FLYING FLEAS

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21909, 9 October 1936, Page 15

FLYING FLEAS

TO THK EDITOR Of THE PRESS. Sir,—May I be permitted to add my few remarks on “flying fleas.” I have before me the full report as issued by the French Air Corps laboratory. Your cable report is certainly correct as far as it goes, but unfortunately it does not go far enough. The flea in its original state was certainly a vicious creature and was guilty of all your cable report states, but fortunately, air tunnels and laboratories are not just used for discovering faults, but can also be used for correcting faults as well. The French report is set out in seven clauses, which I will set out, hoping that you can spare space to The machine is correctly centred when in normal flight (cruising flight) The front wing has an incidence of two degrees less than the rear wing. Then the vertical through centre of gravity is located 27 9-16 inches back of the leading edge of the front wing. (2) Then the position of the control stick must be such that the front wing has a play of five degrees up and five degrees down on the normal flying P °(3) The gap between the front wing -and the rear wing must be, at least, 15J inches. This will give a length of 29* inches between the front of the cockpit and the main spar of the front wing. . (4) In cruising flight the back of the fuselage has six agrees to tne horizontal (level). . . (5) The axle of propeHer must be narallel to the top of the fuselage (or on the same line if possible), which i better, if possible. The correct position of the axle of the ProP 11 prevent the nose from going up wnen the motor is shut off. wines • (6) The overlap of the two wings may be from 0 to six inches. , (7) The struts (instead of cables) are absolutely necessary. The dimensions have been tried out and thoroughly tested both i the wind tunnel and in actual flight. If these rules are followed the amateur-built "Sort of .he by yesterday’s maiMhe Hata nn the latest flea built, inis machine has a speed of . hour. Mr C. G. Grey. of The olane’’ comments as fellows. ine H M. 18 has a span of five metres, or fbout 17 feet. The top surface of its main Wing has about three inches of Shedral only and the lower surfaces curve up rather more to taper out the tips The movement of this wing limited according to latest research drastiUlly quoted w n<il tunnrf results do not bear tnis out, yet this is the result of those same wind-tun* ■ beyond these points a small elevate on the fixed recr wing comes into a °The undercarriage is divided and SSS- fiyftg «e» hj. , ®togjand. Briti* Air Ministry” Although there are no w«reTte ■np Srtlm SS S« P ' a„d o pSnatloo lies and consequent UghthfeSs. powe K?teS°SvS SodaSte dlhedrS wpo a rt K* but HJvSf

held it in vertical banks with astonishing steadiness. Your sub-leader took up a “told yoti so*’ tone in case future ‘‘flea” doings in and round Christchurch may end in fatality. Remember this: my neck is as precious to me as yours is to you, and I also consider myself prudent. The “flea” is far from dead, and the future is very bright for these little craft as a sporting ught aeroplane, and undoubtedly they Will be perfected also. Do not be surprised when you can f a time to inspect the local flea, to see just how near the local aeroplane is to the latest flea development; and these alterations are all local, with no promptings from abroad. Why cannot Christchurch brains improve as well as French ones? As it Is, we are sick of pointing out that the “flea” was actually flying in New Zealand in glider form years before Mignet stumbled across the design. Though the machine, is now four years old, it is still superior in design to the latest “Pou Bebe.”—Yours, etc., A. J. L. JACKSON. October 8, 1936.