FLYING MOTOR CYCLE.

Taihape Daily Times, 18 July 1919, Page 5

FLYING MOTOR CYCLE.

1 ''‘‘'—''o-'''''_’ i A WONDERFUL INVENTION_ l ..___._ i It is reported that a Swiss inventor ‘has designed a flying motor cycle, that gives promise of greater things to follow‘ Mr. Duplan, the inventor, has ‘demonstrated the ‘capabilities of his l machine by actually flying a distance lof one mile at a height of about 15 ifcet. The trial flight took place in Ethe vicinity of Geneva. in the presence ‘of a few privileged persons. The ma;chine ran along the ground for a. distance of 30 yards, and then gracefully took to the air. According to ithe inventor a greater triumph could have «been accomplishccd, but, inasmuch as the pilot, Vveber, chief of the School of Aviation at Lausannc, who had been engaged to fly the machine, I was unable to be present, it was deem‘ ed advisable to avoid unnecessary ‘risks. But the fact remains that 3. ‘flying motorcycle has been designed iand has successfully carried out the ipreliminary tests. gThe construction ,of the machine dates back to May 525th, 1918. ‘ln September of that year {certain engineers representing "tan: i!—l'_tali_an firm visited Mr. Duplan A-sand offered to purchase the inventic'_>n_-_Tlic offer wa“s“rgefujséd,L but it is is on re—cord that thcltalians have ‘invented 'a machine similar to that‘ built by ‘the Swiss engineer, but which lacksi isome of the most essential parts. The 5 !Duplan machine is a small biplane: land is so constructed‘ ‘that the Wings !open and shut automatically. This, jindeed. is most important. There is ‘nothing slovv or cumbersome_: : about !the wings: within a few seconds of itouching the hearth, or say for a disltanee of 25 yards, theyclose up by ithe simple process of pulling down a Mover. Moreover. so cleverly are ’they designed, that they cannot fold other than at the instance of the pilot. and only when the machine has reached the.grouncl; thus all danger or fear of accident is obviated. In appearance the machine resembles the ordinary motorcycle, although it .is naturally much larger; and the back wheel is flexible, similar to the front wlfeel. Whenin flight’ it measures about 23 ft. from wing to wing. and -has a length of 16ft., but when on the road the dimensions are no more than lift. in Width by 12ft. 9ins. in length. The steering arrangement is similar to that of the ordinary motorcycle, and can be controlled, either in the air or on the road, by the use of one hand, With its 30 h.-p. engine, the machine is capable of flying at :1 speed" of 56 m.p.-11., and even on the road I'L'Ean attain the speed of 40 m.p.h_ The system adopted for ascending or descending’ is the same as that of the aeroplane. The propeller works at 1.400 revolutions per minute and so arranged that it ceases t'~ revolve the moment the machine tou‘~cs the earth The total weight is about 500 lbs. or 6751b5. With the pilot, a Weight Which is not excessive.