New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-04-04
The StreamIine Aeroplane

~ w -44+Illl ID. lOLO4J, al american
aeronautical ~engineert formerly a
member of the Aircraft Board in
Warrington, belongs the honor Of
producing an air machine wholly
new IN its conception that promises
to revoluticnize aeronautics. Bv a
lifting coincidence, Mr.. Stout was
materially assisted in developing his
remarkable machine by the man who
taught the world to fly, and made
the first successful mechanical flight
-Orvllle Wright, father of avia-
ton"
The new machine was one of the
secrets of the war. Since perfected
it is about to be flown from Detroit
to this city, and its coming fight
will be the first public demonstration
of the new idea that seems destined
to change the design and construc-
ton Of the heavier-than-air machine.
1t was not long after the first
successful airplane fight that en-
gineers discovered that the struts
and wires that strengthen and brace
the wings of an airplane offered
great resistance to its forward pas
sage through the air. This became
known as parasite resistance" and
various efforts at streamlining the
struts and wires were made to over
come the resistance. Another fact
noted was that by loading the weight
Of the airplane in a central body, or
fuselage, the lifting efficiency of the
wings was lessened. This fact
showed that there would be a limit
beyond which no airplane could be
constructed with safety.
These were the problems that Mr..
Stout sought to overcome. In solv-
ing them he has presented to the
world a machine that almost sur-
passes description. But few civilians
have seer it and it is not easily de
scribed.
1t is a single wing about seven
feet thick and approximately forty
feet from tip to tip. Imagine the
wings Of a biplane stretched with
struts and wires between the upper
and lower wings but without any
fuselage, then envision these wings
covered entirely with a streamline
envelope giving them an external
appearance of a single wing, and you
have an idea Of the new airplane.
The envelope is constructed of mag
nesium, a metal 80 per cent lighter
than aluminium.
In front the wing has an clip
teal form, which gradually narrows
down to a point at the rear edge.
The engines which drive this re-
markable machine are placed inside
the wing, and their shafts protrude
through the rear Of the wing, where
the propellers revolve.
This airplane has no body. The
pilot, passengers, freight and fuel
are all carried inside the wing. Win
dows form part of the Of the
wing, so that q perfect view can be
obtained in every direction, yet they
are so shaped as to fit naturally into
the streamline form. The whole in
ternal displacement of the wing is
carefully balanced.
The revolutionary character of
this machine lies in the fact that
there is no theoretical limit to the
size it can be constructed. In such a
machine the total weight can be
carefully distributed along the en-
tire length of the wing, which is the
lifting surface. Moreover, in view Of
the fact that it is a perfect stream
line body, it's resistance Is so reduced
that it will fly twice as fast as any
other atrplane with only half the
power.
In the wind tunnel tests that were
made with models it was clearly
demonstrated that the idea was
sound. Subsequently a completed
machine was built and flown under
the veil of war secrecy, with COM
plete success. The entire aeronauti-
cal world is keeping its eyes upon
Detroit, where the machine was
built, and they will watch with in
terest it's first '~cross-country flight
that will shortly take place.
l. T