Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume III

18 ENGINEERING WONDERS OF THE WORLD. round the after cross member. Above and beneath the ribs is fastened rubbered cloth, to form a double-surfaced deck. The two decks are held apart by a number of wooden uprights attached to the cross mem- bers of the decks. The three rear supports at each end are merely hooked on, so as to allow of a small amount of movement. The How the Decks are warped. accompanying diagram (Fig. 1) will assist to explain its action. A lever (R) on the pilot’s right hand is connected by a bar (A) to the rudder gearing, and pivoted at the bottom as regards forwards and backwards motion on the end of a rod (B), which can be revolved sideways in sockets. At the rear Fig. 1.—DIAGRAM SHOWING THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE WRIGHT AEROPLANE, AND THE METHOD OF WARPING THE DECKS. Steering and Balancing Planes. whole structure of the body is suitably stayed with diagonal wires to form a truss. About 8J feet to the rear of the main decks are two vertical rudders for lateral steering, 2 feet wide and nearly 6 feet high. Cross- spars link them together. For vertical steering and bal- ancing, a couple of horizontal planes are mounted 10 feet or so in front of the main decks, similarly inter- connected and pivoted on vertical extensions of the long skates on which the machine rests. Between the planes are two semicircular fixed planes to assist in the maintenance of stability. A lever, held in the pilot’s left hand, controls the elevation rudders. The most interesting feature of the Wright machines is the device for warping the wings, either independently of or in conjunction with movements of the steering rudders. The end of this rod is a short vertical arm (C) from the top of which wires (WW) run right and left several feet along the upper side of the bottom planes, and then pass upwards through pulleys to the tops of the rear wooden uprights at the ends of the decks. Side way movements of the lever R flex downwards one or other end of both decks. A secondary series of wires (W2W2) connecting the bottoms of the end uprights vid the under side of the top decks cause a reverse flexure at the other end of the decks. Thus, if the lever be put over to the left, the right tips are drawn down and the left tips bent up. By this simple system, which is largely responsible for the “ handiness ” of the Wright machines, the pilot is enabled to make the decks assist the rudder, or the rudder assist the decks, for preserving balance and for rounding curves. The reader will have no difficulty in under-