M.Goodall, A.Tagg British Aircraft before the Great War (Schiffer)
SMITH multi-plane (Samuel Smith, Daubhill, Bolton, Lancashire)
For many years the identity of this machine was confused, being thought to be a multi-plane built by Horatio Phillips, until clarified in 1984 by John Bagley of the Science Museum.
The machine was designed and built between 1910 and 1912 and was assembled at Closes Farm, Smethurst Lane, Daubhill with the help of the farmer EC. Wallis. It was tested but it is doubtful if it lifted off and was broken up soon after.
The vertical frame contained about one hundred narrow slats, below which was the fuselage, whose bottom longerons were extended forward to form skids and also served to support the tail. The tail unit appeared to consist of a conventional rudder, tailplane and elevators. Below the vertical frame, wide chord surfaces probably served as ailerons. The engine was mounted high on a structure with the thrust line approximately at the center of the multi-plane frame. The pilot's position was an enclosure in the fuselage. Patent No.17362/1910 was taken out to cover a gyroscopic control device, which was to be employed.
