Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-06-29
A|RSH|P TO CARRY
81 PASSENGERS.
With That Number It Can
Travel at 9O-Mile
Rate.
ARMISTICE SAVED BERLIN
Eighteen and Half Tons of Metal
Used in It's Construc-
ton.
-ARMIsTICE SAVED BERLIN

onc-half tons shooting through the
air at ninety miles an hour, That's
Britains newest master Of the air
the Tarrant tr!plane - which was
wrecked on It's maiden trip. causing
ne death Of one: 1t is monster air
ship-thc worlds largest--and was
designed by w. g. Tarrant and con-
structed by the Tarrant Aircraft Com
pany, OF Surrey.
1t really is "a dying giant. It's di-
mansions are greater than any yet at
tempted for heavier than-a.ir craft.
Originally designed TO bomb Berlin.
peace carrier. Why the great plane
wrecked itself is matter s,iil puz-
cling the experts. But The cXperiin ent
win not be abandoned.
Ninety-two passengers will be car
ried by this monster in ;iight. II stands
reminds the spectator of various things
"a huge fowl, submarine. At
lantic liner and flying machine. Its
fuslage Is scven;y-six feet long and
the interior has not single wire or
span to obstruct the view Looking at
1t from the front, the three tiers of
wide spans OF wings might stand for
the three decks OF an ocean liner.
Armisticc Saved berlin.
Two OF these giants We're under con-
struc,ion BY the Air Ministry during
the last months OF the war. Each
would have dropped sixteen bombs OF
half tons OF explosives In one single
release OF bomb-rack lever. That's the
fate the arn!stice saved Germany's
capital.
The tr!plane has an advantage over
the hiplane, IN SO far. ii economies
on the spread Of wings. The span Of
chaine Is l3l feet. which in itsalf in
wolves very considerable strain on
the Joints. To gain the lift obtained
b. three planes out OF two only the
q he 90 sd n
III feet To drive this great bird there
arc six engines, which develop in the
sggreSate 1000 horse power. The fusi-
lage. when converted 10 peace usage.
wax sixteen feet wide. as against the
original width OF ten feet.
Walk Srr~nty-Si. Feet Long.
1t has been possible 10 gain all
necessary strength in the fusilnge with
out tho use OF any cross supporters or
struts. Circular girder rings spaced a
distances apart with lighter signs be-
tire length OF the body do the work.
and there is clear walk from end
10 end OF the scverty-siN-foot interior.
Seats for two pilots are raised we'll
within the nose, advanced twelve feet
before tn" planes and the Dropeilers.
thus giving an unohstructed view.
For fighting purposes each pilot would
have had a light machine gun by his
side. y gun pit advanced still further
into the nos has accommodation for
two more guns. ANA gun stations are
tail, and below 10 fire Under the tail.
Altogether. eight guns would have
been carried on the raids during the
war
Immediately behind the pilots seats
Is an engineers room. Here are the
various levers and mechanism for work
ing the engines The engineer can
take vocal instructions from the pilots
In starting, the pilots by this method
being left free TO control the flying.
However, they exercise master con-
by which the throtiies can he separ-
ately adjusted. The engineers room
is very cramped. thanked as il is by
the main gasoline tanks with others
overhead. Their combined capacity is
1900 gallons. supplementary tanks
were 10 hav" been iltted for the Atlantic
engines going WAS designed 10 Keep
maximum OF ninety miles an hour.
Hauled out On Trucks.
The tripiane Is TOO huge an affair
nary means, and the weight rests on
trucks running on IA special line out
TO the flying ground. from which it
takes Oft.
Apart from the immense spread OF
the planes the most imposing feature
OF the giant are the engines Four of
the propellers are two-baded. twelve
foot tractor screws. arranged TWO in
line between the middle and lower and
middle and upper planes respectively.
The other two are at the back of tho
of ten feet diameter. The starting sys-
TEN is operated from the engineers
compartment. The depth OF the plane
IS fifteen feet two inches. and the great
middle plane extends over span or
191 feet, with The length of the upper
and lower planes ninety-eight feet
The total wing surface is 5000 feet
Famous Flyers TO Control.
Captain Dunn. Il. a. r.. who in
France has flown every type of British
and German aeropiane, viii be in the
navigator's seat during the trial fights.
With him. as pilot. will be Captain
Townley Rawlings. n. f. c., who set
out for Mareate. bombed Constantine
pie and descended at Murdros. Lieu
tenant J. Adams. r. +. c.. will be en-
gineer with two assistants.
Strangely enough. the designer of the
trplane is an amateur. simple i'm
provement in wing span construction
first led his attention to aeroplane con-
struction, two years ago.
1T was simple enough when got
started thinking about it," he con
fessed. There's nothing so wonderful
about it. but this air-baby will fly,
and fly we'll, I am sure of that"