History of Airplanes

The early Hans Grade monoplane resembles a modern ultra-light, with the the pilot perched under the wing and small engine, sitting in a light under-carriage.

Hans Grade was one of the first German aviators to design and successfully fly an aeroplane. In the fall of 1909 he began flights on his interesting monoplane, and on October 30th, 1909, won the $10,000 Lanz prize for a German-built machine. After that Herr Grade made many excellent flights, and took part in the air race at Heliopolis. His machine was simple and flew easily. Among the early aviators who flew this craft were Rode, Treitschke and Plochman, who was later killed on an Aviatik biplane.

Specifications from “Monoplanes and Biplanes,” by Grover Loening, 1911

The Frame

The frame consists essentially of a main metal tube chassis at the front, from which a long, thick piece, supporting the rudders is run out to the rear. It is remarkable for its simplicity.

The Main Wing

The main surface is made of Metzeler rubber fabric stretched over a bamboo frame. The surface is very flexible and the two ends are slightly turned up from the center. The curvature is almost the arc of a circle and the surface is very thin. The spread is 33 feet, the depth 8.5 feet, and the area 270 square feet.

The Direction Rudder

The direction rudder consists of a single flexible surface of about 16 square feet area, carried at the rear and controlled by a lever operated by the aviator. The surface is not hinged, but is merely bent by the controlling wires in the desired way.

The Elevators

The elevation rudder consists also of a single flexible surface placed at the rear. Its area is about 20 square feet and it is operated by a large lever universally pivoted on the frame above the aviator. To rise, this lever is pulled up, and to descend, it is pushed down, thus respectively bending up and bending down the rear horizontal surface.

Roll Control

The transverse control is effected by warping the main surfaces. This is accomplished through wires leading from the large lever previously referred to. Side to side motion of this lever warps the surfaces inversely. Thus if the machine tips down on the right, the lever is moved over to the left. thus raising the depressed side and depressing the elevated side.

Keel

The tapering ends of both the direction and elevation rudders can be considered as keels. An additional vertical keel is placed in front, both above and below the main surface.

Propulsion

A 4-cylinder 24 horse-power V-shaped motor is placed at the front edge of the plane. It drives direct at 1,000 r.p.m. a 2-bladed metal propeller 6 feet in diameter and 4 feet pitch. A Chauviere propeller has also recently been fitted. The Seat is placed under the plane, and consists of a hammock- like piece of cloth which gives great comfort and little weight. The Landing Gear is on two wheels at the front and one smaller one at the rear. There are no springs provided whatsoever on the chassis. The front wheels are fitted with a rake to bring the machine to a stop shortly after landing.

Weight, Speed, Loading and Aspect Ratio

The total weight is from 400 to 500 pounds. The speed is approximately 52 miles per hour; 17 pounds are lifted per horse-power and 2.0 pounds per square foot of surface. The aspect ratio is 3.9 to 1.