Aeroplane attachment.

Application filed November

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Hayward T. McMurray, a citizen of the United States, residing at Divernon, in the county of Sangamon and 6 State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aeroplane Attachments ; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable 10 others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to an attaclihient for aeroplanes.

The object of the present invention is to 15 provide a simple, practical and comparatively inexpensive device adapted to be readily applied to various types of aeroplanes and capable of enabling the same to rise quickly and maintain an elevated position 20 while comparatively stationary or moving forwardly at a relatively low speed.

A further object of the invention is to provide an attachment of this character having a horizontally disposed propeller loss cated beneath the aeroplane and adapted to assist the descent and landing of the machine and capable of increasing the efficiency and safety of the same and the facility or ease of handling the aeroplane.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an adjustable device capable of being readily applied to machines of different sizes and adapted to rigidly support the parts in proper position.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims 40 hereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sac45 rificihg any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view partly in elevation of an aeroplane pro50 vided with an attachment constructed in accordance with this invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view illustrating the construction of the adjustable bracing means,

Fig. 3 is a detail view illustrating th® f, 1916. Serial No. 129,970.

arrangement of the bearings for the upper end of the vertical shaft.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings. 60

In the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, the attachment which is shown applied to a monoplane of the Bleriot type comprises in its construction a hori- 65 zontal propeller 1 located below the front portion of'the frame 2 of the machine and suitably fixed to the lower end of a vertical shaft 3 which is connected by beveled gears 4 and 5 with a main horizontal propeller 70 shaft 6. The shaft 6 which is connected with the engine or motor of the aeroplane in any desired maimer is equipped at its front end with a vertical propeller 7 of the usual construction and as the parts of the 75 aeroplane are of the usual construction and well understood in the art a detail description of the same is deemed unnecessary.

The upper end 8 of the vertical shaft is mounted in a suitable 'bearing 10 carried 80 by the shaft 6 and having the gears 4 and 5 fitted against the adjacent sides of it. The bearing 10 is provided with an opening 11 for the passage of the longitudinal propeller shaft 6 and has a lower bearing recess 12 85 forming an end thrust bearing socket for the upper end of the shaft 3. The lower portion of the shaft 3 is arranged in a suitable bearing 13 and is connected by relatively adjustable arms 14 and 15 with the 90 frame work of the machine. The arms 14 and 15 which are inclined slightly as shown are'secured by clips or clamps 16 to the frame of the machine. The outer portions 17 and 18 of the arms 14 and 15 are hori- #5 zontal and in alinement and the inner portions 19 and 20 are provided with perforations 21 and 22 adapted to receive bolts 23' for adjustably securing the arms 14 and 15 together and to the bearing 13. The inner 100 horizontal portion 20 of the bracing arm 15 is of greater length than the inner horizontal portion 19 of the bracing arm 14. The oppositely inclined bracing members or arms 15 rigidly support the lower portions 105 of the vertical shaft 3 and the upper bearing may have a bracing arm 24 extending around the outer side of the gear 5, but the bracing arm may be omitted when a set collar 25 is employed. The set collar 25 is lo- 110

1,233,084 cated at the opposite side of the bearing from the gear 5, and the said gear 5 and said collar will maintain the shaft 6 against longitudinal movement and retain the gears 5 in mesh. For greater strength both pieces may be employed as shown.

It will be seen that the attachment may be readily applied to aeroplanes of various types and sizes owing to the adjustable 10 character of the arms or bracing members ^! and that the propeller may be of different sizes according to the size of the aeroplane to which the device is applied. Also it will be clear that the lower horizontally disposed 15 propeller which is driven at the same speed as the front main propeller, exerts an upward lift on the aeroplane with a force proportionate to the speed of the shaft and that it assists in the ascent of the machine and 20 enables the machine to attain rapidly a high elevation. The device will enable the descent of the machine to be controlled and to effect a landing as slowly as desired.