Charlevoix county herald., 1919-08-08

American has had In the past a speak
ing vocabulary of only $50 of the more
than 100000 words in the English Ian
guage the increase brought about by
the airplane and airship Is regarded as
remarkable.
For the benefit Of those as yet unac-
quainted with the true meaning or
such words as "fuseage," "nacele,"
drift" or parasite resistance" the
Manufacturers Aircraft association
has prepared a flying dictionary"
with the aid of a report compiled by
the national advisory committee for
aeronautics at Washington.
"Never before has so much aero
nautical news been printed" says the
Manufacturers Aircraft association
article yet one of the handicaps Is the
proper description of equipment so as
to give the public-generally unin-
structed-an accurate idea of the mag
nitude of current happenings. This
difficulty has also been encountered In
government aircraft activities and APP
pears more than ever now that COM
mercial aviation, with proper encour-
agement, promises to develop soon.
Is Strange Language.
"The 200 or more aeronautical
words or phrases in common use on
the flying fields or in the aircraft
plants are strangers to the average
reader. For instance. everyone prob
ably has heard of the aileron, yet
many may not know that the ailerons
Of biplane are arranged In the trail
ing edges in a unique manner, causing
it to respond at the slightest touch Of
the controls and enabling the pilot to
ignore the lateral altitude of the ma
chine entirely.
''An aileron, to be more specific, is q
bit of wing tip fixed on hinges back
on the rear edge at the ends of the
wings. 1t is controlled by wires. When
moved from the pilots seat the allie
rons on one side raise and those on the
other side decline prOportiOnately,
thereby allowing the wind pressure
against them to tip the plane to either
side as desired.
"a biplane is a two-winged machine
N
majority of the American and British
machines are biplanes.
1.-THE trailing edge is the rear edge
of the wings. Speaking of gliding, 1t
means not only gliding but the angle
of the path the airplane takes when 1t
descends under the influence of gravity
alone. A plane usually glides by keep
inO &c arI no
when 1t will glide straightaway eight
miles for every mile 1t Is above the
earth, or eight In one.
What Is an AirpIane7
"An airplane is a machine that de-
ponds for support In the air on planes
or wings and the propelling power Of
its motors to keep IT there, overcoming
gravity and at the same time prOpel-
ling 1t forward. An airship Is not an
airplane but a balloon, elongated,
somewhat cigar-shaped and provided
with propelling system, car for pas
sengers, rudders and stabilizing sur
faces.
There are three kinds of airships,
the non-rigid, whose form or shape is
maintained by pressure of gas inside,
aided by pressure of the cables and
ropes which hold the passenger car
underneath. Then there is the rigid
airship, or one having a stiff wood or
metal framework inside the big gas
bag to hold its shape for 1t. The semi
rigid airshlp has rigid metal or wood
en- keel or spine along its under side,
which holds 1t partly in shape. Bal
looms and airships have appendices,
too. The appendix is hose leading
from the bottom side of the gas bag to
the car and used for initiating 1t, or, In
the case of the old-fashioned spherical
balloon, like big rubber ball, 1t serves
to equalze the gas pressure inside.
'An aviator is an operator or pilot of
an airplane, or any heavier-than-air
craft. A balloon is lighter-than-air
craft. The term aviator applies to
either a man or woman who drives
airplanes. The term 'fuselage' Is COM
mon, yet not wholly understood. 1t is
the body Of the airplane, or the fabric
covered framework which holds the en-
CINE In front, the pilots seat and pas
senger area in the center between the
wings and then runs back to the tail.
"Dope" Used on Aircraft.
1.-THE trail group is general, and II
contains, besides the rudder or rud-
ders. depending on the type of machine,
elevators In a horizontal position, one
on either side of the rudder, and fins
which are vertical to the elevators and
are fixed, forming one plane with the
rudder when il is in natural position
The controls are the wheel or stick
for use of the pilot in guiding his craft
the same as the wheel of an automobile
or the rudder bar of boat. A control
has three uses, where In other vehicles
such as the motorcar or boat, only two
uses can be found for IL. The reason
is that aviators have to contend with
three dimensions. An auto or boat can
travel only backward or forward, OF
sidewlse. A plane can do these things