Paul Schmidt

MikeW · 4 November 2004, 10:43 AM

I have to own up to a gaping hole in my knowledge here, what type of machine was a Paul Schmidt? Who flew it, what did it look like etc.?

Mike

Regulus · 4 November 2004, 12:12 PM

Mike,

This is a very bizar thing. There was an ingeneer in Munchen, who back in the twenties and thirties was busy with what they called Stau*strahltriebwerk (roughly translated as rocketpower) and also called Verpuffungstriebwerk, a French invention, which he developped further. Think he got first results somewhere in 1928.
This is very technical German language, so I'm gonna ask one of our German friends to help us out on the translation of this word : Pulso-Schubrohr and for the translation of both earlier German words. In WW II Germany was looking for an unmanned plane which could carry explosives to (mainly) British targets. They seem to have developped a new version of Paul Schmidts Pulso-Schubrohr for the development of the V 1 (Fieseler 103)
This engine was constructed by the Firma Argus Motorenwerke with the official name Walter-109 or Argus-Rohr As 014 Pulso-Schubrohr and was constructed in series.
So there remain two possibilities, or this is about a Fieseler 103 (or the manned version of it the 103R - Reichenberg which was to be used in KG 200, of which 175 were constructed, or the tests with the manned version to develop the unmanned version with Hanna Reitsch) or this is of a pre WW II development of the principal he had developped or another plane he created that flew without any of this propulsion and with a normal engine.
Just trying to add to the confusion

Johan

Regulus · 4 November 2004, 12:20 PM

Hmm ! There was an article in C & C Vol 29 - 1998 - Number 1 by WM Lamberton, but don't have it unfortunately.
So definitely had to do with WW I planes ! Now I wonder if this was the same person which was referred to ?

Johan

EricGoedkoop · 4 November 2004, 12:32 PM

Don't know if it's the same guy or not, Johan, but I seem to recall the French flying Paul Schmidt biplanes during WW1. It's lurking around in the dusty corners of my brain - I know I've seen something in a book somewhere . . . and I want to say there was something odd about the aeroplane. I'll try and find it when I get home.

MattyBoy · 4 November 2004, 12:33 PM

Hi,

'The

French Air Service War Chronology 1914-1918' by Bailey & Cony has an entry dated 15-August-1914:
Casualties
Soldat Victor Garaix Pilot KIA
Liutenant Albert de Taizleux Obs KIA

To the side of this casualty it says simply Paul Schmitt (note spelling).
Surely this must be the same machine you refer to ???

Matt

Rod_Filan · 4 November 2004, 01:27 PM

Mike,
I believe you are refering to the WWI biplane Paul Schmitt 7B2 built by Levallois-Perret (Paris).

The following is copied from the wwi-models.org/mail-archive:

"Envision the offspring of a Jenny and a Biff who had his way with her. Has a 3 bay Spad like wing celule. Overgrown Nieuport aileron cranks. The rear fuselage and empennage is like an MoS Type L. Big ol' exhaust pipe angled back and up over the top wing. FMP French Aircraft book P. 454 - 456. No drawings, but several photos".
--
"My little book of French aircraft shows a big single-engined bomber. Span 17.5m, length 9.5m, 250hp Renault engine. It was ordered on in 1915, but didn't get into service until April 1917, already obselete. It had a three bay wing structure, with three extra pairs of thin metal struts, rather like the SPADs, very odd to look at. Also had a huge exhaust pipe which ran at 45 from the front of the nose back over the top wing".
--

I have at least a drawing and perhaps a photo or two at home.
I'll try and post it later tonight.

VBR
Rod

Jim · 4 November 2004, 01:35 PM

A quick google turned up this blurb written by a person who signed only as PK:

. . . the Paul Schmitt concern at Levallois-Perret (Seine). According to Lamberton's _Reconnaissance and Bomber Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War_ (Harleyford, 1962, p. 100), Schmitt built his own designs, notably the two-seat Type 7 B2 powered by a 200-hp Renault engine and Type 7/4. The latter had four wheels, the "extra pair [being] in front to protect the aircrew when landing." Lamberton says it was a useful aircraft in 1915-16, but was soon outmoded and "from mid-1917 the Schmitt concern built Breguet 14s." Apparently, an ineffective aircraft (and homely looking, too -- watch for announcement of full line of 1/24th scale Paul Schmitts to be announced *next* April 1).

MikeW · 4 November 2004, 02:28 PM

Thanks guys, I have a Naval flight attached to the RFC on the Somme in 1917, reporting that all they encountered whilst on patrol was a flight of 8 Paul Schmidts (sic).

Like Johan I was already familiar with the fascinating Argos pulse jet of WW2 and wondered if it was the same chap.

Mike

EricGoedkoop · 4 November 2004, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rod_Filan

Overgrown Nieuport aileron cranks.

That's it! Thank you for jogging my memory, Rod.

The Schmitts had metal wheels sticking out of the top wing, in about the same relative location as the Nieuport aileron cranks. These wheels had chains running around them back down to the cockpit and the pilot could use them to alter the incidence of the wing, from something like 0° to 12° - must have been rather like a manually-operated overhead door. Wild.

Rod_Filan · 4 November 2004, 06:51 PM

Drawing attached. Have three postcard scans of pre-WWI "Schmitten". I can email then to you if you're interested Mike. Sorry... "Schmitts" just doesn't sound right