January 31, 1921

January 31, 1921

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Airplane Cost in Hydro-Electric Work

By Ernest W. Dichman14 min

Requirements of the Commercial Airplane

By William B. Stout11 min

Some Experiments with Model Airplanes

By Albert A. Merrill10 min

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134135

Airplane Cost in Hydro-Electric Work

In 1909 when Orville and Wilbur Wright first made a successful attempt at flight in a heavier-than-air machine, the airplane was looked upon as an interesting invention and few people beyond the most visionary predicted that it would serve any useful purpose or even be more than a mere curiosity.

By Ernest W. Dichman14 min

142143

Requirements of the Commercial Airplane

War type aircraft demanded design for fighting purposes, with no respect to either cost or safety. The commercial airplane, on the contrary, can only exist by reason of the safety of its transportation. Cost in any business enterprise is only secondary to safety, and if the airplane would be made a business vehicle, and air travel a commercial thing, then the first steps to be taken by engineers and those working with airplanes to develop such commercial travel must be along those lines which will bring, first; safety, and second; lower cost.

By William B. Stout11 min

132133

Some Experiments with Model Airplanes

In an article published in AVIATION AND AIRCRAFT JOURNAL for November 29, 1920, experiments with a model of the Curtiss JN-4 were described. This article will describe some experiments with a model which is a modification of the Boeing Navy training plane.

By Albert A. Merrill10 min

146147

Testing Lubricating Oils

Lubricating oils are classified according to Archbutt and Deeley as follows: A. Mineral oils. B. Fixed oils. C. Blown or thickened oils. D. Rosin oils. E. Lubricants containing soap. Greases. F. Deflocculated graphite—“Aquadag” and “Oildag”.
136137

The Engine: the Heart of the Airplane

A great truth in engineering was expressed by Abraham Lincoln when he said that a man’s legs should be long enough to reach from his body to the ground. It is the same truth that engineers now refer to as “unity of design,” and it means that a piece of mechanism, if it is to function properly, must be planned as a whole, and that no agglomeration of parts will be wholly satisfactory, no matter how excellent the individual parts may be.

By Col. Jesse G. Vincent9 min

144145

Design of Recording Wind Tunnel Balances

The following description of the design of a recording wind tunnel balance was prepared at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, as the use of such a balance will greatly increase the efficiency of operation of a wind tunnel by increasing the capacity of the wind tunnel with a decrease in personnel.

By F. H. Norton6 min

138139

Aviation Committee, American Bar Association

148149

The Aviation Question

142143

Government Agencies and Aeronautics

130131
Editorials

Aircraft Insurance

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