The What is it? Game

[Capt. Vick]

Is it from the Bellanca family?

 

[WJPearce]

Not Bellanca. The person/company that built the plane in question built many over the years, but none of which entered (serious) production. Despite two of his aircraft being in the Smithsonian (display or storage), I think he is unknown by many.

 

[WJPearce]

I'll wrap this one up. Here is the full image.

 

[WJPearce]

The aircraft above is the Flex Wing prototype (NX169W) built by Waldo Waterman in 1930 at what became Van Nuys airport in California. The wing struts incorporated an oleo strut that would allow the wing dihedral to be altered. The wings were hinged at 30 degrees, so changing the dihedral also changed the angle of attack. The idea was to alter the wings for the flight phase (landing/takeoff vs cruise).

The strut was also intended to act as a shock absorber to smooth out turbulence. According to Waterman, the NACA tested the aircraft and found that structural loads were reduced by 25% or so. The biggest problem was that the smooth-out-the-turbulence concept did not work; in fact, the opposite occurred. The up-and-down movement was exacerbated by the struts, and the Flex Wing occupants found themselves often airsick.

The thread is open for anyone to post another image.

 

[Capt. Vick]

Wild

 

[wuzak]

So, a plane that actually flapped its wings?

 

[WJPearce]

So, a plane that actually flapped its wings?

In a way, yes, but not to generate lift like an ornithopter. Waterman jokingly referred to the aircraft as the "flapper," but the wings were not "flapped" in successive repetition. The idea was more along the lines of the variable-incidence wing of the F-8, as in, to alter the wing to suit a particular phase of flight.

In the image below, you can see how the 30 degree hinge line allows the wing's angle of incidence to change when the dihedral in increased. It would be interesting to know how the aircraft's speed changed and by how much with the wing angle, but I have not seen that info. I have also attached the patent.

 

[norab]

Ok let's be rotten and go for another rivet, should be fairly easy

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

That's not a rivet, it's a screw, come on now.

 

[norab]

no, no, no, above the screw on the black part is the rivet

 

[norab]

multi-engine

 

[GrauGeist]

Phillips (or Reed) head...must be American made?

 

[norab]

correct

 

[Airframes]

P-38 tail boom ?

 

[GrauGeist]

B-26?

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

That one's a phillips or Reed head also.

 

[norab]

I'm afraid neither guess is right, I really thought this would go quickly

 

[norab]

here is a little more help

 

[Geedee]

Boeing P-26 Peashooter ?

Looks like the gunsight mounted forward of the windshield ?

 

[GrauGeist]

Boeing P-26 Peashooter ?

Looks like the gunsight mounted forward of the windshield ?

Actually, it looks more like the gunsight on a"Cheyenne Hood" equipped B-17