These two experimenters embarked on the study of
dynamic flight contemporaneously with Maxim, Langley, Kress, and
many other well-known pioneers, but it was not until 1908 that
their first practical machine was completed. Its success was
instantaneous, many notable flights being placed to its credit,
while some idea of the perfection of its design may be gathered
from the fact that the machine of to-day is substantially
identical with that used seven years ago, the alterations which
have been effected meanwhile being merely modifications in minor
details.
The design of this machine follows very closely the lines of a
bird in flight--hence its colloquial description, "Taube," or
"dove." Indeed the analogy to the bird is so close that the ribs
of the frame resemble the feathers of a bird. The supporting
plane is shaped in the manner of a bird's distended wing, and is
tipped up at the rear ends to ensure stability. The tail also
resembles that of a bird very closely.
This aeroplane, especially the latest type, is very speedy, and
it has proved extremely reliable. It is very sharp in turning
and extremely sensitive to its rudder, which renders it a
first-class craft for reconnoitring duty.
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