M.Goodall, A.Tagg British Aircraft before the Great War (Schiffer)
Deleted by request of (c)Schiffer Publishing
HIGGINS glider (Henry Higgins, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire)
This glider was designed and built in 1910, and was tested successfully at Cleeve Hill, near Cheltenham. It was a canard monoplane with the pilot seated below the wing, above the axle of the wheels. Control was provided by a front elevator, and by warping the wing, with a foot bar. A movable 'blinker' was fitted in the front bay of the single girder structure.
Data
Span 26ft
Chord 6ft
Length 20ft
Area 160 sq ft
Area elevator 16 sq ft
Weight 941b
HIGGINS monoplane
The glider had been built with the intention of fitting a low powered engine later, and one was installed as a pusher in 1911. A two-cylinder JAP of 10-12hp was fitted below the wing, driving a 7ft 2in diameter propeller by chain. A tail was fitted 12ft behind the eg; a fixed plane below the elevator increased the lifting surface to 196 sq ft and the weight to 280 lb. In this form the machine was unsuccessful.
In 1912 further changes increased the span to 30ft, the lifting area to 240 sq ft and weight to 300 lb. There were no further reports and it is presumed that the machine was not a success.
P.Lewis British Aircraft 1809-1914 (Putnam)
Higgins Glider
The Higgins Glider was designed and built by H. Higgins of Cheltenham, Glos., during 1910, and was a single-seat canard monoplane. It was tested in the same year at Cleeve Hill, Cheltenham. Span, 26 ft. Length, 20 ft. Wing area, 160 sq. ft. Weight empty. 94 lb.
Higgins Monoplane
During 1911 Henry Higgins revised his glider of 1910 and turned it into a tail-first pusher monoplane by the addition of a two-cylinder engine of 10-12 h.p. This was mounted below the trailing-edge of the wings and drove a propeller of 7 ft. 2 ins. diameter. Unsuccessful tests were conducted at Cleeve Hill, Cheltenham. Wing area, 196 sq.ft. Weight empty, 240 lb.