windham monoplane 1909

[ermeio]

I'm looking for info about the windham 1909 monoplane
I'vo found two photos and a matchbox illustration

windham_tandem-monoplane1.jpg

windham_tandem-monoplane2.jpg

[aerohydro]

Hello Ermio

Attached is a page from Flight magazine, dated August 28 1909, one that contains a photo and brief letter about the Windham Monoplane.

I suspect the aeroplane was so named simply because Capt. Windham had put up the money for its construction, with others having been responsible for its design. The letter writer mentions some patents having been applied for: I've done some quick online searches. looking for them, but have been unable to locate any, perhaps the patent applications were not followed up on.

The book "British Aircraft Before The Great War" by Michael Goodall and Albert Tagg (ISBN 0764312073) contains an entry about this machine, detailing a bit of its history, though to be fair, relatively little is known about it.

Cheers,
Paul

[ermeio]

Hello, Paul,
Thank you very much for the page, which is very interesting, since the photo is taken from an different angle: that was what I was looking for to trace a sketch of the plane.
I forgot to mention the book, which I have in my collection.
I'm going to make a model of the plane, and now I only need some info about the engine: 6-cyl. Dutheil-Chalmers.
Best regards
Ermeio

[ermeio]

Hi,
I've found a photo of an engine made by Dutheil-Chalmers, on the net at
http://www.enginehistory.org/Museums...l-Chalmers.jpg
That is a 2 cyl engine, still preserved.
The Windham had a 6 cyl engine.
Ermeio

[Varese2002]

The Windham Monoplane figured in the Doncaster Flying Week 1909 as quoted in Dallas Brett 'History of British Aviation 1908-1914' as follows (p.34)

....Captain Maitland tried unsuccesfully to fly a Voisin to which 'gyroscopes' had been fitted, whilst the comic element was safe in the hands of a Mr. Windham, who produced a monoplane of his own design and construction.
The meeting opened with a line up of the competing aircraft for photographing purposes. Mr. Windham posed himself gracefully on his machine, but he had gravely under-estimated its strenth. As the cameras clicked, there was a loud cracking noise and the Windham monoplane collapsed, depositing its proud owner on the grass. He took it away and repaired it, but at its next appearance it came gently into contact with a stationary motor car and instantly disintegrated once more. Fortunately it never got into the air.

But which of the men from the group picture of Doncaster is Wingham? No way to know because there are five in the row sitting and only four names!!!

Cheers

Kees

[aerohydro]

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

[Varese2002]

Originally Posted by aerohydro

--

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.

--l

Hi Paul. The interesting piece you produced of William Frank Howard is a provisional specification.

This is - in the words of the Patent Office -

A provisional specification is usually filed to establish priority of the invention in case the disclosed invention is only at a conceptual stage and a delay is expected in submitting full and specific description of the invention. Although, a patent application accompanied with provisional specification does not confer any legal patent rights to the applicants, it is, however, a very important document to establish the earliest ownership of an invention. The provisional specification is a permanent and independent scientific cum legal document and no amendment is allowed in this. No patent is granted on the basis of a provisional specification. It has to be a followed by a complete specification for obtaining a patent for the said invention. Complete specification must be submitted within 12 months of filing the provisional specification. This period can be extended by 3 months. It is not necessary to file an application with provisional specification before the complete specification. An application with complete specification can be filed right at the first instance.

They can describe these legal matters far better than me, but the essence is that this is not a patent, but a sort of priority to establish the first rights. Sure the invention of Howard was never followed up with the request for a patent.



Cheers

Kees

[ermeio]

Hello, Paul
and Varese 2002
The pages from Flight are very interesting, as well as the drawings from the patent database.
I'm really indebted, since usually it takes some years to gather enough infos about a plane, even from fellows modellers, but this time you were very solicit. I'm in debt with you. Thanks also for the Flight Archive and the Patent Database link: I was looking for them from a while.
Now I've no excuse to escape from modeling this arrowplane...
Thanks also to Varese 2002 for the photo: great, really!
Best regards
Giampaolo

[aerohydro]

Hello Ermeio

More developments!

Firstly, I've found the aforementioned model plans. They're for the "Windham 1909 Tandem" and are by Benno Sabel, a German aeromodeller who specialised in flying indoor scale model aircraft. They date from 1987. According to some notes written on the plans, the very first flight made by Benno's model lasted 57 seconds. Another model made by a fellow German acheived regular flight times in the region of 2 and a 1/2 minutes.

There are some inaccuracies with the plans, but that's not too surprising, as Benno only had two images of the machine to base his model on. If you'd like a copy of the plans, then please use this forum's Private Message service to send me an email containing your postal address, and I'll forward a copy of the plans onto you.

I've also been reading up about Captain Windham and the 1909 Doncaster Flying Week, and I came across a photo, different to the one in Varese2002's posting, but showing the very same group. In this new photo, Captain Windham is specifically identified as being seated, second from the left. So he's the man in the light-coloured cap, and wearing an armband.

Also, the Windham Monoplane mentioned as being at the Doncaster meet was quite a different creature to your Windham Monoplane. The Doncaster machine was a monoplane styled on the Bleriot Type XI, except his had a fuselage with a triangular cross-section, rather than a square-shaped one as on the Bleriot.

Please let us know how your model of the Windham Monoplane progresses. I'd be very interested in seeing it!

Cheers,
Paul

[ermeio]

Hi, Paul,
thank you for your kind reply and your help.
I know Benno Sabel's plans are not for meticoulous static modellers, but anywaythey are a good base: and they have the power to fly, unobtainable from static models... we must accept a trade-off.
I've found some infos about the "other" Windam monoplane here - her propeller had a one-of-a-kind axe shape, and I'm tempted to implant the very same propeller shape on my tandem wing monoplane model.
the photos are attached and an e-mail is in your mail box

Best regards

Ermeio