Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume III

THREE VOISIN MACHINE BIPLANES AT THE STARTING-LINE, RHEIMS. {Photo, Illustrations Bureau.) FLYING MACHINES OF TO-DAY. A REVIEW OF SOME OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL TYPES, WITH DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF THEIR CHIEF FEATURES. FROM the theory of the flying machine we may now turn to the most promi- nent examples of its practical applica- tion. Inasmuch as at the tim© of writing the successful heavier-than-air machines are of one or other of two types—the biplanes and monoplanes—we shall not make reference here to the triplanes, multiplanes, helicopters, and flapping machines which are still in the purely experimental stage. In the present article the term flying ma- chine is synonymous with aeroplane. “Aero- plane ” is not a happy term in itself, because planes seldom form part of a flying machine, whereas the curved or cambered deck is always used, at least for th© main sustaining surfaces. However, as the word “aeroplane” has estab- lished itself, and conveys a distinct impression of a certain type of machine, it must stand. The dimensions of various machines given in the following paragraphs may be found to differ slightly from the figures given in other publications. This may be explained by the fact that minor alterations are constantly being made by the designers, and that several ma- chines of the same pattern may vary among themselves in detail. It is possible that be- fore these words appear in print some of the aeroplanes described may have undergone considerable modifications, as the result of experience suggesting improve pie nt. THE WRIGHT MACHINE. When the history of the development of the heavier-than-air machine comes to be written, the Wright brothers will occupy a position in it analogous to that of George Stephenson in the history of th© locomotive. As Stephenson first produced, a really prac- ticable locomotive capable of prolonged effort and high speed, so can the Wrights claim to have built the first really practicable flying machine. llio story of the Wrights’ struggle to master the air has been told sufficiently often to render unnecessary here any- thing more than a brief résumé. Experiments The preliminary experiments Gliders, were begun in 1896, and continued until 1903. During this period were built many