Pfitzner Flyer
Encyclopedia
The Pfitzner Flyer was an innovative monoplane
Monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
designed in 1909 by Alexander Pfitzner
Alexander Pfitzner
-References:...
and built by the Curtiss
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company was an American aircraft manufacturer that went public in 1916 with Glenn Hammond Curtiss as president. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the company was the largest aircraft manufacturer in the United States...
company at Hammondsport, NY
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where Pfitzner was employed at the time.
The Flyer was the first monoplane
Monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
designed, built and flown in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It incorporated several novel features, the most innovative of which was the method of achieving lateral control by means of reciprocating lateral (telescopic
Telescoping (mechanics)
Telescoping in mechanics describes the movement of one part sliding out from another, lengthening an object from its rest state. In modern equipment, this is often done by hydraulics....
) wing extensions, which the pilot controlled via a steering wheel. Also unusual for a monoplane was the use of a pusher configuration
Pusher configuration
In a craft with a pusher configuration the propeller are mounted behind their respective engine. According to Bill Gunston, a "pusher propeller" is one mounted behind engine so that drive shaft is in compression...
, the engine also being mounted behind the pilot.
The aircraft was not a success, and a disappointed Pfitzner is thought to have committed suicide on 12 July 1910.
Background
Since their success with the first recorded powered flight, the Wright BrothersWright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
had patented many of their methods and had sought to enforce their patents through the courts. Most if not all other manufacturers were keen to develop alternative techniques; Pfitzner avoided the Wrights' method of warping
Wing warping
Wing warping was an early system for lateral control of a fixed-wing aircraft. The technique, used and patented by the Wright brothers, consisted of a system of pulleys and cables to twist the trailing edges of the wings in opposite directions...
the wings to achieve a lift differential between port and starboard wings by using wing extensions (or 'compensators'), described below. In his book “Monoplanes and Biplanes: Their Design, Construction and Operation” (1911), Grover Loening
Grover Loening
Grover Cleveland Loening was an American aircraft manufacturer.-Biography:Loening was born in Bremen, Germany, while his American-born father was stationed there as U.S. Consul. He graduated from Columbia University in New York City, where he was awarded the first-ever degree in Aeronautical...
wrote “This aeroplane is a distinct departure from all other monoplanes in the placing of the motor, aviator, and rudders, and in the comparatively simple and efficient method of transverse control by sliding surfaces, applied here for the first time.”. The issue of patent protection was sufficiently in the public eye for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, in its issue of 16 January 1910, to headline Pfitzner’s design as an “Aeroplane Without Patent Drawbacks". The same article refers to the “Wright suits” and their attempts to “build up their patent fences”; Pfitzner is quoted there as saying that “any one who wants to do so is welcome to use
Design and development
Pfitzner, a “designer of high-class gasoline motors, transmissions, and gears” was employed by Glen Curtiss at his Hammondsport factory. Pfitzner designed his Flyer as a private project but it was constructed in the Curtiss factory.The aircraft consisted of a rectangular cuboid cross-braced
Cross Bracing
In construction, cross bracing is a system utilized to reinforce building structures in which diagonal supports intersect."Cross bracing can increase a building’s capability to withstand seismic forces from an earthquake."...
central frame, onto which the main monoplane wing, the motor, the forward and rear booms and the ‘undercarriage’ (consisting of one wheel at each of the lower corners) were mounted. Between the upper front and rear posts of the frame were fitted two streamlined fuel tanks (clearly visible in the image above), one on each side of and above the pilot’s seat, with a combined capacity of six gallons (22.7 L.).
The pilot sat immediately forward of the wing and controlled the aircraft by a combination a movable column and a wheel mounted on that column. Pitch was controlled by fore and aft movement of the column, which, by means of wires, moved the elevator mounted at the forward end of the front boom. Yaw control was effected by twisting the column about its vertical axis (by means of pressure on the steering wheel), which turned the vertical rudder (mounted above the elevator) left or right. Lateral control was achieved by rotating the wheel: When the pilot turned the steering-wheel to port, the linkage (shown below and here) retracted the port wingtip, at the same time extending the starboard extension by the same amount. Thus there was no need for a rudder bar (or pedals); the pilot’s feet were not used for controlling the aircraft. Also mounted on the control column was a throttle lever; a button on the wheel enabled "the Bosch high-tension magneto to be switched off for the purpose of switching off the engine". There was a fixed tail-plane surface with an area of 10.5 sq.ft. (0.98 sq.m.) at the end of the rear boom to provide longitudinal stability.
The span of the main wing, which was set at an angle for incidence of 8°, was 31 ft., with a wingtip extension of 30 in (76.2 cm) on each wing, providing a constant wingspan of 33 ft. 6 in. (10.21 m). The wing was 6 ft. (1.8 m) wide; the extensible wingtips were 4 ft. 2 in. (1,27 m) wide, each providing a maximum of 10.5 sq. ft. (0.98 sq.m.) wing area. The wing extensions were of the same curvature as the main wing. “The main supporting plane at a 5-deg. dihedral angle consists of two main beams across which are placed spruce ribs. The surface is made of Baldwin vulcanized silk, of jet black color, tacked to the top of the ribs and laced to the frame. The curvature of the surface is slight and is designed for high speed.” The wing ribs had a camber of 3.75 in. (9.05 cm) over 6 ft (1.8 m).
Each of the wings consists of three detachable sections, each 5 ft. (1.5 m.) long, which are supported by steel sockets and steel cable, the latter forming a symmetrical double king truss with the beams, fore and aft pairs of King post
King post
A king post is a central vertical supporting post used in architectural, bridge, or aircraft design applications.-Architecture:...
s being situated at the junctions of the sections.
Operational history
Pfitzner himself, although an inexperienced flyer at the time, conducted initial test flights with his Flyer, the first taking place in early January 1910. Despite the presence of a light covering of snow at the time, it was reported that the Flyer had made a large number of short flights and that it required an average run of 100 ft. (30 m) to get airborne.Following Pfitzner’s disappearance (and assumed suicide) in July, 1910, Horace K. Kearney took over the aircraft and demonstrated it at aero meets
Fly-in
A fly-in is a pre-arranged gathering of aircraft, pilots and passengers for recreational and social purposes.Fly-ins may be formally or informally organised, members of the public may or may not be invited, the gathering may be at an airport or in a farmer's field.Fly-ins can be aimed at specific...
in the succeeding months, including in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, before the Pfitzner Flyer became little more than an interesting footnote in the history of aviation.