AN AMPHIBIOUS BIPLANE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 300, 13 May 1911, Page 9

AN AMPHIBIOUS BIPLANE.

Ml!. (TliTISS'g KKAT. ' As if ii ucrc not enough for our aeroplane* to llit to and fro from the shore lo the deck- of ships and back again, we now have them skimming along the very surface of the water and rising from it at will like sea-gulls, (ilenn 11, Curtiss, who performed this feat at San Diego on January 2(1, had for two years been experimenting with lloats for his biplane that would enable it to rise from the surface of the water. Over a year ago he had succeeded in developing a speeil of about 20 miles an hour along the. surface, but found it wa» not enough for rising. Then at the beginning of the new year Mr. Cnrti.-s moved to the Pacific coast and set about endeavoring to develop suitable lloats. In his lirst experiments he constructed one large float and placed this under the centre of the machine, ai an incline of 10 or 12 degrees. Some distance forward another was placed; while at the extreme front, on a special outrigger, was mounted a -mall elevating hydroplane at. an angle of. about &"> degrees, to lift the front part of the machine. The first flVperinieiltS were' made with these new floats on January.2o la-t, and the aviator was enabled to get up a speed on the surface of about -to miles an hour. "At the lirst try-out (says the Scientific American), while travelling over the water at high speed, .Air. Curtiss found himself suddenly nearing the. shore, and to avoid running aground he turned his horizontal rudder sharply upward, with the result that the machine rose from the water with perfect case. He soon alighted again, and in the second (light he made a circle and remained in the air a minute and 20 seconds. The machine showed a speed of 5(1 miles an hour in the air, as against 43 miles an hour when skimming over the surface of the water,

"Not satisfied with the several floats with which he had attained his first success in rising from the water, Mr. Curtiss immediately constructed a single float 12 feet long by 2 feet in width and 12 inches deep. The float is built of wood and resembles a Hat-bottomed boat-or scow, the top being covered with canvas to keep the water from getting in. Three feet from the front end the bottom is curved upward, forming a bow the full width of the float, while at the same distance from the rear the float slants downward in a .similar manner.

"This single float is placed under the .aeroplane in such a position that the main weight of the machine and aviator is slightly to the rear of the centre of the float, which causes the latter to incline upward slightly and thus gives the necessary angle for hydroplaning on the surface of the water. The weight of this new float is but 50 pound.?, or less than half as much as that of the two floats that were used before.

j "The paint was barely dry on the new lloat before Mr. Curtiss had it fitted to his machine and gave it a trial. This was done on February 1, and the trial was thoroughly successful. Beside* being much more compact and creating less disturbance, this float or scow can be used for carrying articles or a passenger. "After meeting with success with "his new float, Mr. Curtiss, on February 17. made more flights with the motor and propeller placed in front of the biplane and with his seat placed at the rear of the main planes. The chief of these fhghts was one which he made from North Tsland, where he is experimenting, over San Diego harbor to the cruiser Pennsylvania. He alighted upon the surface clo.se beside the, cruiser and his aeroplane was hauled up beside the war-, ship and placed on her deck. The removal of the front horizontal rudder made it possible to raise the machine so close alongside of the cruiser that the aviator could climb aboard.

. ''After a short visit on the cruiser the aviator was again lowered to the surface in his machine. A sailor started the engine, and Mr. Curt.iss flew bark to his starting point in short order. The naval authorities were greatly pleased with hidemonstration, and it is probable that the Navy Department will purchase one of these machines in the near future and continue the instruction of its oflicers. "After increasing the surface of his '"plane Sir. Curtiss on February 24 took "P one of his naval pupils, Lieut T G Ellyson. as a passenger. He made a flight of 1.5 miles to a height of 100 feet and living as slowly as 25 miles an hour or a< last as 50 miles an hour at will. i>ieut Ellyson was seated on the pontoon below the aeroplane. He could look down m the water at a depth of 25 feet and he believes submarines can lie eisi],located by flying over the water. The <ow .peed at which it is possible to ll.v will make the biplane especially usetill for bomb-dropping."