The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1921-11-22

ANItuoe aho Spccu are oaeEiUSeo 70
the Handling Of EspIosIves-strona
Tendency TO Keep to the Single
Engine Type for Commercial Ma
ehlnes-Two-Enalns Machines Fall
IN Ministry Trials - Handlsy.Paao
Alone Went Through Satisfactorily.
The new airplane building at the
Bristol Aeroplane company, writes
Maj. Q. Q. Turner in the London Daily
Telegraph, is the latest expression Of
q method evolved by the Germans
during the war, with a view to long
distance bombing. Instead Of the en-
gines being separated from each other
In the wings Of the machine, as they
are in most airplanes with two or
more engines, they are grouped In an
engine room in the body, driving one,
two or more propellers through shaft
ing and gears.
Among the surrendered German air.
planes were several examples illustrat-
ing this method. A feature of these
designs was the low power, as COM
poANu WIN DAlNiSil lluNhlhNcg q Nth
man four.engine machine seldom had
greater power than 1000 horsepower,
whereas n British four-engine type
usually had half as much again. The
gears Of the German machines were
heavy. The engineer, standing In the
engine room, where four engines were
grouped in two tiers, was In the mid
lla ~ 10 ,t.lIn rnAo md
tubing, and must have worked in ex-
tremely distressing conditions. At
great expenditure OF fuel such ma
chimes were designed to carry a big
load Of bombs, but unless the return
Journey was to be left very much to
chance the distance Of the objective
could be little greater than that at
tainable by two-engine machines.
These machines would hardly be
suitable for commercial purposes.
BIG Load In Center.
Much is to be said for the grouping
Of the principal load at the center. for
Ms separation to the right and left, as
IN most two-engine types, is apt to
prove embarrassing in the case Of one
engine failing. The advantages Of the
group system include that Of reduced
head resistance as compared with ex-
posing each engine TO the air separ-
ately. The accessibility of the engines
during flight is an important advan-
tage. The gearing Of the propellers
Is also valuable, but full advantage
cannot be taken Of II until propellers
of variable pitch are used.
The massing of the engines In the
body will be detrimental to the COM
fort Of passengers, unless cabins are
provided elsewhere. A disadvantage
of the group system Is the enormous
weight at the center, which seems
likely to call for increased weight OF
wings or q strict limit to the span
from left to right. This may, however,
be partly counteracted by adopting the
triplane or Quadruplane system Gas In
the new BrlstoD, which, on the Other
hand, has It's own disadvantages.
The altitude capacity and the speed
Of the big German machines were low,
but doubtless at the present time
considerable Improvement In these re,
spects is possible. The landing OF
such machines is apt to be difficult
on account Of their great weight and
they must have airdromes of hard
surface.
The two.engine airplane is a pc
culIar class, inasmuch as the contin'
gency of one engine falling leaves II
with only half It's power but all Its
weight, and the half of It's power ex
erted at n thrust point away from the
center, with the result that turning
tendency has to be overcome.
Failed In Trials.
For the reasons mentioned the two
engine machines engaged in the All
Ministry competition last year, will
one exception, failed In trials In which
one or the other Of the engines hat
TO be stopped. These trials included
getting up in limited space and
maneuvering in the air, 1t was In
structive to note that the one machine
that went through satisfactorily wal
the Handley Page VS., which wal
driven by engines giving more powel
IN relation to the total weight OF thu
machine than its competitors. In III
case there were only IN pounds t
the horsepower, whereas the neares
q the others had no less than 15h
pounds to the horsepower. Thus TIL
W-s even with one engine idle, hat
a load power ratio not much highe
than that Of a single engine machine
The Farman Goliath is compare
lively low-powered two-engine ma
chine and its constructors hav,
brought out practically the same ma
chine driven by three engines, with
view to overcoming its drawbacks.
The present situation is that, TO
commercial machines, there is a stronI
tendency to keep to the single engin
TYNE