US1002323A - Airship. - Google Patents

Description

J. c. scH-LEIGHBB. 1

AIRSHIP. APPLICATION FILED JUHEJQZ, 1910.

Patented Sept. 5,1911.

` 2 SHEETS-SHEET?.

U N l'lED STATES JOHN C. SCHLEICHER, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEVI YORK4 AIRSHIP.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 15H l..

Application filed .Tune 22, 1910. Serial No. 568,323.

To all whom it muy concern.

lle it known that l, Joins C. SCHLEIGHER, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Vernon, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Airships, of which the following is a specifica` tion.

My invention relates to airs'hips.

lt has tor its object to provide pairs of rudders pivoted off center and at an angle at the front and rear of an airship andV adapted for steering, turning, elevating, lowering, stopping and preventing the falling of the ship and to cause it' when turning to tilt. to that side to which it is turning so as to make it turn quickly and easily, said rudders being inanuallyoperated to steer, turn, elevate, lower and prevent the falling of the Ship and also automatically operated to prevent the falling of the ship,

It has for a further obj ect to provide pro pellers atthe front and rear of an airship adapted to elevate, stop and support the ship at restin the air.

1t has for a further object to provide a device of the character above set forth enibodying advantages in pointof perfect op eration and simple, strong, light and inexpensive construction.

In the drawings: Figure l is a central longitudinal sectional vlew of my airship. Fig. 2, a side. elevation, showing the airship in the position it assumes when rising from 3e the ground and when atrest in the air. Fig.

3, a partial horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, parts'being omitted. Fig. 4, a partial transverse sectional view, taken on the line 4-4 'of Fig. 1, parts being omitted, and Fig. 5, a -partial transverse sectional view, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. l, partsbeing omitted.

Referring to the drawings illustrating my invention and in which like reference characiers designate corresponding parts, 1 and 2 designate the upper and lower planes re- ,peetively of m airship which are con- ;ieeted 'in,space' relation by standards 3. The upper plane is formed by two walls of light 'strong material for instance c anvas,

`ha ving s( rips 5 interposed between and bracing thenr` the ends of the central longitudinal strip projecting beyond the canvas and,

the front end thereof being bent downward .1. en'angle. AThe lower plane is formed by two spaced walls, of light strong material for instance wood, the space between said walls forming an air chamber adapted to float the plane in the water. A. recess T is provided through the lower` plane and an .engine S is mounted therein so that it will be as low and as little exposed as possible, thereby adapting it to serve to steady the ship and offer the least possible resistance to thepassage of air through the passage be tween the planes and consequently it will retard the ship as little as possible.

fheels 9 are journaled upon the under Side of the lower plane so as to provide means for allowing the ship to be moved easily over tlie ground in starting and also to protect the lower plane from injury when landing.

The propellers 10 for driving the ship are secured on the ends of'a shaft 11 mounted in journals on the standards 3. The shaft 1l is driven by the engine 8, being operatively connected therewith by a sprocket chain 12 engaging a sprocket wheel 13 on said shaft and a sprocket. wheel 14 on the drive shaft 15 of the engine.

Rudders 1G are piyoted on -shatts 17 at each corner of the ship, oli" center and on an incline or at anangle and are adapted for steering, turning, elevating, lowering, stopping and prevent-ing the falling of the ship and to cause it when turning to tilt 'to that side to which it is turning so as to enable it to turn quickly and easily. The rudders operate automatically to prevent the falling of the ship, when'it plunges, forward or rearward for the reason that the greater part of each front rudder extends forward of its pivot' and the greater partI of each rear rudder extends rearward of its pivot, thereby oering a greater surface for the air to bear a ainst forward of the pivot 'of the front rud ers and consequently causingtheir forward end s. to move outwardly andth'eir rear ends to move inwardly, and offering a greater surface for the air to bear against rearward of the pivot of the rear rudders and consequently causin their rearward ends to move outwardly and forward ends to move inwardly.

The rudders are manually operatable singly or in pairs, to steer, turn. elevate, lower, stop, prevent the falling of the ship and cause it when turning to tilt to that side. to

which it is turning, byineans of levers 18 their .i

pivoted on the lower plane and having ropes 19 operatively connect-ing the rudders thereto, the ropes passing through the rudders and being connected to the arnis 2O extending laterally from ,said rudders and their ends being .connected to the levers.

At the rear of the ship propellers 21 are secured on a vertical shaft 22 journaled at its upper end in the rear end of one of the strips 5 and at its lower end inthe rear end of a strip 23 extending rearwardly from the lower plane and said shaft is operatively connected with the drive shaft of the engine byV means of a shaft Ql, oneend of which isconnected by a clutch to the drive shaft of the engine and the other end having a gear 26't-l1ereon meshing with a gear 27 on the shaft At -the front of the ship propellers 28 are secured Aon an inclined shaft 29 journaled at its upper end in the forward end of the strip 5, in which the upper end of the rear propeller shaft 22. is journaled, and at its lower end in a bracket 30secured to the front end of the strip Q3 and saidshaft is operatively connected with the drive shaft of the engine by means of a shaft 3l, one end of which is, connected by a elutc'h.32 t'o the drive shaft of the engine and the other end having a gear 33 thereon meshing with a gear 34 on the shaft 29.

Then the ship is'afloat in the air and it is desired to'stop and hold it at rest, by

.means of the Propellers 28, the front pro pellers are started, which raises the front end of the ship and places it on an incline,

as shown in Flg. 2 of the drawings, the rear propellers are then started and finally the engine .slowed down suiciently so as not to pair of rudders between said planes at each end and inclined laterally7 from the vertical, the. rudders of each 'pair being operat-able toward and from each other and the front pair of rudders being inclined in the opposite direct-ion to the rear pair of rudders, substantially as described.

3. In an ail-ship, planes spaced apart, a pairof rudders fulcrunled between the front ends of said planes and inclined outwardly from the vertical, and a pair of rudders fulcrmncd between the rear ends of said planes and mellned inwardly from the Yertical,v said rudders belng normally parallel lo the line of flight and the rudders of each pair being operatable toward and from 4each other, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my naine in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN C. SCHLEICHER.

Witnesses: y

Jos. T. MULuGAN, MARGARET BLANCO.

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