FLIGHT WITHOUT WINGS.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 January 1920, Page 4

FLIGHT WITHOUT WINGS.

PROMISING EXPERIMENTS

Flight without wings is the problem which M. Louis Lacoin, the French engineer, claims to have solved with the aid of M. Louis Damblanc, writes a correspondent from Paris. ‘ ‘Three years ago I submitted the first plans of my invention,” he told me, “to the Inventions Committee, of the French War Office. They laughed at the idea, and said that no helicopter (a flying machine with horizontal propellers) could fly, and that it was useless to make the .experiment. When I insisted they gave me the two aeroplane engines which I needed to continue my experiments. “Since then my friend and counventor, M. Louis Damblanc, and I have shown them the progress made, and the experts were so struck with the, plans and proofs brought forward that we were at once given a subsidy of £4OOO and promised further help if necessary. We had already spent £IO,OOO private money in experiments.

“The aeroplane or alerion, as we call it, is in reality a simple machine. The body is built exactly like that on an aeroplane with rear skid, landing wheels, and rudder. The chief novelty is that the entire force of suspension is provided by the twin propellers, which are situated in a horizontal position on either side of the body of the machine in the axis of the centre of gravity. The propellers are four-bladed, and resemble roughly a lucky clover with four leaves. Each blade is like the wings of an ordinary aeroplane with longitudinal strut and metal membranes covered with aeroplane linen. “So I have calculated that our motors need, never drive these propellers at any very high speed (roughly onethii'd the speed of the ordinary flying machine propeller). Yet to ensure rigidity they are further consolidated by steel stays, which make them capable of. overcoming a strain of more than 80001 b. Each blade has a surface of 45. square feet, which gives lor the machine a total suspension surface of 360 square feet.” “How do you start the machine from the ground'?” I asked. “That is one improvement I contend the alerion will introduce,” he replied. “Our. machine dobs not need to start at any great speed, and, indeed, when we put the full-size machine to its full test next spring, I intend to start at the lowest speed possible. “it is only when with the ‘joy stick’ 1 put the blades at the proper angle that gradually the machine will rise horizontally!. When I want to move forward I manoeuvre the tail and push the ‘joy stick’ over a little farther. “Flying in a helicopter has been ih\ layed by the absence of motors. The ordinary aeroplane has exacted the motors we require.”

“If your motors fail in the air, what would you do?” ‘ ‘lf only one of them stopped, tho apparatus linking them up, so that they both rvork the propellers at the same speed, w'ould ensure a slow fight with tho remaining motor. If both failed at once, the pilot would put them out of gear, and, the machine would plane down supported by the 360 square feet px-opeller surface, and the propellers would revolve independently by wind pressure.

“I have had plenty of offers from pilots anxious to test it,” M. Lacoin concluded, “but I think; that the first time the alerion leaves the ground I shall be in charge.”