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Scientific Instruments, Their Design and use in Aeronautics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2017

Horace Darwix
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Extract

The Wright brothers made careful observation of the flight of birds, and fourd their observations A'aluable. It is interesting to consider the resemblance and differences of the manufactured aeroplane and the living bird. The resemblance may be simply the result of copying the bird, or it may be that similar designs have been arrived at independently by birds and men. The wings of both are roughly the same shape : of wide span, and narrow in the direction in which the bird flies ; both have concave wings with thick leading edges. In many aeroplanes hollow spars arc used like bones and like the quills of the feathers of birds. We copy plants also in this respect, for they too have learnt the economy of material in the use of hollow spars. The bodies of airships {iresimilar in shape to the bodies of swimming animals, with the greatest width towards the head. The bodies of birds are of similar form.

Type
General Meeting
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 17 , Issue 67 , July 1913 , pp. 170 - 190
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 1913

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References

Note on page 170 * See Aeronautical Journal, No.63, pp. 146-7.—ED.

Note on page 172 * Erasmus Darwin was born 1731 and died 1802

Note on page 177 * Mr. Harris Booth has pointed out to me that, as is well known, the lifting power of the wings becomes less with increase in the altitude for the same reason as the pressure on the Pitot tube is reduced. It follows from this that when an aeroplane flies in a horizontal direction and with the same angle of attack, the manometer reading will be the same at any altitude although the speed will differ. In those cases where a speed meter is used chiefly to give warning when the speed is lower than that required to support the aeroplane the error in the actual speed reading must be considered as an advantage since it is an automatic correction for the change of density of the air. But when distance covered is being considered the error remains.

If the engine is stopped when flying in a horizontal direction the machine must be made to dive ; this change of level will cause a small error as explained later.

Note on page 177 † When flying in a circle the wings have to support a greater force than that due to the weight of the machine, the force being the resultant of the weight and centrifugal force. Mr. Harris Booth has pointed out that the controlling force due to gravity which acts on the liquid is also increased in the same ratio. It follows that what is an error in the speed reading again becomes an automatic correction when the sustaining power of the wings is considered. If the air pressure is measured by a spring and not by gravity this automatic correction does not take place.

Note on page 180 * See Handbook of the Special Loan Collection of Scientific Apparatus in 1876. Introduction by Clerk Maxwell.