Washington telegraph., 1910-07-08
A|RSH|P IS UNIQUE
Planes or Wings Are Mounted or
BaII-Bearing Collars.
Engine Can Be Coupled with Ma
chIne's Road Wheels to Run Like
AutomobIIe-Usuaf Faults
Overcome,

London--An English inventor, L. B.
Goldman, has made an attempt to es-
cape from the conventional design of
aeroplanea- Mr.. Goldman has looked
to the time when the speed attained
will be so high that it will be advisable
to reduce the head resistance of the
machine as much as possible and at
the same time afford some shelter to
the aviator and passenger
He thus evolves covered central
body Of conical form, and in the front
portion of this vessel the pilot sspas-
sengers, engine and stores ar3 con.
tanned. Transparent panels In front
| permit of a lookout being observed.
This central body is mounted on a
chassis fitted with wheels and skids,
but so skilfully are the parts grouped
together that resistance due TO the
various units now presented to the
wind Is reduced almost to a minimum
! MIR. Goldman's main claim, however,
for bis aeropiane is founded on the at
tempt to preserve automatically the
latera! stability Of the whole appara-
tus. In his machine the planes or
wings are mounted ON ball-bearing cel-
lars fitted to the neck of the central
body, and these planes are free to
osctlate about the body to a certain
degree. When side gust of wind
strikes underneath one plane of the
ordinary flying machine it lifts that
plane, Tits the central body, and de-
presses the other plane The aviator,
by warping the planes, or by some
other balancing device, has to correct
this tilting; and the problem Of how
best to do this is one of the most dif,
ticult In aviation. II the gust Is sud
den and powerful enough IT may throw
the whole machine completely out of
balance.
In the Goldman machine, when one
wing is struck from beneath by gust
1t oscillates about the central
body without imparting motion to
this, since the plane is mounted on a
sliding collar. An upper vertical
plane and stop springs check the
oscillations, and tend quickly to re-
store the main planes to the horizon
tai. whilst all the time the central
body has been unaffected by these
movements.
Another feature of the machine Is
that the central body is mounted on
trunnions formed on the chassis. Thus
by operating a hand-wheel the pilot
can tilt or depress the nose of the
central body, an ingenious system of
sliding weights giving the necessary
leverage. The body is locked then in
any required position. Whether on
the ground or in the air the central
body can be tilted instantly to any re-
quired angie, and Mr. Goldman pro-
poses to employ this device to govern
the upward or downward course of the
vessel Instead OF employing the usual
elevator planes.
The engine Is mounted within the
central body, and drives, by means of
chain or other gear, two propellers
mounted at the rear of the planes, and
outside the main body. This body
may be coveSed with any waterproof
material and be given rigid form.
Thus conceivab'y vessel of this type
|, could be employed to alight on or
start from the surface of watc. al
though this point has not yet been
fully gone into by the inventor
Mr.. Goldman has further carried his
design to a point whereby tie main
planes can be folded back over the
central body somewhat In the man.
ner 6f the wings OF a bird This
would enable the machine to be very
easily transported by road He has
also devised a means. of coupling the
engine by suitable gearing with the
road wheels, and thus the aeroplane,
with Its wings folded. could be driven
along q roadway almost IN the manner
of a motor car.
The inventor, It may be mentioned
is complete invalid, precluded from
making any practical experiments.