Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume III

FLYING MACHINES OF TO-DAY. 23 speed and make the machine “ unhandy ” in rounding corners. The popularity of th© type, the quickness with which the novice learns how to handle it, and its undoubted longi- tudinal stability, are decided points in its favour. Nine Voisin machines, having 540 square feet of supporting surface, and weigh- ing, in flying order, 1,250 lbs., were entered for the Rheims meeting. plane is at rest, but rise during flight into a horizontal position. Flexing them up or down enables the pilot to steer the machine and" keep it on an even keel. As our photographs show, the carriage under the main decks has four wheels and two long skates. The latter serve to take the main shock of alighting when the impact is sufficiently great to press the wheels a certain distance upwards on their flexible joints. A FARMAN BIPLANE. Observe the flaps at rear of the decks, used for maintaining lateral balance. (Photo, Topical.} THE FARMAN BIPLANE. This type of machine (Fig. 4), which, driven by its inventor, carried off the Grand Prix for distance at Rheims with a flight of 180 kilometres (112 miles), won the prize given for carrying the greatest number of passengers (two), and took second place in the altitude contest, is designed on Voisin lines, but dispenses with vertical curtains. The front elevator is placed somewhat high. To assist steering and lateral stability, the rear ends of the main decks are provided with hinged Fig. 4.—DIAGRAM OF FARMAN BIPLANE. flaps, which hang down when the aero-