How to made an old airplane

The American 1912 = Electrical engineers Allen and Meckler would have beaten everyone across the Atlantic with their $5,000 monster “Hydro-Biplane” if everything worked as planned; however, their trail faded soon after completion of a 104′ flying ship with a 76′ wingspan and we don’t know its ultimate fate. A small article in the New York Times of 9/12/12, the only documentation we could find, told of its “soft steel” (aluminum?) tubing framework and enamel-coated duck covering, and of having four 125hp motors (flight) and one 65hp (surface travel)—it had both skids and wheels. Propellers on both sides would work independently so that if one side became “crippled,” the other would furnish sufficient thrust. Laden with 5000 lbs of gas, food, and supplies, the pair estimated the trip would take three days at an average of 65 mph. The aft-half of the ship appears to have been dedicated to their complex “wireless array” (well, almost wireless), with a claimed 1000-mile range, that imparted an eerie sci-fi look, like it should be orbiting Earth instead of treading water. Perhaps some day the rest of the story will surface … [source: aerofiles.com]

Here we can see how they built their “monster” but I haven’t found their final result and/or their fate, so do not try it at home.

Related : Those crazy air pioneers

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