Please see the Transcriber’s Notes at the end of this document.
ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL FLIGHT.
A Pocket-Book of Aeronautics.—By H. W.L. Moedebeck. Translated from the German byDr. W. Mansergh Varley. With 150 Illustrations.10s. 6d. net.
Contents.—Gases—Physics of the Atmosphere—MeteorologicalObservations—Balloon Technics—Kites andParachutes—On Ballooning—Balloon Photography—PhotographicSurveying from Balloons—Military Ballooning—AnimalFlight—Artificial Flight—Airships—FlyingMachines—Motors—Air Screws—Appendix—Index.
“Will be highly welcome to all aeronauts. It may be said to be theonly complete work practically dealing with such matters. We have nohesitation in thoroughly recommending this as an absolutely indispensablebook.”—Knowledge.
“It is without a doubt the best book that has appeared on the subject.”—AeronauticalJournal.
“The present volume ought certainly to be possessed by every studentof Aeronautics, as it contains a vast amount of information of the highestvalue.”—Glasgow Herald.
WHITTAKER & CO., LONDON, E.C.
ARTIFICIAL AND
NATURAL FLIGHT.
BY
SIR HIRAM S. MAXIM.
WITH 95 ILLUSTRATIONS.
WHITTAKER & CO.,
2 WHITE HART STREET, PATERNOSTER SQUARE,
LONDON, E.C.,
AND 64-66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK.
1908.
PREFACE.
It was in 1856 that I first had my attention called tothe subject of flying machines. My father, who was aprofound thinker and a clever mechanician, seems to havegiven the subject a great deal of thought, and to havematured a plan identical with what has been proposed byhundreds since that time. I was then sixteen years ofage, and a fairly good mechanician, and any new thing inthe mechanical line interested me immensely.
My father’s proposed machine, of which he made asketch, was of the Hélicoptère type, having two screwsboth on the same axis—the lower one to be right handand mounted on a tubular shaft, and the top one to be lefthand and mounted on a solid shaft running through thelower tubular shaft. These screws were to be rotated inreverse directions by means of a small pinion engaging abevel gear attached to each of the shafts. His plan contemplatedlarge screws with very fine pitch, and heproposed to obtain horizontal motion by inclining the axisforward. He admitted that there was no motor inexistence light enough, but thought one might be invented,and that an engine might be worked by a series of explosionsin the cylinder, that is, what is known to-day asinternal combustion; but he was not clear how such anengine could be produced. He, however, said that a flyingmachine would be so valuable in time of war, that itmattered little how expensive the explosive might be,even if fulminate of mercury had to be used. It isinteresting to note in this connection that the great PeterCooper of New York thought out an identical machineabout the same time, and actually commenced experiments.I