Viewing page 41 of 179
This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.
51 [[newspaper clipping]] [[image - black & white photograph of a biplane that crashed into wires supporting a large tent. The aircraft is upside down]] NOVEL BIPLANE TRIED IN GALVESTON Galveston, Texas., March 9. - Activity of the National Aeroplane Company's school on the beach here has only been slightly retarded by an accident to the Beech biplane which occurred this week when the designer of the machine took it out for a trial. Although the machine has been successfully down and passengers carried by J. Hector Worden, the trial made by A. C. Beech ended with the machine hung up on a tent pole. The pilot escaped without injury. In describing the accident he said, "We turned the machine round for the return run. I had to ease her over a rough place, but as soon as I pulled up the elevator, it shot into the air 20 feet. I immediately pushed down her head to kill the motor when I noticed the rough ground and remembered the recent tipping and swooped in a spiral down onto the tent, banking up to over 60 degrees and turning completely over. On striking I was shot head first toward the ground, but managed to catch a tent cable, retain my hold, and so save myself." The machine has since been repaired, the Breguet-type of third wheel attached and sprocket and chain substituted for rope in the steering gear. It is claimed that the tests made by Worden show that the new machine can climb 1 in 20 with a passenger on 320 pounds thrust that it can climb 1 in 5 with pilot on 370 pounds thrust, and that it has a gliding angle of one in 15 and it is said to possess much natural stability. The biplane measures 50 feet across the upper plane, the lower being 30 feet spread. The chord is 6 foot 6 inches and the gap 7 foot 6 inches. The front elevator has 20 square feet of surface, the rear elevator 45 square feet and the two flappers eight square feet. The cross section of the main plane is of thee Nieuport type without the inverse curve at the entering edge. Lateral stability is maintained by the use of ailerons on the top plane which have the same curve as the corresponding fixed surfaces. The control is dual and a Roberts six-cylinder motor supplies the power. The machine was first tried out by Worden, who flew it for several miles on Denver Beach, carrying a passenger. Paul Studensky, about whose over-city flight Galveston is still talking, made a short flight last Sunday, remaining in the air about 15 minutes and coming down on account of the heavy mist. Scott Linn, secretary of the National Company has gone to Chicago where he will remain about 10 days before returning again to take charge of the work here. During his absence the school will be in charge of his cousin, Howard Linn. The Curtiss biplane of Mart McCormack has been repaired and is now ready for use as a school machine. It looks better than it did before the accident. [[image - black & white photograph of the same crash from a different angle]] [[/newspaper clipping]]
