TO FLY LIKE A BIRD

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 253, 20 July 1921, Page 8

TO FLY LIKE A BIRD

AUSTRIAN INVENTION A MECHANICAL WING It is stated that an Austrian, Professor Raimumi Ninil’ulir, of Vienna, has invented a "pulsating wing," which will revolutionise hying machines. 'The device is described in enthusiastic terras in the Ixiwloii "Daily Mail'’ by Mr. llarrv Haiper, technical secretary of the British Civil Aerial Transport Counnitteo The plane of a flying machine (snjs this account), as so far evolvi-d, lias realised < lav one of the two actions of a birl in flight. It can glide, but it require- an engine to send it along. In a wind a bird inclines its wings—kite-like-’e the rapid motion of the air. The nir flies the bird. In a calm the wings act as screws, or propellers. T 1 fy twist m on> direction during the down strike, and in the opposite direction during the up stroke; The bird .flics the air , Instead of having the two actions of flight sept rated, as they are in an aeroplane—gliding in the planes, propulsion in the engine—Professor Nimfulir’s conception is io endow tho plane, as a real wing, with the power of dual action which a flying bird exercisss. It seems clear that the concentration of flightpower in the actual plane, as in a bird’s wing, must also effect an enormous redue'icn in the engine-power now needed in driving ar. aeroplane. Aerial ‘runabouts" using no more power than a motcr-evcie, as well as monster air transports carrying' 560 passengers ami displacing steamships, are possibilities which the professor’s mechanical bird, as an actuality, will bring nearer than thev ha-ve ever seen before. , “The basis of the Austrian s theory has been investigated by experts of such repute as Herr Schwengler, chief of the Zeppelin works, and Herr Skopik, head of the designing staff of the Fokker work’. Both have indicated their belief that Professor Nimfuhr is on right linos by joining He directorate of the 'Nimfuhrsch’ Segclflung Syndikat. hollowing the formation of the original syndicate in IL,Hand, a Paris financial group bid for patent rights. Now news is to hand that a powerful American syndicate, negotiating direct with Professor Nmifuhr's office in Vienna, has eclipsed all rivals, with the result that Hie professor accompanied by his assistant, Engineer Gazda, is about to visit the United States to superintend the construction of full-sized machines embodying his principle. The theory on which Professor Nim- • fuhr has been working is that we should concentrate attention on the propulsive methods of birds and insects. If one could take a bird like an albatross and increase it in size till it was as big H 3 a medium-sized present-day nipla io, it would, ; t is claimed, exert not more than the equivalent of about 10 h.p. in propulsion, whereas the biplane would require about 200 h-P- A giant gnat, 1) g an aeroplane, it is averred would flv with infinitely less exertion of jmci than is required for any of our existing principle is to imitate mechanically, so far asJt is possible to do so. the methods of Nature jn the wings of b’.ids and insects. The pulsating wing” relies upon an extraordinarily rapid vibrating or stroke action upon (he cushion of compressed air which in Hight is foimed beneath a sustaining Xe. The wing, as cons ructed for a f l sized machine will, it is understood, , hollow, with a flexible membrane on I'.nuside By pneumatic luechanisn) ibis membrane is set pu satin oi vibreting with such rapidity that wa. of atmospheric pressure are genmate which shall, it is intended, not only sustain but also propel the machine, there , "bo n svsteni whereby the extremities r wings can be extended or contra'red bv pneumatic action to produce m.ch as are obtained by birds to stretching or folding their other foatuie is an automatic s.abilreer, to which disturbances of balance so;in mo'- on livers which, actuated by s.n.Ji "'oto T " cor.r.teract by their movement ‘-f the wings any tendency of the makto" to b>e its equilibrium. 1 Tf Professor Nimfuhr’s claims are substantiated in large-scale work-ami. so arj a- 1 «■ vo already been mad© tin X S»>»• -»•,»»<«> “'t torilv—it i« calculated that a trail. f ' fi. l-uil- on this principle and ""rving sJveial hundred people would to- so eUmiical in power H ? nt p ?®\ en ' ' ../eld be carried by air between Europe and America cheaper than m a stpicsliip- —