THE DEVELOPMENT OF MODEL AVIATION - Page 7
THE FIRST POWER DRIVEN MODEL AIRCRAFT AND INDEED THE FIRST PETROL DRIVEN MODEL AS SUCH, TO FLY WAS BUILT BY D A STANGER IN 1907. THE LANGLEY AIRCRAFT HAD FLOWN IN 1901. THIS MODEL WAS BUILT BY SUBS FROM THE US GOVERNMENT AND WAS A REBUILD OF HIS EARLY STEAM DRIVEN MODELS. THE STANGER AIRCRAFT WAS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR A PETROL ENGINE. THE ENGINE ITSELF WAS DESIGNED IN 1905 AND BUILT IN 1906. TESTS WERE MADE AND IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT 1 1/3 HP WAS DEVELOPED,
DRIVING A 28 INCH DIAMETER PROPELLER AT 1,300 RPM. THIS ENGINE POWERD THE AIRCRAFT WHICH FIRST FIEW IN 1908. IT WAS A TRACTOR BIPLANE 8FT. 2 INS. WING SPAN AND 6FT. 4 INS LONG, AND WEIGHED 21l~ THE ENGINE WEIGHING 5lb. THE FIRST RECORD FOR PETROL DRIVEN MODELS WAS HELD BY A CANARD TYPE BIPLANE BUILT BY MR D STANGER. THIS MODEL WAS 8FT WING SPAN AND HAD A TWIN CYLINDER ENGINE. THE
AIRCRAFT FLEW FOR 51 SECONDS WHEN IT VANISHED FROM SIGHT, FINALLY BEING RETRIEVED ABOUT A MILE AWAY FROM THE POINT OF TAKE OFF.
IN 1920, THE EARLIEST SUCCESSFUL COMPRESSED AIR DRIVEN MODELS WERE BEING PRODUCED. THE MOST PROMINENT PERSON IN THIS SPHERE WAS MR D A PAVELY. TWO OF PAVELY' S MODELS STILL EXIST.
COMPRESSED AIR HAS A TAPERING POWER OUTPUT AS DOES A RUBBER MOTOR, AND THIS IS ITS DISADVANTAGE.
UNTIL 1930, LITTLE EFFORT HAD BEEN EXTENDED TOWARDS THE DESIGN OF SMALL INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES, ALTHOUGH SOME CRUDE EXAMPLES HAD BEEN MANUFACTURED COMMERCIALLY, HENCE POWER - DRIVEN MODELS COULD ONLY DEVELOP AT THE SAME RATE AS ENGINES. D STANGER WAS THE FIRST TO PRODUCE A LIGHTWEIGHT PETROL ENGINE. IT WAS A 2-STROKE OF ABOUT 6CC CAPACITY. AN EXAMPLE OF THIS ENGINE WAS FITTED TO A 6FT SPAN TRACTOR BIPLANE IN 1927. IN 1932, EDGAR T WESTBURY DESIGNED AND BUILT THE ATOM MINOR ENGINE, SUBSEQUENTLY PRODUCED COMMERCIALLY. THIS WAS OF 15 CC CAPACITY AND WAS RATHER HEAVY. THE FIRST REALLY USEABLE ENGINE WAS THE BROWN JUNIOR OF
9CC CAPACITY, FROM USA. THIS APPEARED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM IN 1933. THE ADVENT OF THE SMALL COMPRESSION IGNITION ENGINE IN 1940 REVOLUTIONISED POWER MODELS AND IN THE 1950's THE GLOW-PLUG ENGINE, A DESCENDANT OF THE HOT BULB PETROL AND GAS ENGINES, CAME ALONG.
THE PROGRESS OF POWER-DRIVEN MODELS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM WAS MUCH DELAYED BETWEEN
1939 AND 45 BECAUSE DURING THE WAR YEARS, THEY COULD NOT BE FLOWN FOR REASONS OF SECURITY, ALTHOUGH MUCH PROGRESS WAS MADE IN OTHER COUNTRIES, THE UNITED STATES PARTICULARLY.
THE USUAL TYPE OF CDNTEST FOR HIGH-PERFORMANCE FUNCTIONAL POWER MODELS IS TO LIMIT THE ENGINE RUNNING TIME TO A SPECIFIED PERIOD, PERHAPS 10 SECONDS, DURING WHICH TIME THE MODEL GAINS AS MUCH ALTITUDE AS POSSIBLE, ANYTHING UP TO 500FT. GLIDNG AFTERWARDS! THE TIME AIRBORNE IS COUNTED FOR THE RESULT. THE MODELS ARE CLASSED
BY ENGINE CAPACITY, IN A RANGE OF 1.5-3.50C'S.
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DRIVING A 28 INCH DIAMETER PROPELLER AT 1,300 RPM. THIS ENGINE POWERD THE AIRCRAFT WHICH FIRST FIEW IN 1908. IT WAS A TRACTOR BIPLANE 8FT. 2 INS. WING SPAN AND 6FT. 4 INS LONG, AND WEIGHED 21l~ THE ENGINE WEIGHING 5lb. THE FIRST RECORD FOR PETROL DRIVEN MODELS WAS HELD BY A CANARD TYPE BIPLANE BUILT BY MR D STANGER. THIS MODEL WAS 8FT WING SPAN AND HAD A TWIN CYLINDER ENGINE. THE
AIRCRAFT FLEW FOR 51 SECONDS WHEN IT VANISHED FROM SIGHT, FINALLY BEING RETRIEVED ABOUT A MILE AWAY FROM THE POINT OF TAKE OFF.
IN 1920, THE EARLIEST SUCCESSFUL COMPRESSED AIR DRIVEN MODELS WERE BEING PRODUCED. THE MOST PROMINENT PERSON IN THIS SPHERE WAS MR D A PAVELY. TWO OF PAVELY' S MODELS STILL EXIST.
COMPRESSED AIR HAS A TAPERING POWER OUTPUT AS DOES A RUBBER MOTOR, AND THIS IS ITS DISADVANTAGE.
UNTIL 1930, LITTLE EFFORT HAD BEEN EXTENDED TOWARDS THE DESIGN OF SMALL INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES, ALTHOUGH SOME CRUDE EXAMPLES HAD BEEN MANUFACTURED COMMERCIALLY, HENCE POWER - DRIVEN MODELS COULD ONLY DEVELOP AT THE SAME RATE AS ENGINES. D STANGER WAS THE FIRST TO PRODUCE A LIGHTWEIGHT PETROL ENGINE. IT WAS A 2-STROKE OF ABOUT 6CC CAPACITY. AN EXAMPLE OF THIS ENGINE WAS FITTED TO A 6FT SPAN TRACTOR BIPLANE IN 1927. IN 1932, EDGAR T WESTBURY DESIGNED AND BUILT THE ATOM MINOR ENGINE, SUBSEQUENTLY PRODUCED COMMERCIALLY. THIS WAS OF 15 CC CAPACITY AND WAS RATHER HEAVY. THE FIRST REALLY USEABLE ENGINE WAS THE BROWN JUNIOR OF
9CC CAPACITY, FROM USA. THIS APPEARED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM IN 1933. THE ADVENT OF THE SMALL COMPRESSION IGNITION ENGINE IN 1940 REVOLUTIONISED POWER MODELS AND IN THE 1950's THE GLOW-PLUG ENGINE, A DESCENDANT OF THE HOT BULB PETROL AND GAS ENGINES, CAME ALONG.
THE PROGRESS OF POWER-DRIVEN MODELS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM WAS MUCH DELAYED BETWEEN
1939 AND 45 BECAUSE DURING THE WAR YEARS, THEY COULD NOT BE FLOWN FOR REASONS OF SECURITY, ALTHOUGH MUCH PROGRESS WAS MADE IN OTHER COUNTRIES, THE UNITED STATES PARTICULARLY.
THE USUAL TYPE OF CDNTEST FOR HIGH-PERFORMANCE FUNCTIONAL POWER MODELS IS TO LIMIT THE ENGINE RUNNING TIME TO A SPECIFIED PERIOD, PERHAPS 10 SECONDS, DURING WHICH TIME THE MODEL GAINS AS MUCH ALTITUDE AS POSSIBLE, ANYTHING UP TO 500FT. GLIDNG AFTERWARDS! THE TIME AIRBORNE IS COUNTED FOR THE RESULT. THE MODELS ARE CLASSED
BY ENGINE CAPACITY, IN A RANGE OF 1.5-3.50C'S.
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