Technical Report Archive & Image Library (TRAIL) - 122 Matching Results
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- Recent Developments in Light Alloys
- This report is intended to cover the progress that has been made in both the manufacture and utility of light alloys in the United States since the first part of 1919. Duralumin is extensively discussed both as to manufacture and durability.
- Tests of Artificial Flight at High Altitudes
- "If we wish to form an accurate idea of the extraordinary progress achieved in aeronautics, a comparison must be made of the latest altitude records and the figures regarded as highest attainable limit some ten years ago. It is desirable, for two reasons, that we should be able to define the limit of the altitudes that can be reached without artificial aid. First, to know to what extent the human body can endure the inhalation of rarified air. Second, the mental capacity of the aviator must be tested at high altitudes and the limit known below which he is able to make reliable observations without being artificially supplied with oxygen" (p. 1).
- Variable Pitch Propellers
- In this report are described four different types of propellers which appeared at widely separated dates, but which were exhibited together at the last Salon de l'Aeronautique. The four propellers are the Chaviere variable pitch propeller, the variable pitch propeller used on the Clement Bayard dirigible, the variable pitch propeller used on Italian dirigibles, and the Levasseur variable pitch propeller.
- Aeronautic Instruction in Germany
- This report contains a list of the courses relating to aeronautics announced in Germany, both in the technical high schools and in the universities.
- The danger of stalled flight and an analysis of the factors which govern it
- A definition of "stalled fight" is presented as well as a detailed discussion on the how and why it occurs. Some suggestions are made to prevent its occurrence such as carrying an air speed instrument in the airplane.
- Establishment of Aviation Schools
- Report presenting a discussion of the creation of a suitable aviation school and some of the characteristics that should be considered in terms of hiring personnel, creating a curriculum, and obtaining equipment.
- Extracts From the Belgian Regulations for Government Assistance to Air Transport Companies
- Report presenting information regarding the usage of commercial and passenger service air routes and the fees and penalties involved in operating an air line.
- Pressure Measurements During Flight
- The general idea was to record the air pressure on the spot, that is, without intervening tubes, by some simple automatic registering device. This was therefore made in such small dimensions that it could be inserted into the wing between the ribs and stand in direct connection with the pressure openings. The results of different experiments are presented along with the best locations for locating the instruments for recording the pressure.
- Traffic Airships With Special Reference to Economy
- The first part of this report details the efficiency and economy of airship travel, while the second part presents methods of economic efficiency with regards to construction, cost of upkeep and operation, and the establishment of airship lines.
- Aeronautical Museums
- Different methods of presenting aeronautical artifacts are examined. The advantages of operating an aeronautical museum and its ability to increase public interest in aircraft are provided.
- Air reactions to objects moving at rates above the velocity of sound with application to the air propeller
- From Discussion: "To meet these unusual conditions three sets of ball-bearings were employed and arranged in tandem, thereby reducing their speeds by the ratio of the number of sets used, as shown in Fig.3. This proved to be a complete success. The results obtained in experiments with a two-blade, 4 foot propeller of series 2, are given in Fig. 9."
- Causes of Failure of Airship Sheds
- Different causes of airship shed collapse are discussed, with suction and human carelessness being the prime causes.
- Commercial Aviation in France
- In the present state of things, there are three great problems to be solved, relating respectively to the financial, technical, and commercial aspects of the question of commercial aviation.
- Comparison of Nonrigid and Semirigid Airships
- "One of the main subjects of airship science consists in establishing cooperation between two vertical forces, the buoyancy of the air and the attraction of gravity. The mechanism for establishing this cooperation must have the minimum weight and offer the minimum head resistance. Starting with this principle, let us consider what improvements can be made in the present type of non-rigid airships" (p. 1).
- Definition of Terms Used in Connection With Commercial Aircraft Engines
- To facilitate standardization of certain terms and definitions relating to engines and airplanes a list of definitions is provided.
- The Development of the Racing Airplane
- Report describing the development of the racing airplane and some of the types of airplanes that might be seen at the Detroit airplane races. The primary contribution of racing aircraft to general aircraft development is the modification in design that makes it possible to cut down the resistance to motion through the air.
- Effect of Method of Suspending Models in Airstream on Resulting Measurements
- Two different suspension methods for testing models in a wind tunnel are profiled with the Eiffel laboratory using rods and the Gottingen lab using wires. The method using wires is shown to be a much superior method.
- Effect of Temperature and Pressure on Watches and Chronometers
- This report examines tests of watches at low temperatures in order to develop a watch suitable for aviators.
- How to Lay Out and Build an Airplane Landing Field: Notes on Shape and Size of Plot, Runway Details, Type and Arrangement of Buildings, Drainage of Field, Best Kind of Grass and Proper Marking to Aid Pilots
- Report presenting a description of considerations that go into the layout and building of an aircraft landing field or airstrip. Some of the elements considered include the shape and size of the plot, general arrangement, buildings present near the airstrip, runways, grass, roadways and railroad tracks, field markings, and some miscellaneous factors are provided.
- Lessons of the Glider Meets
- Report describing some information that has been learned from three different glider meets. While light loading was assumed to be the optimal conformation from previous meets, subsequent meets have shown that heavier loading produced better results.
- Location of Center of Pressure of Airplane Wings
- Data obtained in the Gottingen Aerodynamic Laboratory give considerable detail on the resulting air force moment exerted on various wing sections at different angles of attack. The Gottingen data can serve well to test the hydrodynamic theory, which (on the assumption of uniform motion and hence of infinitely wide wings) renders it possible to compute this moment as a function of the angle of attack. The Gottigen data can well serve to test the theory and it may be noted that experiment and computation compare favorably.
- Metal Construction of Aircraft
- Report presenting some of the early history of metal aircraft construction and its advantages over other types of materials.
- Method Rendering It Possible, in Testing Airplane Wing Models at the Eiffel Laboratory, to Obtain Comparable Polars, Whether the Supports Are Attached to the Upper or Lower Side of Model
- Report presenting an examination of the errors that result from testing an aircraft model and applying the results to full-sized airplanes. An investigation is carried out to determine how to obtain comparable polars regardless of whether the supports are attached to the upper or lower side of the model.
- The Organization of Airways
- An aircraft freed from all contact with the ground during most of the period of its operation, is nevertheless dependent on the provision of proper ground organization. The provision of landing fields scattered over the country for the benefit of civil or military pilots who may arrive from any direction constitutes the first step in making commercial flying possible.
- Principle of the Boerner Airship
- "The Boerner airship is built on entirely different principles from ordinary airships, of which the Zeppelin is the best known type. Mr. Boerner has abandoned the rigid body of the Zeppelin and has adopted a body with a double keel forming a rigid platform for attaching the gas ballonets, which must support the whole in the air" (p. 1).
- Selling Air Transport
- The marketing and advertising of air transport is discussed in this article.
- Type of Engine to Employ
- The engine of a commercial airplane must, above all, be sure and durable. It seems therefore, that we must use engines with vertical cylinders or in the V form with quite a small angle.
- The "Universal" Adjustable and Reversible Propeller Built by Paragon Engineers, Inc., Baltimore, MD
- "A device which does for the aircraft what change speed gears do for the automobile is the invention of Spencer Heath. It comprises a system of special blades and a mechanism for varying the pitch of the blades from zero to 360 degrees, while in flight or otherwise. By adjusting the pitch, either before starting or while the engine is running, to a less than normal angle, the engine is allowed to pick up speed and deliver its maximum power which is necessary in taking-off with a heavier load than the same airplane could otherwise normally carry" (p. 1).
- The Usefulness of Stunting
- Stunting is an important part of the training of a military pilot, and the knowledge gained in passing through the "acrobatic course" is put to constant use in service, especially with fighting aircraft.
- Monoplanes or Biplanes?
- This article presents a discussion of the relative merits between monoplanes and biplanes. A comparison of the aerodynamic qualities and advantages of both types are provided.
- Note on a New and Simple Method of Dead Reckoning in Aerial Navigation
- Memorandum presenting a method of calculating the dead reckoning in aerial navigation.
- Possibility of Profitable Air Traffic Between Lisbon and Rio De Janeiro
- Different aspects of an airship line between Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro are presented. Some of the factors discussed are: the number of passengers, fuel consumption, design, itinerary, airports, flight times, and income.
- Rigid Airships
- Memorandum presenting the history and development of airships. Tables containing information and statistics regarding some of the current airships are provided.
- Rules and Regulations for Endurance Contest of Aviation Engines: Under the Auspices of the Aero Club of France
- Memorandum presenting the rules and regulations of the Endurance Contest of Aviation Engines, which was put on by the Aero Club of France. A description of the rules regarding the aircraft in competition, the characteristics of the tests that were conducted, and information regarding classification of the aircraft is provided.
- Static Soaring Flight Over Flat Sea Coasts
- Static soaring flight has hitherto been accomplished by means of two sources of energy: ascending air currents in the vicinity of obstacles and those produced by unequal heating. The latter has not yet been practically tested in soaring flight.
- The American Airship ZR-3
- This airship was built by the Zeppelin Airship Company at Friedrichshafen in 1923-4, for the United States Navy, as the reparations service of the German Government in fulfillment of the treaty of peace. A description of the design, components, flight characteristics, blueprints, and photographs are provided.
- Effect of Altitude on Power of Aviation Engines
- "These notes are intended to furnish practical and general data on the effect of altitude on engine power. The effective horsepower of an engine is a function of the mean pressure of the fluid acting on the pistons, of the R.P.M. of the engine and of the mechanical efficiency" (p. 1).
- Stieber Dynamometer Hub for Aircraft Propellers
- The knowledge gained from previous experiments and reports was utilized for the construction of a dynamometer hub for 200 mkg (134.4 ft.-lb.) and 1200 kg (2646 lb.) thrust suited for a Liberty "12" engine. A reversing device is also described.
- Two-Seat Light Airplanes Which Participated in Contest Held at Lympne, England, Week of September 29 to October 4, 1924
- Memorandum presenting a description of a competition to produce an airplane suitable for school work. The characteristics evaluated included the speed range, take off, landing, reliability, and high and low speed are provided. A variety of monoplanes and biplanes were entered and a description of each and their blueprints are provided.
- A Method for the Direct Determination of Wing-Section Drag
- In order that the method may be more easily understood, we will first consider the simpler case when there is no lift, but only drag, and when the streamlines at the measuring point behind the obstacle are nearly parallel. Moreover, the flow is assumed not to deviate much from the two-dimensional flow.
- Recent Progress in the Theoretical Deduction of Airplane Wings
- The designing of an airplane requires an accurate knowledge of the aerodynamic properties of its wings, as expressed in the polar diagram. It is important to continue the theoretical researches on the aerodynamic phenomena of wings, in order to determine by calculation, their fundamental characteristics and to increase and formulate our knowledge in this field.
- Approximate Calculation of the Static Longitudinal Stability of Airplanes
- It seems desirable to have some simple method for calculating quickly and with sufficient accuracy: 1) the correct position of the center of gravity; 2) the requisite tail-group dimensions; 3) and the course of the wing and tail-group moments. In out deductions, we will first replace the biplane (disregarding the effect of stagger, decalage and induced drag) by an equivalent monoplane, whose dimensions and position in space can be approximately determined in a simple manner.
- Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute of Moscow, Russia
- The staff and construction of the Institute are described as well as a variety of experiments and researches being conducted there. The six sections of the laboratory are described, including the Section for Theoretical Researches, Section for Aerodynamic Researches, Windmill Section, Section for Engine-Propeller Groups, Section for Material Testing, and Section for Instrument Making. Special attention is given to the various wind tunnels and testing facilities present.
- Devices for Prevention of Stalled Flight
- Memorandum describing warning or correcting devices based on the registering of two distinct factors, the air speed and the angle of attack. The authors of the report define the conditions for the flight of an airplane and then study the causes of stalled flight in the different cases where it can occur.
- Experiments With a Sphere From Which the Boundary Layer Is Removed by Suction
- The task of removing the boundary layer by suction consists in producing, in place of the ordinary flow with the formation of vortices, another kind of flow in which the vortices are eliminated by drawing small quantities of fluid from certain points on the surface into the interior of the body. The experiments with a sphere, which constitute the subject of this report, were made early in the present year .
- Approximation method for determining the static stability of a monoplane glider
- The calculations in this paper afford an approximate solution of the static stability. A derivation of the formulas for moment coefficient of a wing, moment coefficient of elevator, and the total moment of the combined wing and elevator and the moment coefficient with reference to the center of gravity are provided.
- Experiments on Airfoils With Aileron and Slot
- The present report contains the results of a few experiments on three airfoils to which the rear portions, having chords respectively 1/4, 1/3, and 2/5 of the total chords, are hinged so as to form ailerons, especial attention being given to the shape of the slot between the aileron and the main portion of the aileron.
- Safety in Airplane Flight
- This report presents methods to reduce the incidence of aviation accidents. Some of the methods discussed include enlistment and training of aviators, improvement of controls and control surfaces, and upgrading of power plants.
- Structural Details of German Gliders
- The structural details such as wings, fuselage, landing gear, and steering organs of German gliders are detailed in this report.
- The Constructional Design of Metal Flying-Boat Hulls: Part 1 & Workshop Notes on the Building of Metal Hulls: Part 2
- Part I of this paper covers the constructional design of metal flying-boat hulls and does not elaborate any further. Part II deals with the actual construction process of the hull.