1911. Agents for _Caudrons_ and _Deperdussins_. Run a school for these.

~T-V~ THOMAS Biplanes. Thomas Bros., Bath, N.Y., O.W., and W.T. Thomas began experimenting and flying in 1908 with a machine on the order of a _Curtiss_. In the winter of 1909-10, a type of their own was produced and was flown during 1911 by Walter Johnson in exhibitions. In 1912 they continued the same type, with refinements. In 1913 they adopted the overhanging top plane type, but of the same general high order of construction. ----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ | ~1912.~ | | ~1913.~ | ~1913.~ | ~1913.~ Model and date. | Tractor | ~1913.~ | Standard | Special | Flying boat. | biplane. | Monoplane. | biplane. | biplane. | ----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------- ~Length~ ft.(m.)| ... | 30 (9.15) | ... | 25 (7.62) | ... ~Span~ ft.(m.)| 37 (11.27) | 32 (9.75) | 37 (11.27) | 33 (10) | 33 (10) | 27 (8.23) | ... | 27 (8.23) | 23 (7) | 23 (7) ~Area~ sq. ft.(m squared.)| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... {total lbs. (kgs.)| 900 (408) | 750 (340) | 900 (408) | 850 (385) | ... ~Weight~ { | | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ... | 400 (181) | ... ~Motor~ h.p.| 65 Kirkham | 70 Kirkham | 65 Kirkham | 65 Kirkham | 100 | | _muffled_ | | | Maximotor ~Speed~ m.p.h.(km)| 58 (94) | ... | 58 (94) | 60 (97) | ... ~Endurance~ hrs.| 2 | ... | 2 | 2-1/4 | ... Number built during 1912 | 1 | _building_ | ... | ... | _building_ ----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------- Remarks. Control in all: Ailerons, 4 rudders. Elevator operated by rocking post on which wheel is mounted. The 1912 tractor was given up as less efficient than the Standard 1913. Special: full description _Aeronautics_, U.S.A., May, 1913. The move was evolved 1912, but not built till well into 1913. [Illustration: 1913 Standard biplane. UAS.] ~W~ WASHINGTON. Washington Aeroplane Co., Washington, D.C. In 1913 built a flying boat to private order. ~Length~, 29 feet (8.83 m.) ~Maximum span~, 38 feet (11.85 m.) ~Motor~, 80 h.p. Gyro. Boat with eight compartments and one 3 inch step. [Illustration: Miss Columbia. UAS.] [Illustration: Latest Thomas.] WITTEMAN. Witteman Bros., 17, Ocean Terrace and Little Clare Road, Staton Island, N.Y. These people do a considerable business building Curtiss type machines or machines to special designs for others. They built the _Baldwin_ biplanes for Captain Baldwin, to his design, using steel tubing throughout. See _Aeronautics_, December, 1911, for a _Witteman_ of special design shown by them at the Aero Show. [Illustration: Witteman. 1912-13.] WRIGHT BROS. Biplanes. The Wright Co., Dayton, Ohio. The original type of _Wright_ machine was mounted on skids only, and started along a rail. Its special features were a biplane elevator forward, main planes with warpable tips to trailing edge, small keel in gap, 2 propellers, chain driven in rear of planes, double rudder in rear and no tail. Wilbur Wright flew a machine of this type for 2 h. 20 m. 23-1/2 s. in 1908. (Details of early _Wrights_ see previous editions of this book.) ----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ Model and date. | ~B.~ | ~C.~ | ~EX.~ | ~E.~ ----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ ~Length~ feet (m.)| 31 (9.45) | 29-3/4 (9) | ... | ... ~Span~ feet (m.)| 39 (11.90) | 38 (11.58) | 32 (9.75) | 32 (9.75) ~Area~ sq. feet (m squared.)| 500 (47) | 500 (47) | ... | ... {total lbs. (kgs.)| 1250 (567) | ... | ... | ... ~Weight~ { | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ... | ... ~Motor~ h.p.| 30-35 Wright | 30-35 Wright | 30 or 50 Wright | 30 or 50 Wright ~Speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| 45 (75) | 45 (75) | ... | ... ----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ | | 1913 standard. | For exhibition | 1913 | | This machine as | work only. | for exhibition | | a hydro is fitted| Single seater | work only. | | with two 3 step | small duplicate | Single seater | | floats. | of B. | duplicate of EX | | Mea magneto. | |except fitted with | | | |a single propeller | | | | only. ----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ [Illustration: Wright. Model B. UAS] [Illustration: Wright. Model C. _From "Aeronautics," U.S.A._ UAS.] U.S.A. DIRIGIBLES. There are a few small dirigibles in the U.S.A., but they are in no way to be compared to French and German productions. Up-to-date, they have only been used as attractions at fairs about the country. In the past several larger ones of poor design have been built and found failures. ~Military.~ BALDWIN (1908) 20,000 c. feet (560 m cubed) Part B. HISTORICAL AIRCRAFT. In the following pages an attempt has been made to include photographs of all aeroplanes of the past six years, which, for one reason or another, "made history" in their own day. While many are merely freak machines, which in the light of present knowledge seem ridiculous, the germ of modern practice is to be found in many other aircraft illustrated in this cemetery of dead ideals; and it is worth noting that at least one constructor, who is one of the first in the field to-day, commenced operations with machines which were entirely "freaks." ~AUSTRIAN.~ [Illustration: WELS & ETRICH (1908). Original form of the modern _Etrich_ (q.v.).] [Illustration: HIPSSICH (1908). Tandem mono. with one propeller before and another in rear of rear plane.] [Illustration: NEMETHY (1908). The first "Aviette."] [Illustration: SOLTAU (1910). An ornithopter based on the earlier ideas of _Adehmar de la Hault_ (see Belgium).] ~BELGIAN.~ [Illustration: DE LA HAULT (1907). One of the earliest attempts at an ornithopter. No flights.] [Illustration: DE LA HAULT II. (1910-11). The ornithopter principle applied to a monoplane. No success met with.] [Illustration: D'HESPEL (1909-10). Single plane and suspended body. Early example of enclosed body. No flights.] ~BRAZIL.~ [Illustration: SANTOS-DUMONT XIX. This little machine, surface only 9 m squared. made an extraordinary sensation in France in 1909. It flew at the then incredible speed of 65 m.p.h. (100 k.p.h.) Santos-Dumont presented all rights to the world soon afterwards, and a large number were built before it was realised that only an extremely light weight pilot could fly in one. Few of the copies ever left the ground.] ~BRITISH.~ [Illustration: AVRO (1906). This 24 h.p. biplane, designed by A. V. Roe, was the first British machine to leave the ground.] [Illustration: AVRO (1907). Tractor triplane of only 9 h.p. This flew in Lea Marshes--the lowest horse power yet flown in Europe to the present day.] [Illustration: CODY (1909). Development of a much earlier machine. This one was a general laughing stock for a long time; but it was the direct predecessor of the machine (not very materially different) which was an easy first in the British Army aeroplane trials, 1912.] [Illustration: DE HAVILLAND (1909). The performances of this machine secured a Government appointment for its aviator-designer.] [Illustration: HOWARD WRIGHT (1908-09). The first machine in the world in which special attention was paid to securing a stream line body and minimised wind resistance.] [Illustration: HUMPHREY (1908-09). Earliest British attempt at a hydro-aeroplane; possibly the earliest design ever produced anywhere.] [Illustration: HUNTINGDON (DUNNE II) (1910). One of the earliest aeroplanes in existence--designed by Captain Dunne about 1905-06, previous to the secret experiments of the British War Office in Scotland, on the Duke of Atholl's estate. Assigned to Prof. Huntingdon in 1910. Made a few short flights.] [Illustration: PORTE (1908). Designed by Lieut. Porte, R.N., in conjunction with Lieut. Pirrie, R.N. This machine, on which the former well known aviator commenced his flying career, was smashed up in preliminary trials as a glider on Portsdown Hill, Portsmouth. Its design apparently preceded the _Goupy_ in the use of staggered planes.] [Illustration: "SAFETY" (1909-10).] [Illustration: SEDDON. (1910). Designed by Lieut. Seddon, R.N.] [Illustration: SHORT (1910). The first machine to Short's own design. (The tail here shown is a specially large one fitted by Moore-Brabazon).] [Illustration: VALKYRIE (1910). This was one of the first "tail first" machines to be designed. The experimental machine (also known as the _A.S.L._), was completed in Feb., 1910.] ~DANISH.~ [Illustration: ELLEHAMMER (1905). On 12th September, 1906, this machine made the first free flight in Europe. On 28th June, 1908, it won the prize at Kiel for the first flight in Germany (distance, 47 m.) It was a tractor biplane with a revolving Ellehammer motor. It also had a pendulum seat as a stabilising device.] ~FRENCH.~ [Illustration: ANTOINETTE IV (1909). In this machine Latham made the first attempt to fly the Channel, 19th July, 1909.] [Illustration: BLERIOT IV (1907-8).] In 1909 the famous _Bleriot XI_ was built. This did very well at Reims,