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A model built eleven years ago, makes me smile now. Another pioneer design for those who seem to be enjoying the latest string of posts. I only hope that our gracious hosts won't be getting tired of these. Here we go again: The Paulhan-Tatin aero-torpille (aerial torpedo) of 1911 is the perfect example to illustrate the word “fuselage”, a French-coined term meaning spindle-shaped, originated from the Latin “fusus”, spindle. This is one of the many aviation-related terms being established at the time to name the parts of the flying wonders in the Dawn of Airplane Era. If you look around among the planes of that time, you will see that what we now give for granted regarding shapes and aerodynamics wasn’t a common sight then, a period of flying forests of struts, wires and exposed structures, hence the importance of the “aero-torpille”. The pusher configuration was elected in order to further increase the cleanness of the design, aimed to offer the less possible resistance to the air. The engine, a Gnome of 50 hp, was enclosed in the middle of the fuselage and a transmission going all the way down moved the pusher propeller. The whole machine was canvas-covered save the section where the engine was, which had louvered metal plates all around. From period photos you can tell that the machine was slightly modified along its life: wheels being canvas-covered or not, tail skid reinforcements had variations, a minor alteration of the tail shape, the presence or not of a mast at the very front tip of the fuselage, etc. At 9.00 meters of span, in 1/72 it is a small model. The machine looks very modern, especially when compared to planes of the same era: streamlined, monoplane, fully enclosed engine…and it flew! reputedly to a speed around 150 kph –about ninety-something miles per hour. Monsieur Paulhan and Monsieur Tatin knew what they were doing!- 15 replies
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