The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-14
Monoplane and Biplane


 rrbera seems to be little difference be- tween the monoplane and the bfplane, so far as relative safety is concerhed' The old steady going Wright aeroplane is regarded as the most sa1e, ana thls Is the type which will carry passengers ont at the fair grounds. There mas been much said and written as to the relative superiority of the monoplane and the blplane considered from the viewpoint nf safety. The facts are that at the present time there does not seem to be much difference. At least thls mas been the experience of the Berger avlatofs. IL seanos to be a matter of choice as to the lt,pe of accident. In the event oi iaii in a monoplane, the aviator may De burned to death by the gasoiihe isnt ina from the motor, or in the plpIahc vol1 may be crushed to death by the mo- for. considering that the motor in the rear is typical of the biplane. Ihe ac- llxnowledged dangerous location of the motor at the trailing edge of the man nlanes behind the pilot mas resulteu III | the design of the tractor type oi pi- nlane. which, while 1t will result In Few e, accidents from being crushed by the motor. will bring about corfespoha- t,,e. increase in the number of accidents | from fire unless provision Is made 10 taalata inc gasoline tank and its con
 tonts so that in the event or d pau l ia ndine. there will be F.. possible danger l of the gasoline becoming ignited.
 Fires Freauent in Aeroplane Wrecks 1 It is significant to note that lhe opN | ion of eve witnesses of a huhper ol .Who W recent accidents that occurred In Whleh l . fall was followed by ere that Tn no
 case was the angle or speed ol descent
 sucb that death would have been proo- able if fire had not followed. In iael, landing smashes have occurred almost every week abroad in Which the aFla- | tor is not particularly injured yet II l tbeiwreck had caught fire there Woula | have been more names added 10 the ise of aviators who have Fest thelr iFes. A case in point is that of Lieutenant Roeruer. who fell more than lOO0 rect without suffering a broken bone, but lost his life when his machine caught fire. II is of vital importance that con- structors use every effort 10 so con struct and locate the gasoline tank that rupture of the tank would be impossi- ble in the event of bad smash.
 Die From Own Recklessness
 In a large number of cases aviator5 come to grief through their own reck- less and daredevil work in the skies. It Is 9 proven fact that the cause of most accidents Is directly traceable to the aviator. Reference is made to the vol plane smash or collapse and stalling. That familiarity breeds contempt cN- presses the skilled e-iator's attitude towards the danger or ascending and descending at angles greater than the normal angle of flight, get to this cause can be attributed more than one-half of the accidents that have been recorded. Many aviators would cES insane" any one who would atte.rpt instantly to change the course of q speeding auto- mobile yet they calmly take chances with no heed to consequences by un- necessary high speed yolplanes with spectacular change or course. usually included as one of the thrills" of ex- hibition flying. The equally dangerous stalling of the machine by trying to climb too rapidly especially on a turn, is caused by trying to make the aero plane climb at such an angle that the resistance is greater than the thrust. The result is the same sort of accident that has been described as the tail first dive.
 Estimating Angles What Troubles
 AviatOrs
 It is fact that any of the aeroplane surfaces now in use cease 10 be efficient at il greater angle than l degrees, and at 20 degrees the lift is much less, with the re sistanca increased. that in order to maintain the correct angle of flight. the ayla-