AERONAUTICS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2737, 16 February 1910, Page 5

AERONAUTICS.

A WELLINGTON AEROPLANE

[Per. Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Fob. 15. A number of public men, including several interested in engineering, assembled at the Masonic Hall this morning to witness an exhibition of a model of an aeroplane. It is the invention of Mr. W. Beach, a native, of Queensland, and now of Wellington, and it was explained by Mr. Jas. Dykes that it is proposed bv a syndicate to construct the complete aeroplane for the purpose of competing for the prize of £IO,OOO offered by the Australian Government for the flying machine best, adapted for war purposes. Mr Beach’s model differs from the patterns already before the world, and is the outcome of three, years’ hard study of the subject. The problem he set himself to solve was this—To devise a ship which would descend safely when the engines broke down This airship has two propel lore, one in front and one behind, revolving in opposite directions. The air pressure is divided between two planes, instead of being concentrated in one, and the inventor contends that this will greatly increase the speed of the ship. Thrown into the air by hand, the model ship alighted gracefully and easily on to the ground, and when thrown from an altitude of a. I,oft high ladder it alighted Just as successfully, except that in this case it was caught in a sheet. Then it was weighted with two weights, each about 21bs, and again it stood tho test. It is estimated the airship will weigh 6cwt, and be 45 feet long, with a width of sft 6in, and will carry an aviator and three passengers. The technicalities of the invention were fully explained by Mr Beach, and tile experiments were watched with the keenest interest.