GERMAN GIANT AEROPLANE

Hokitika Guardian, 4 January 1921, Page 1

GERMAN GIANT AEROPLANE

The new ISiaaken monoplane has made four short trial flights says the Berlin correspondent of the “Times.” Her designer, Herr Kuring, of the Zeppelin Company’s aeroplane works at Stan ken, piloted her, and had with him, besides his mechanic, two passengers.

A feature of the machine is a newlydesigned pillar supporting the wheels. These are on a telescopic principle, with steel springs for absorbing the shock as the machine takes the ground. '•Th e shock-absorbing pillars answered so well that one of the two passengers was quite unable to distinguish when the machine touched on descending, and sat back for a shock that never came. The double wheels are larger than usual but are otherwise of normal design.

I was permitted to make a more exact examination than has hitherto been possible. _ 'ldle whole machine is of dura limn, the only wood in the entire structure being the Hoot boards to the cabin space. The length of the body, from th e rudder to the forward cabin door, is s&feet, and the height tapers from 5 feet, forward to 3 feet aft. The foremost part is to serve as a pantry; then comes the saloon for passengers, a Strongly constructed room with a framework of girders and riveted angle-pieces, sustained forward by set stanchions, and aft through to the tail by cross laths at [intervals of 4 feet.

The after part is to lx 3 used as a store fitted with eighteen chairs, six along each side by the great windows, and six down t.he middle. Behind, there is a toilet room. The saloon is heated by wairm air from the cooling of the motors. From the saloon a ladder leads to the pilots’ seats which are directly overhead. There are cushioned seats for the two pilots, and one or the other can come down to the saloon when not actually piloting. Behind the pilot there is a space for the mechanic during the flight. To the right and left of this space are two circular manholes through the hollow space of the wing, which spans 174 feet. Along these two funnels t-he mechanic can gain. access to the cockpits of the engines during flight. These cock-pits are torpedo-slia,pcd, and project slightly from the wing. They are four in number ,nnd a Maybach motor of 260 horse-power drives each of-, the four tractors, which project from the front wing. For the sake of increasing speed the i motors are encased. There are only two stays on the underside of each wing; these are of steel wire tightened by spanner screws. The machine will fly and remain in the air on two motors. For a flight of G!)0 miles, 12 passengers, ami for a flight of 300 miles, 18 can be carried. The machine weighs about 6 cwt., and loaded nearly half a

I'lie monoplane attained on her trial trip an average speed of 110 miles, and took the around on landing at n. speed of 85 miles an hour. The climbing capacity is good, but it is not intended to make an altitude test. The control and instruments are of tho usual pattern, and contain no novelties. , There is no intention whatever of attempting an Atlantic flight with her. Herr Ivuring expressed the opinion that the future of trans-Atlantic flight lay with the airship, and that while a monoplane might, be constructed to cross the Atlantic in a single stage it could not he done as a commercial underta king.