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Schwingenflugzeug A, Tilp.
The exploration of new types of flight has only made progress in the field of gliding. Unfortunately, winged flight has been somewhat neglected in recent times. Therefore, it is encouraging that there are still engineers who, with undiminished tenacity, are trying to solve the problem of winged flight. Among the latter is Ing. Tilp, who has been conducting experiments with winged gliders since 1911 and has now completed his third device. The device consists, as the illustration below shows, of a triangular frame, in which the pilot's seat is located at the bottom and the two balancing frames are mounted at the top. The balancing frames, which carry the wings at their ends in tandem, swing in the direction of flight like a balance beam and in opposite directions. A common pedal crank sets the frame and thus the four wings, two of which are connected to the same frame by means of joint rods, in a swinging motion, so that they offer their full surface area during flapping, and adjust themselves in the direction of movement during ascent, thereby generating little resistance. This adjustment of the wings occurs automatically. The control lever, which also The articulated rod of the lower frame is connected, so that the angle of attack of all four wings can be adjusted via this control lever. The adjustment of the angle of attack serves to control the altitude, while the counter-torsion surfaces of the horizontal control surface mounted behind the seat are intended to act as rudder. Each wing consists of only one, albeit very strong, rectangular-cross-section ash spar, into which the ribs are inserted. The ribs are movable in the plane of the wing and each controls one of the wing sections that form the entire supporting deck and overlap one another like scales. This special device, which proved to be the best after long and costly tests, enables the wings to bend elastically forward and downward.
Mr. Tilp writes to us that there is still some room for improvement with this device, as the wing stroke of approximately 400 mm is too small. Therefore, the wing beat speed is too low to allow takeoff even in calm conditions, and a headwind is therefore still required. The main thing, however, is the effortless The operation of the wings, something that has been aspired to since ancient times but has never been even remotely achieved by anyone else, has now finally been achieved. As preliminary tests in the courtyard of the "Mariahilf" coal mine near Eidlitz-Komotau have clearly demonstrated, the four wings can be operated effortlessly and effortlessly using the pedal crank.