AN AMERICAN HELICOPTER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18216, 9 October 1922, Page 5

AN AMERICAN HELICOPTER.

I ♦ SUCCESS AFTER 21! YEARS. After nearly 20 years of search, research and experimentation, the famous inventor, Emile Berliner, of Washington; D.O, and his son, Henry A. Berliner, have perfected the first successful helicopter, which will vertically from tho ground, and when it has reached the desired elevation will fly ahead at whatever speed the operator wishes, says the Scientific American. Th© body of tho machine is somewhat like that of an ordinary, airplane. In the front on either side are th'e lifting propellers, ea-eh of which is 14ft. in length. They revolve in opposite directions and are operate by means of a revolving motor of 110 horse-power placed in front of the driver's seat. There aro triple fins at each end of the machine to control tho side balance of the helicopter when the wind i 3 gusty. With tKe aviator the machine _ weighs 1325 pounds. The helicopter rises straight from the ground. Aftev it arrives at the desired altitude the aviator can direct" its course whichever way he desires by tilting it forward so _ that it- will fly horizontally. This tilting is accomplished by a small horizontal propeller, 3gft. in diameter, located at the tail end of the machine. Under circumstances where the tilting propeller is inclined at an angle of 15 de- ; grees a loss in the lifting power of but ' 3 per cent, occurs. This results in the production of a horizonCal push which is equivalent to over 25 per cent, of the lifting; power. During the last few months Mr. Henry Berliner has flown the helicopter "regularly on the aviation field at College Park, Maryland, where all the test flights have been made. During the tests the helicopter has not been operated at heights . greater than 15ft. to 20ft. above the ground, and as a rule it has been flown at a speed of about 20 miles an hour. !