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Old 28 March 2008, 12:42 AM   #6 (permalink)
aerohydro
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Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
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Hello Ermeio

I've done a little bit of delving into this story, which has yielded some good results.

In the letter that's in the 28 August 1909 issue of Flight, the flying machine had been referred to as the "Howard-Windham Monoplane", and I know now that's because "Howard" was the machine's designer.

Attached are a couple of pages from Flight magazine for 17 April 1909. They're from an article that detailed the various model aeroplanes exhibited at the Olympia Hall in London. Amongst the models was one for the very machine you're interested in - and the designer's name was given as Howard. One of the attached pages contains a photo of the model, the other a brief description.

(I've been using the Flight Archive website to search out these pages)

A new attack on the patent databases proved successful, as it yielded British patent application #21,668 of 1908. The flying machine it describes is near identical to the model. The applicant is William Frank Howard. The patent database I was using stated that "No Patent granted (Sealing fee not paid)", which I suspect means that even though it was approved to be patented, the fee required to have this done didn't get paid.

No two versions of the design are the same. Compare the patent: to the model: to the full sized machine, and note how each one has the elevators, the undercarriage and the engine all in different positions.

I'd been given a plan, some years ago, for a rubber-powered, pistachio class, flying model of the Windham Monoplane. From what I can recall, the plans weren't that well done nor that accurate, however if I can locate them, I'll scan them for you.

Cheers,
Paul
Attached Files
File Type: pdf 1909_howard_model_1.pdf (297.8 KB, 42 views)
File Type: pdf 1909_howard_model_2.pdf (260.6 KB, 24 views)
File Type: pdf GB190821668A.pdf (248.2 KB, 36 views)
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