EXPLAINING THE WAR.

Mataura Ensign, 13 January 1916, Page 6

EXPLAINING THE WAR.

■ ♦ ' "THE EYES OF THE ARMY." JN AN AEROPLANE. Tifough many new -weapons have heeii prodiVc+>d hy this war and .many old •(Wres'liave boon revive<l, the use of aircratt -ip T .the first rime in what one may'vely call a iirst-cla?.> war has {*vC"o:nj th-' aerial arm a prominence, out of Jill proportion to tiie numher of tueii and amount of material concerned with flying. The aeroplane has boon failed "the eyes of the Army." and in relation to the rest, of the Army the flying services are in si/.e about in tin* proportion of the eyes to the body. A. •"traetor" aeroplane is one in M'i'oh tlio air-scrowds placed .in front rlntt it <lraw.s tlie machine along. jf-r-ijusjicr" has the air-*ercw behind and '>' .pushed along. The pusher type is'Dj'ost used for carrying machine guns, which thus have a clear field oi' .lire without. ; trouble of the air-screiw giStting in the way. The tractor type is. uWvover, the faster, ami the (pucker in climbing, for the present at any rate. sOV'i'i; is much more largely u-od hy all li'a'Ko-.iii than is the pusher. • Vor this reason a typical tractor biplane is illustrated. # Tt is of no p.irtrcnlar design, but 'embodies all the essentials of every aeroplane of its kind. i •'■. At the ba<-k end of the body of the I machine i.*; the rtidder for horizontal steering, acting exactly like that of a boat, sir-} the elevators, which are merely rudders placed horizontally to ■Steer up ami down. •Iwt in front of the rudder i*, a ver- . tic-a] ''fin," and just in front of the elevators is a "tail jdane." The fin .nlwl tai! plane together ojxM'a to, like tlio "fc.ithers" of an arrow, to keep t;i<"wlinle on a straight path. -The body.-or fuselage, is built- up of f6u'r "longerons," or longitudinal members, of wood, two above and two bciWv. which' are held apart hy wooden S-trnts and braced together by wire, tlr!;'- making a proper girder struetnvo. Tin*, fuselage is covered with iineti so as to give it a jn-operly '.<JtfMrt>th, ■ "streHm-line" form, and thus rod nee the resistance ofl'ered to the air as i'h'i! machine rnslics tlirouixh it. Tlie ■ loM'er wings—lower plane*—are fixed to' '"he bottom -menrbers of the fnsolau>., and are conneeted to the upper Wing*, or planes, by strut-s of wood or. *f'Col tul-.-, and these, like the fuselage. iire held together by wire bracing. The landing carriage, or "chassis." i.s also a girder structure of wood or -tool fube and wire, with wheels on which £her nia. liine runs when starting or landing. •;.;Tho observer is placed forward in the fuselai>-e .so that he may have a clear view forward and downward to make observations or droo bomb*.. -.TVie U'.r.ks containing petrol and oil lhay be either in front of t he observer or between the observer and pilot or utr .dcr the floor of the fuselage, a- besi fit^t-* 0 detail design. 0 f the machine. _• TlVo small tail-skid under the rudder 'S merely to prevent the rudder or fi;*efage" from being damaged when the Aeroplane m-uats on its tail in huidinir. '/The aeroplane i s <-outrolled by a sim- . file "stick." or control lever, and a •Judder bar. *..' voted like the handlebar *»f-a bicycle. The pilot sFts with hr* s.eet on tho rudder-bar. jf he pusl.es ;-ln.v n-ght foot forward he pulls the ■ riirlr-bnud rudder-wire, which .pulls the rude;.-, up fo the right, and the machine turns to the ri-rlit. If he duslics bis Ifft foot forward he turns to the .iettj m a: similar manner. . Tlx.cor. "I lever works' fore and alt itself, and also, when rocked sideways. ;thoyes: a tube which carries a lever to ■ -fVhich are oounlos the '-aileron" wires Tile "ailerons" are flans attached to the wmg-tipv. ~,„] a ,e. in effect, md•iters for lateral balancnir. If the ma- " ebine heeks- to the and the lift wing rises the pilot nushes his fc* v »*r •to tho left, which ■-onlls-- the ri<rht -,il-eroir-wnv iiiht. pitlls do.w„ th.'aileron .■antlm right win<i, or wings, and steers |b'at .tip upwards, while at the same t?me the Jefr a Heron is- -,,„] \ (H ] -,,„ :UK i