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Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12632, 8 December 1911, Page 9

Mr Olive" Chapman, a young journey- j man painter, of Dunedin, has put 10 years' study and 14 months' work into the building of an aeroplane of the j biplane type. He has toiled during every spare hour, under tremendous disadvantages m regard to means and tools, but at last he has practically finished the aeroplane. The ground, however, is so boggy, owing to the recent -rains, that a trial is out ot the question for a little while. In the meantime ho makes no boast as to M'hat it will do. All he says is that foe has made a flyer according to the type of flyers, plus 'some improvements of liis own m matters of detail. The biplane is somewhat 1 filter than most makes. It weighs about 7201 b. It is fltted tp carry twp passengers as well as the pilot. The engine weighs 1601 b. It is a 50 h.p, motor. The t>vo propellers (of kauri) have a reach of Bft, and they /will make 600 revolutions per minute. The tail js of the non-lii't-jng type. , The planes are 'so set as to give an automatic balance as far as possible, and a further aid to the balancing is that the edges of the wings aro flexible. It is a wonderful piece of mechanism.,.. Mr Chapman seems to have got a maximum of buoyancy with a maximum of strength.