Col. Cody, an American living in England, distinguished himself in the early 1900s as the successful operator of man-lifting kites. His work in this line, with regard to army use and scouting, attracted much attention in England. In 1907, Col. Cody commenced work on a motor aeroplane of huge dimensions. At first the tests of this machine were unsuccessful, but with remarkable perseverance Col. Cody gradually turned the failures into successes, and finally in the late summer of 1909 he was able to get his airplane to in the air for more than an hour, establishing then a world cross-country record. The machine was altered many times, and was the largest successful aeroplane flown up to that time.
Specifications from “Monoplanes and Biplanes,” by Grover Loening, 1911
The Frame
Bamboo was used extensively throughout the frame, but all joints were carefully wound with steel wire. In addition there were many upright members of ash. At the center several members met in the supporting chassis which was very heavily built. Steel wire was used for bracing. Main Wings.-The main planes were rectangular in shape with rounded rear edges and were identical and directly superposed. The surfaces were made of canvas stretched tightly over wooden ribs. At the center the distance between them was 9 feet, but they converged toward either end, and were there separated by only 8 feet. The spread was 52 feet, the depth 7.5 feet, and the area 780 square feet.
The Elevators
At the front of the machine, supported by large bamboo outriggers from the central cell, were two equal surfaces on either side of the center. These were jointly movable, and served to control the elevation of the machine. They were governed by the forward or back motion of the stanchion upon which the steering wheel was mounted. If the aviator wished to rise he pulled the wheel towards him. This motion, by means of a lever system, caused the elevation rudder surfaces to be lifted up to the line of flight and the machine ascended.
The Direction Rudder
For steering to one side or the other two surfaces were used. At the rear of the machine was a large-vertical surface, which was the main direction rudder, while at the front was a smaller vertical surface used for the same purpose-. These rudders were moved jointly by a cable and steering wheel, as in automobiles or motor boats. Their area was about 40 square feet.
Roll Control
Two balancing planes of 30 square feet area, one placed at either end of the main cell, controlled the transverse inclination of the machine. They were moved inversely by cables leading from the steering gear at command of the aviator. If the right end of the machine were depressed, then the wing tip on that side was turned down, but at the same time the wing tip on the other end was turned up. This caused not only the depressed side to rise, but also the raised side to be depressed, thus righting the machine. When making turns the machine could be artificially inclined with this apparatus. In addition to the wing tips, the transverse equilibrium could be controlled by the inverse movement of the two halves of the elevation rudder, the one on the depressed side being elevated while the other was turned down.
Keel
There were no keels in this machine, all surfaces serving either to lift or to direct the aeroplane.
Propulsion
The motive power was an 80-horse-power E.N.V. 8-cylinder motor. Two two-bladed propellers placed at the front of the main cell were driven in opposite directions by chains at 6O0 r.p.m. Their diameter was 8.25 feet, and their pitch 6 feet. The Seats for aviator and one passenger were placed low at the center in front of the main cell. The lower seat was for the aviator, while the other was designed for the use of an observer in war time to take sketches of the enemy’s position, etc. The Landing Gear consisted of a large pair of wheels, which carried most of the weight, a small wheel in front of them, and a skid in the rear. Wheels were also fixed on each end of the lower plane to carry the machine easily over the ground if it should alight on one end.
Weight, Speed, Loading and Aspect Ratio
The total weight was from 1,900 to 2,100 pounds: the speed, 37 miles per hour; 25 pounds were lifted per horse-power, and 2.57 pounds per square foot of surface. The aspect ratio was 7 to 1.