind. The wind delivers an upward
pressure on this surface and this up
ward pressure tends 10 right the sagging
left end of the aeroplane. At the same
time the pull that started from the seat
back is sent on from the left fin over the
overhead wire and down TO the upper
surface Of the right I'm. which is drawn
up. The right fin is thus made to present
It's upper surface to the wind and the
wind then depTesses the right end OF the
aeroplane at the same time that the left
Is being raised. In a moment the aero
plane is righted. The driver thereupon
straightens Up in his seat, bringing the
seat-back again to the upright position
and so drawing the stabilizing fms back
L., MIA ha
ment is a natural one for the driver, so
much so as to be semi-automatic.
II often happens that an aeroplane is
caught In an air current as knotty as
a rough pine board. A puff OF wind will
blow one side up, or the other side down.
It is then that the aeronaut's back and
shoulders are put to quick use to right
his machine The rule is simple: always
to bend toward the upward side. Often
IN making q curve, also, the aviator is
obliged 10 lean q little inward, IL the
curve be sharp, to counteract the CEN
trifugal force. The aeroplane naturally
tits on the inward side when taking
sharp curve, because OF the slackening
of the speed on the side which has the
shorter curve.
rhe third of the important controls
Of the aeroplane In the afr is shown in
Fig. 4. II is the side-to-side steering
gear the most complicated. because it
IS the least important. 1t needs a second
motion of the hands. which are already
busy with the altitude control But the
side-to-side steering motion does not
interfere with the pushing and pulling
by which the upward and downward
course Of fight Is directed.
Figure shows view Of the ssde-to-S;ds