BOAT THAT SKIMS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 33, 2 August 1911, Page 3

BOAT THAT SKIMS

THE FABRE HYDROPLANE. REACHES 50 MILES AN HOUR. * What is regarded as the "last cry" in water-craft is the unique Fabre hydroplane, the "Goeland," which has been making some wonderful flights at the Monaco motor-boat meet during the past few weeks (says a London piper). This curious 'vessel, the invention of ITenri Fabre, a French engineer, is in reality a cross between n motor-boat and an aeroplane, although it is difficult to look upon it as a boat at all, seeing 1 that it >never touches the water while in motion.

The Faibre hydroplane has the distinction of being the first heavier-tlian-air (machine to make successful flights starting from and alighting upon water. 'Wdtlh its strange shaped wings and appurtenances, it holds the centre of ,interest amongst motor-boat men and aviators alike.

It made its first flight just about a year ago. It went a distance of about a third of a mile six feet above the surface of the water at the rate of 34 miles mi hour. In subsequent flights, as the result of certain changes and improvements, this record was greatly excelled. It is now able to make between 40 and 50 miles an hour under favorable conditions, and its inventor hoped to increase even this high rate of speed. In principle the hydroplane differs not very greatly from the more familiar aeroplane, except that it is equipped j with three specially designed floats to enable it to navigate, rise from, and ! descend upon the waiter. But this difference enables it to make ocean trips .which would be out of the question for I the ordinary aeroplane not provided with pontoons or other similar devices. The Fabre hydroplane is propelled like an aeroplane, .by an BV 3 ft, twobladed profiler driven by a 50* h.p. engine. It is built on the type of the ! Antoinette monoplane, which with Latham, the French aviator, made so many records.

The main plane, at the rear of the I craft, is built upon a steel truss speciI ally designed and patented by Fabre, the principal feature of it being that it j can be folded when the boat is not in use, thus protecting the covering of the wing from sudden gusts of wind. The wing is made of a. fabric known as isiiniili silk, and combines lightness and strength. . Unilike the wings of most of the familiar types of aeroplanes, this wing is. not permanently fastened to the supporting truss, but is simply laced to it by means of a series of eye-l lets.

_ The frame of the machine is not unlike that of a bicycle, the pilot's scat being situated about midway. Elevating and steering planes and rudders are in front.

Although Mr. Fabre lias boon experimenting with this waft for more than a year, and has made hundreds of flights in it, he has never met with a serious accident. Sometimes, in coming down, it lias described too great an angle, and has landed with a splash, throwing its pilot headlong into the water and sustaining slight injuries itself, hut beyond trivial mishaps of this kind its inventor and pilot has so far been singularly fortunate.

On April 12, at the Monaco meet, while making a trial flight, M. Fibre found that he was being carried too close to a pile, and in trying to escape a <x)Misioji descended upon the rocks. Tho hydroplane was badly damaged, ■but has since been repaired. The machine now being used by M. Fabre provides accommodation for only one passenger, but a larger machine with greater accommodation is now assured. The perfection of the hydroplane may hasten the accomplishment of an aerial flight across the ocean, for whicili tho whole scientific world is now looking.