M.Goodall, A.Tagg British Aircraft before the Great War (Schiffer)
Deleted by request of (c)Schiffer Publishing
MULLINER Knyplane monoplane
E. Cecil Kny was the manager at Vardens Rd. and he designed the second Mulliner aircraft. Kny was of Danish extraction and also acquired the agency for Normale propellers. This two-seater tractor monoplane had a boat shaped fuselage, covered with aluminum to behind the rear cockpit, with the rest fabric covered. A searchlight was fitted in front of the observer, when the machine was exhibited at Olympia in March 1911.
Unconventional features were the ability to control the incidence of the wings, which rotated about a tubular spar and also the ability to adjust the camber by separate controls. A fixed tailplane extended well along the fuselage; a cruciform elevator and rudder were used.
The undercarriage was of lever suspension type, with torsion springs and with a central sprung skid; a long tail skid was fitted.
The engine was buried inside the fuselage and was cooled by long external radiators extending well down the fuselage sides.
Power: 60hp ENV type F eight-cylinder water-cooled vee driving a Normale propeller through a clutch.
Data
Span 39ft
Length 36ft
Area 300 sq ft
Weight allup 1,250 1b
P.Lewis British Aircraft 1809-1914 (Putnam)
Mulliner 2 Knyplane
The Knyplane was the second tractor monoplane built by the Mulliner Coachworks Ltd., of Long Acre, London, and Northampton, and was designed by E. Cecil Kny - of later D.F.W. fame - and constructed in the Mulliner works at Vardens Road, Clapham Junction, London, S.W. It was seen at the 1911 Olympia Aero Show, and was unusual in that the incidence of the wings could be altered in flight, together with their camber, which could be increased by drooping the leading-edge. Both operations could be carried out synchronously or independently of each other. A feature of the finely-shaped, boat-like fuselage with its metal fore-part, was that the open cockpit could be enclosed by the addition of a detachable conning-tower. The engine was a 60 h.p. E.N.V. "F", which drove a Normale propeller. Span, 39 ft. Length, 36 ft. Wing area, 300 sq. ft. Weight loaded, 1,250 lb.
Журнал Flight
Flight, March 25, 1911
OLYMPIA-1911
Aeroplanes.
Mulliner Monoplan. - It will be remembered that Messrs. Mulliner, of London and Northampton, exhibited a monoplane at the last Olympia Aero Show that attracted considerable attention from visitors by reason of its light appearance and the good workmanship bestowed upon it. This year they are also exhibiting, and again it is a monoplane, but this machine differs greatly from that of last year, although we have no doubt that this difference will not be found in the workmanship.
The machine, which is known as the "Kny-plane," is a monoplane having a span of 39 ft. and an overall length of 36 ft. The weight of the machine complete with aviator and in flying order is 1,250 lbs., with an actual lifting surface of 300 sq. ft. The wings are controllable, and by means of a simple steering device, similar to that used in motor car construction, it becomes possible to increase or decrease the angle of incidence and the camber synchronously or independently. The body is torpedo shaped. The powerplant, which is entirely enclosed, consists of a 60-80-h.p. E.N.V. engine with dual ignition, and drives, through a flywheel and a specially-designed clutch, a Normale tractor-screw. The chassis embodies some unique features, one of which, it is claimed, enables the machine to start on any railway if the ground is in any way unsuitable. This should be worthy of consideration for military requirements. It is also claimed that the body of the machine always remains horizontal in flight.