US1045209A - Aeroplane. - Google Patents

Description

, T. 0-. STARR.

.A'BBQPLANE. AIPLIOATION TILED FEB-5,1912.

Pat ented Nov. 26, 1912.

wane 35% I Thos. C'SZarr. Qg MQQAxDM V 1 @bjtomwa companying drawings, and to the characters T 0 all whom it may concern:

partof this application.

aeroplanes of all kinds, the object of the inwhich control can be maintained without THOMAS C. STARR, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA.

' AEROPLA-NE.

Be it known that I, THOMAS C. Srann, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stockton, in the county of San Joaquin, State of California, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes; and I 'do declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the acof reference marked thereon, which form a This invention reltes to improvementsin vention being to produce such an aeroplane as is designed to be stable in-itself without the necessity of the use of auxiliary appliances and also one in which the equilibrium can be controlled by the motion of the aviators body as is done in skating or the like the necessity of using outrigging elevating planes, ailerons, rudders or surface warping of any kind or character.

A further object of the invention is to produce an aeroplane capable ofbeing propelled by hand after the n'mtor is stopped and which can also be permitted to alight perpendicularly without injury to the operator, which alighting means consists of wings capable of being tmeratedin a manner similar to the operation of the wings of a bird. This same wing mechanism is also. designed to permit of the aeroplane being thrown out of balance in any direction and anre may be changed to'conform to the varying changes of atmospheric pressure and other conditions.

A further object of the invention is to produce a. simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be'exceedingly t fcctive for the purposes for which it is designed. t These objects-l accomplish by means of t such structure and relative ar angement of l the parts as will fully appear by a perusal l of the following specification and claim. i In the drawings similar characters of refl erence indicate corresponding parts in the 1 several views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the com- I Specification of Letters Patents P tented Nov. 26,l1912. Application filed "February 5, 1912. Serial No. 675,660, F

plete mechanism. -Fig. Z'is a front elevation of the same, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a running gear of the machine Fig. t is a detached. View ofa lifting mechanism. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a running gear.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference of the drawings, I first provide a front supporting frame consisting of a bottom cross bar 1 andan upper cross barQ, there beingvertical brace members 3 interposed between said momhers 1 and 2. Said members 1. and 2-also have end supporting rods 4 between whit-h are mounted runner wheels An arched bar (5 is bolted to the member 2 by means of bolts 7 projecting through slots .8 in. The men'lbers 1. 2 and 6 are said bar (3. made of spring material such as hickory or light metal material which willpermit of the same springing lightly up or down as shownin Fig. as the-aviator alights on the ground which will save both the operator and the motor mechanisn'i from receiving the full force of the 'heavy jolt. or jar as the aeroplane drops on the ground. The arched bar (3 and its sliding connection 78 with the member acts as a check to prevent this resilient structure from having too great a movement one way or the other. The engine frame which consists of lower members 9 and upper members 10 provided with cross bars 11 is connected with the member (5 and provided at its forward end with blocks 12 and its rear end is-ronuectcd with a frame 13 being mounted on runner wheels 14. Secured to the said engine frame is an engine or motor 15 which drii'es the propeller 1G by means of the usual connection. Mounted on said engine frame a pair of slotted ails 17 in which are slidable flanges 18 of an aviator's seat 19. Formed across the rear end ofthe engine platform is an aviators platform and projectingupwardly from this are two guide beams 21 slidahly over each of which are two spaced collars 22 connected by bars 2%, 1011 bars having"outwardly projecting levers or handles 24L. j 4

The numeral 25 designates rubber springs secured to the members 23 as shown .in Fig. 4. Secured on the upper end of the members 23 is a plane comprising bottom members 26 and top members 2t and intermediate brace members 28 and 29, the said top members being covered With-suitable material 30'. This plane member just described is connected by hinged rods 31 with members 32 shaped in any suitable manner like the wings of a bird which members 32 are hinged at 33 to the engine frame and also provided with rubber springs 34 connected between said members 32 and the member 2 as at 35.

The numeral 36 designates brace rods projecting backwardly and connected to the aviators platform and provided with auxiliary brace rods 37 and 38 which project inw'ardly to the members 4 to keep them ri 'd under all conditions.

he numeral 39 designates cables connected with the plane which is connected with the rods 23 and project thence under pulleys 40 to a point within reach of the seat 19.

In practice the springs 25 and 34: may be made of rubber as described or steel or com pressed air structure may be used but in any event the tension of such springs is suflicient so that when the machine is in the air the entire weight of the machine and of the aviator would be suflicient to counteract such tension to any extent necessary to just keep said wings in open position. Thus when the machine is on the ground these springs would pull the wings toward closed posit-ion and then after the motor is started the air rushing under the wings would lift against the springs with increaslng power until the aeroplane left the ground at which point as will be readily seen the spring pressure and the air pressure would be about; equalized and hence it would take httle power to raise or lower the wings. This raising and lowering would be accomplished by means of the operation of the handles 24 or by the cables 39 which raise or lower the plane which is connected to the wings by arod 31. Owing to the evenly balanced condition of the wings 32 when the aeroplane is in the air but a slight movement of the hand on the members 24 or 39 will result in moving the wings up or down as will be described. Therear tips of the wings 32 and member 30 are flexible like a fishs fin and hence the up or down motion of the said wings tends to drive said machine forward. Since the spring power is merely suflicient to bring the wings down when the machine is in the air and since said springs are extended under the same condition with respect to leverage as that required to bring the wings down or lift the entire machine this causes the entire weight of the machine to rest on the air rushing under it and hence the balance of the power to be supplied by theaviator to move the wings downward and lift the entire machine and cause it to move through the air would be exerted as described, by a leverage represented by the stroke of the center of the wings and the stroke of the aviators hand which of course of the machine.

would vary according to the different builds The ratio between the necessary pressure against the wings 32' when the machine is in the air and the leverage to be furnishedby the aviator to force the wings downwardly would be a ratio of 2 to 3 respectively and hence if, it required twenty pounds pressure to force the wings downward the aviator would have to exert through the leverage mechanism described thirty pounds of pressure to'bring the wings down to lift the entire machine. This same relation would be maintained throughout regardless of what the entire machine'together with its cargo might weigh. Thus.

it'will be seen the weight of the aeroplane when in the air is what causes the wings which are the balancing means to be extended and whole point ofmy invention, to-wit, the using of the weight of the aeroplane and all it contains to furnish the necessary power which aids it in lifting itself. It must not be inferred from this statement however that a motor is rendered unnecessary as it is a necessary feature to drive the propeller to in this structure lies the,

drive the air under the wings 32 to raise the aeroplane in the air, but when in the air the structujfe provided for the aviator to raise and lower the wings would then be sufficient to drive the same upward and forward by the operation of such wings.

The sliding seat 19 enables the operator to gain a long stroke on the cables 39 in a manner similar as is done in racing shell boat. Also such sliding seat enables the operator to change the center of gravity in case of a backward or forward tip of the aeroplane.

In order to turn-the aeroplane to the right or left the aviator throws the weight of his body to the right or left which increases the drag on that side and decreases the supporting surface in the opposite side. By elevating the wings 32, this effect can be more pronounced and the turn made shorter. Similarly a change in the center of gravity makes it impossible to upset the machine.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfils the object of the invention as set forth herein.

WVhile this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure fr'om the spirit of the prising a "running frame, another frame carried bysaid running frame, wings hinged to said last named frame, resllient means fixed to sald wings and to said first named frame, ertical guides on said second named In testimony whereof I affix my signaframe, a plane movable vertically on said ture in presence of two wltnesses. guides, means flexibly connecting said plane with said Wings and means for raising and THOMAS STARR 5 lowering said plane and a resilient means Witnesses:

fixed to "said plane and to said vertical STEPHEN N.BLEWET1,

guides, as described. CLARENCE SMITH.

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