Airships past and present, together with chapters on the use of balloons in connection with meteorology, photography and the carrier pigeon . Fig. 58.—Hofmanns first model with carbonic acid motor. because the sails are carried in a horizontal position. The legsare then jerked up against the body, and the whole thing beginsto fall. In doing so, it turns over so that the sails are no longerparallel to the ground, while the motor continues to drive it. Fig. 59.—Hofmanns working model. forwards. But this upward movement is only intended to lastan instant. The wings soon get into such a position t
Airships past and present, together with chapters on the use of balloons in connection with meteorology, photography and the carrier pigeon . Fig. 58.—Hofmanns first model with carbonic acid motor. because the sails are carried in a horizontal position. The legsare then jerked up against the body, and the whole thing beginsto fall. In doing so, it turns over so that the sails are no longerparallel to the ground, while the motor continues to drive it. Fig. 59.—Hofmanns working model. forwards. But this upward movement is only intended to lastan instant. The wings soon get into such a position that theyare able to take the whole load, and as the machine movesforward, fresh quantities of air are successively compressed 106 AIRSHIPS PAST AND PRESENT. beneath the wings. The upward reaction becomes so great thatthe machine not merely floats but soars higher, continuing itsflight steadily under the influence of the propellers. If a fallshould take place, the speed of falling is much reduced by thereaction of the exposed surfaces, exactly in the same way as withparachutes. The correctness of the inventors ideas is probably shown by the factthat he has oftenpublicly exhibited asmall model, reducedin the proportion of1 to 10, which fliessuccessfully in alarge hall. The machineswhich have beendescribed were in-tended to be workedby motors, and evenin the smallest de-signs, such wasalways the case.*Many, however, be-lieve that this iswrong
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpubl, booksubjectaeronautics
