Flight, January 1924

LIGHT ‘PLANE AND GLIDER NOTES

   SOME weeks ago we briefly recorded in these columns the preliminary flights of a monoplane glider, designed and built by Mr. H. J. Nordman of Flushing, Long Island, U.S.A. Mr. Nordman has now very kindly sent ДальшеMore>>> us some photographs of his machine, some of which are reproduced herewith. The machine, it will be seen, is of the semi-cantilever type, braced on each side by two struts from the lower longerons. The fuselage is of rectangular section, built up of four spruce longerons and braced by diagonal spruce struts.
   THE wing, and especially its mounting, is somewhat unusual. In plan view the wing is approximately rectangular, but the thickness tapers considerably from root to tip. The section used is, we understand, one developed by Mr. Nordman, and combines one of the U.S.A. sections with the Sloane curve. The wing is slightly raised above the top longerons, and is supported on four box-section struts bolted to the outside of the fuselage. The centre section of the wing is not covered, and the pilot's head and shoulders project above the wing. It might be expected that this arrangement would interfere somewhat with the aerodynamic efficiency of the machine, but we learn that as a matter of fact the gliding angle is quite good, while the wing arrangement makes for easy erecting and dismantling. As already mentioned, the wing is braced by struts on each side. The wing span is 40 ft. and the chord 54 ins.
   MR. NORDMAN is one of the charter members of the Long Island Flight Association, organised with a view to investigating the soaring flight problem. The first flights were made at the Belleclaire Country Club, L.I., the pilot being Mr. Arthur Heinrich. Experiments have been made with towing flight, and considerable success has been attained. On calm days when soaring is impossible over the relatively low hills, the tow ropes are attached to a motor-cycle, which, running along at good speed, gives the machine sufficient lift to reach a height of 30 or 40 ft. When the pilot judges that he is high enough he releases the tow rope (which is attached to the nose of the fuselage) and the machine commences to glide. In this manner glides of over 1,000 ft. have been made in calm air. In suitable country the Nordman glider should be capable of remaining aloft for long periods, as its controllability is stated to be excellent.