L.Opdyke French Aeroplanes Before the Great War (Schiffer)
Deleted by request of (c)Schiffer Publishing
No 2: The new design was shown at the 1908 Paris Salon, quite different from its predecessor. The fuselage was long and covered, curving up at the tail, and supporting a single huge arched horizontal tail surface. The monoplane wings were also deeply arched, supported by a 4-strut pylon above; small movable surfaces above the leading edge of the wingtips were to provide control. 2 undercarriage wheels were set forward, and a third halfway back.
No 3: This pretty little monoplane of December 1909 set the pattern for several to follow. The fuselage consisted of a single boom with the familiar arched horizontal surface set above the tail end; a small trapezoidal fin was below it, and a small square rudder behind that. The wings were rectangular, with odd movable eyebrow surfaces on top at the tips; an inverted V pylon supported the wings. The undercarriage was formed of a heavy arch and 2 trailing wheels.
(Span: 11.5 m; length; 9.5 m; weight: 210 kg; 30 hp Anzani)
A smaller version of No 3 had a slender covered fuselage, a Bleriot-style trapezoidal pylon, rectangular wings, an arched undercarriage frame, and a rectangular rudder mounted aft and underneath an arched stabilizer surface. The eyebrow ailerons had disappeared; the names Odier-Vendome appeared on the fuselage sides.
Журнал Flight
Flight, January 9, 1909
THE FIRST PARIS AERONAUTICAL SALON.
"Vendome (No.2)."
Monoplane of birdlike appearance, constructed by M. Vendome. It is peculiar for its method of control. Two independent levers are used to warp the main wings either in the same or contrary sense, according as it is wished to ascend or steer. Quick steering is effected by pedal control of steering-tips superposed on the extremities of the main wings. At the rear is an elevator-tail set by a third lever. The tractor-screw is in front, direct-driven by a 3-cyl. Anzani engine.
Flight, November 27, 1909
FLYER SILHOUETTES FROM THE PARIS SALON.
VENDOME No. 3 BIS.
Monoplane, having double-surfaced wings set at a slight dihedral angle. The body has a very skeleton-like appearance, as it is formed solely by two longitudinal spars, situated about 18 ins. apart between the wings, and closing together aft, where they extend rearwards to carry the tail. The tail proper consists of a fixed horizontal plane and a fixed vertical plane beneath it. There is in addition a rudder and an elevator. The rudder is mounted so that it warps into a cambered section when steering; the elevator being considerably cambered in its normal state, is merely pivoted in order to enable its angle of incidence to be varied. An accompanying sketch shows how the rudder is mounted to give the flexing action. It will be noticed that the fixed rudder-post passes through the rudder about 5 ins. from the leading edge. The leading edge is gripped by a fork, which forms part of the steering cross-bar and turns with it; wires from the extremities of the bar pass to the trailing edge of the rudder-plane. When the steering bar is moved the tendency's, of course, for the rudder-plane to pivot upon its post bodily, but its leading edge being engaged with the aforementioned fork, this is impossible, and in consequence the surface has to flex into cambered form.
Small triangular planes are fitted above the extremities of the wings on the Vendome flyer and are coupled up to the mechanism which operates the rudder. This consists of a pivoted bar lying horizontally in front of the pilot's seat in such a position that it forms a foot-rest. Pressing forward with the right foot moves the bar so that the rudder is put over for steering to the right and simultaneously the flap above the extremity of the right-hand wingtip is raised. The action of this would presumably be to increase the resistance on that side of the machine and thereby increase the steering effect; they are not, apparently, used as balancing planes.