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Scientific American, June 08, 1901
Boston Transcript, August 19, 1901
New York Herald, August 19, 1901
American Inventor letters to the editor penned by Whitehead and
editorial responses April, 1902
The Aeronautic World, May, 1903
Scientific American, September 19, 1903
Aviation History, March 1996
Air Enthusiast 35, January 1988 |
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A NEW FLYING MACHINE
From Scientific American
June 8, 1901
Page 357
A novel flying machine has just been completed by Mr. Gustave
Whitehead, of Bridgeport, Conn., and is now ready for the preliminary
trials. Several experiments have been made, but as yet no free
flights have been attempted.
The machine is built after the model of a bird or bat. The body
is 16 feet long and measures 2 1/2 feet at its greatest width
and is 3 feet deep. It is well stayed with wooden ribs and braced
with steel wires and covered with canvas which is tightly stretched
over the frame, Four wheels, each one foot in diameter, support
it while it stands on the ground. The front wheels are connected
to a l0 horse power engine to get up speed on the ground, and
the rear wheels are mounted like casters so that they can be steered
by the aeronaut. On either side of the body are large aeroplanes,
covered with silk and concave on the underside, which give the
machine the appearance of a bird in flight. The ribs are bamboo
poles, and are braced with steel wires. The wings are so arranged
that they can be folded up. The 10-foot rudder, which corresponds
to the tail of a bird, can also be folded up and can be moved
up and down, so as to steer the machine on its horizontal course.
A mast and bowsprit serve to hold all the parts in their proper
relation.
Sorry, photo not yet available
WHITEHEAD'S FLYING MACHINE, SHOWING ENGINE AND PROPELLERS
In front of the wings and across the body is a double compound
engine of 20 horse power, which drives a pair of propellers in
opposite directions, the idea being to run the machine on the
ground by means of the lower engine until it has the necessary
speed to rise from the ground. Then the upper engine actuates
the propellers so as to cause the machine to progress through
the air to make it rise on its aeroplanes.
Sorry, photo not yet available
WHITEHEAD'S FLYING MACHINE, SHOWING AEROPLANES
The wings are immovable and resemble the outstretched wings of
a soaring bird. The steering will be done by running one propeller
faster than the other in a way analogous to the way in which an
ocean steamer having twin screws can be turned, a special aeroplane
being provided to maintain longitudinal and transverse stability.
The lower engine is of 10 horse power, and weighs 22 pounds. The
diameter of the cylinder is 3 7-16 inches by 8 inches stroke.
The upper engine is a double compound cylinder, the diameters
being 2 1/4 and 3 7-16 inches with a 7-inch stroke. The engine
weighs 35 pounds, and calcium carbide is used to develop pressure
by means of explosions. The propellers weigh 12 pounds, and are
6 feet in diameter, with a projected blade surface of 4 square
feet. With a drawback test, the upper engine being run at full
speed, the dead pull was 365 pounds. The weight of the body and
wheels is 45 pounds. The wings and tail have 450 square feet of
supporting surface, and the weight is 35 pounds. |
