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What was the first aircraft to have a machine gun to fire through its propeller arc?
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∙ 14y ago
Vickers F.B.5 Gunbus made in 1914. It made of wood and it lasted only two years in service.
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∙ 14y ago
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First war plane to fly and who was in the war plane?
The first aircraft fitted for war were civilian designed planes with crew members armed with rifles, machine guns and in some cases bricks. When WW1 started there were no identifiable war planes. The aircraft were strictly reconnaissance. The observers (two man crews) armed themselves and would take pot shots at each other. The first verified downing of an enemy aircraft came on Oct 5 1914 the crew of a French reconnaissance Voisin III pusher biplane recorded the first "kill" by shooting down a German Aviatik B.1. The observer in the Voisin stood in his seat and fired a machine gun at the opposing airplane. The first single seater fighter aircraft was born when the French developed the a deflector (steel deflector plates attached to propellers) that allowed pilots to attack and not shoot their own propeller off. Roland Garros shot down the first plane on 1st of April, 1915. Shortly after the Germans captured a French plane equipped with the deflector, Anthony Fokker developed the interrupter gear that timed the machine gun bursts to go between rotations of the propeller. This allowed for greater accuracy. On 1st of August 1915, German pilot Oswald Boelke scored the first kill using an Eindecker monoplane equipped with the interrupter and the true fighter aircraft was born.
Who invented the first airplane mounted machine gun?
The aircraft mounted machine gun was at first simply a ground machine mounted for a gunner to fire. All sides in WW1 used it. The first successful machine gun fired by a pilot was the Lewis machine gun on a special mounting attached to the top wing, allowing the gun to fire over the propellor.
Who used the first fighter plane?
At the beginning of WW1, planes were first starting to be used by the military of all sides. Popular imagination saw the aeroplane being used as a bomber (HG Wells 'The Shape of Things to Come' was written before the Wright brothers first flight but predicted cities flattened by aerial bombardment). The poor performance of early aircraft meant that bomb loads were small and at the outbreak of WWI the only practical use was an observation platform especially for artillery spotting. It was noted that artillery fire became much more accurate and effective when aeroplanes were used to spot. It became important therefore to send up other aircraft to remove them. Thus the first 'fighters' were born. At first, these aircraft were similar observation aircraft but pilots would use pistols, rifles grenades and machine guns with varying effects even grappling hooks were tried. The French Morane-Saulnier monoplane, armed with forward firing machine guns through the propeller (protected by Armour plates) was introduced in April 1915. This innovation made the scouting aircraft a more effective fighter.However, probably the first true fighter (i.e. designed only to shoot down other aircraft) was the German Fokker E1monoplane with synchronized forward firing machine guns (the guns did not fire when the propeller was in front of the muzzle). This was introduced later that summer. The British adapted the De Havilland DH2 and the Royal Aircraft Factory FE2 with some success later still. The British designs used a "pusher engine" which meant the engine and propeller was at the back of the aircraft. This allowed the pilot or a 2nd gunner to fire a machine gun forward without being obstructed by the propel.They made the fighter plane to fight the Germans on world war 1.
Wouldn't a ww1 plane's gun hit the propellers when firing?
Well, they did shoot off their propellors on the first experiments. The first French aircraft designer to try this simply installed a deflector plate on the propellor blade. The logic was that if the blade and the plate was angled enough, the bullet would hit the plate and glance off. This worked----most of the time.The Germans inspected a downed French plane and decided to solve the problem. They designed what is called an interrupter gear. This was a gear that was driven off of the aircraft engine. It was rigged so that it would prevent the gun from firing (or interrupt the firing sequence) when a propellor blade was in front of the gun. This would not allow the gun to fire when a propellor blade was in its line of fire.This interrupter gear was a shaft that was geared off the engine and used a bell crank to convert the input to the machine gun(s) mounted on top of the engine cowl.AnswerBefore the French tried deflector plates, aeroplanes had forward firing machine guns mounted on the top wing of biplanes- these fired over the top of the propellor arc. However, they were difficult to aim and even more difficult to work on if they jammed (the pilot had to essentially stand up to get close enough) which was a frequent occurrence. A later fix was for the machine gun (or cannon) to be mounted in the "V" of liquid cooled engines, or for the crankshaft to be hollow, allowing the projectiles to exit through the propellor boss.
What was the first war plane called?
There's a bit of competition for which plane could be thought of as the first. The first to shoot down an enemy aircraft was a French Voisin III two-seater pusher biplane. In 5th of October 1914, the crew shot down a German Aviatik B.1. However, experiments in putting machine guns in aircraft predated WW1. As early as 1912 the military was trying to arm aircraft, with limited success.
How can you distinguish various aircraft engines in simple words?
There are three main types of propulsion for aircraft. The first is the propeller, which functions like a fan and also works on similar principles to wings. The propeller forces air toward the tail of the aircraft, which pushes the propeller and the aircraft forward (equal and opposite reaction). This is typically used on smaller aircraft now. Secondly there are jet turbines. These work basically by compressing air into a chamber where energy is added by burning fuel. This air is then released out the back of the turbine, pushing the aircraft forward (Assuming the exhaust travels backward). This type has high power output and is typically used on larger aircraft. Finally there is the turboprop, which is a combination of the two others. In this one, air is compressed as in the jet turbine but instead of using the exhaust to solely power the aircraft, the exhaust is passed through a fan that harvests energy and drives a propeller in front of the turbine. This type is has a good power-to-weight ratio and is used on smaller to medium aircraft
Who put the First machine gun on fighter plane?
French aviator Roland Garros attached a machine gun behind the propeller, as well as deflecting plates.
What range would an aircraft need to fly from London to New york?
About the range of a small propeller aircraft. After all, that's how Charles Lindbergh made the first transatlantic flight, and he got all the way to Paris.
What weapons were used in World War 1 fighter plans?
machine guns that were timed to shoot thru the propeller First, single fired rifles from the second seat flyer. Machine guns were added but they had a problem with them shooting the propeller off. This was remedied by the way and hand dropped bombs were the last addition.
Who when and where was the first to shoot down a jet aircraft?
US pilots flying propeller driven airplanes shot down German experimental jets during the last stages of WWII.
How do you check the blade angle propeller of aircraft?
Propellers are measured in stations. This is done by first finding the propeller station number where the angle measurements are taken. Stations are measured in inches from the center of the propeller hub. As an example; propeller station 35 would be 35 inches from the center of the hub. The propeller maintenance manual and/or the Type Certificate Data Sheet for the specific propeller will provide the station number. Once you have located the proper station a propeller protractor is used to measure the angle. The protractor must first be "zeroed" (normally at the hub). Then the angle will be checked on the "Face" of the blade (this is the side that "faces" the pilot when sitting in the pilot seat). This must be done on each blade of the propeller to ensure they are all the same (or within limitations set by the manufacturer).
Did Henry Ford invent the twin propeller aircraft?
there were attempts at multi prop aircraft even before the wright bothers first flight but it was the wright flyer at kitty hawk, the first successful airplane, that was the first to successfully use two props - those two props were driven by a single motor attached with bicycle chains
First war plane to fly and who was in the war plane?
The first aircraft fitted for war were civilian designed planes with crew members armed with rifles, machine guns and in some cases bricks. When WW1 started there were no identifiable war planes. The aircraft were strictly reconnaissance. The observers (two man crews) armed themselves and would take pot shots at each other. The first verified downing of an enemy aircraft came on Oct 5 1914 the crew of a French reconnaissance Voisin III pusher biplane recorded the first "kill" by shooting down a German Aviatik B.1. The observer in the Voisin stood in his seat and fired a machine gun at the opposing airplane. The first single seater fighter aircraft was born when the French developed the a deflector (steel deflector plates attached to propellers) that allowed pilots to attack and not shoot their own propeller off. Roland Garros shot down the first plane on 1st of April, 1915. Shortly after the Germans captured a French plane equipped with the deflector, Anthony Fokker developed the interrupter gear that timed the machine gun bursts to go between rotations of the propeller. This allowed for greater accuracy. On 1st of August 1915, German pilot Oswald Boelke scored the first kill using an Eindecker monoplane equipped with the interrupter and the true fighter aircraft was born.
Who built the first aircraft?
"Heavier than air machine" has to be the starting point for this Q, and hot air balloons would be there much earlier than propeller driven craft. The Montgolfier brothers - paper makers - were an early contributor, but there may be examples from more ancient history. And an important break point is whether they carried people or not.
How fast does a propeller have to spin to lift a man off the ground?
That's a difficult question to answer. First, in the sense that a propeller is really an airfoil, it does, in fact, generate lift. However, the concept of lift with respect to aircraft, generally refers to the vertical lifting force, and this is produced by the airfoils (wings) and not the propeller. The propeller produces forward thrust which, when sufficient, generates the speed necessary for the wings to produce lift. So, back to the question: A propeller needs to turn fast enough to produce enough forward speed for the airfoils to produce sufficient lift for the aircraft to rise. The RPM necessary to do this depends on the size and number of blades, the power of the engine, the weight of the aircraft, and a number of other factors such as airport elevation, etc. Sorry this doesn't exactly answer the question, but hopefully it will help you craft a more specific question that can be answered more accurately.
What contribution did french pilot Roland Garros make to air combat in World War 1?
He achieved the first ever shooting-down of an aircraft by a fighter firing through a tractor propeller. When he accidentally landed behind enemy lines, and did not destroy his airplane, German aircraft engineers then improved the so called interrupter gear system, and gained air superiority during WWI.
Which Tennis stadium is named after a world War 1 flying ace?
Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, France, where the French Open is played. Garros mounted a machine gun to fire forward through the propeller of his plane, the first to do so. Interrupter gear to prevent the gun from firing while the propeller blades were in front of the gun muzzle had not yet been invented. Garros mounted steel triangular bands on his propeller blades, with the point of the triangle pointed back at the gun. Bullets fired which would have sawed off his own propeller were deflected to the sides by these bands, allowing Garros to become the first aerial ace. Eventually the shock of repeated impacts broke the propeller and brought Garros down in enemy territory, where his secret was revealed to the enemy.
