underneath
the front seat of the car. The petrol is forced by air pressure from
the two lower tanks into the gravity tank and is obtained by a hand
pump fitted outside the car alongside the pilot's seat. The oil tank
is fitted inside the car in front of the observer.
The observer's seat is fitted abaft the engine and the pilot's seat is
aft of the observer. The observer, who is also the wireless operator,
has the wireless apparatus fitted about his seat. This consists of a
receiver and transmitter fitted inside the car, which derives power
from accumulator batteries. The aerial reel is fitted outside the car.
During patrols signals can be sent and received up to and between 50
and 60 miles.
The pilot is responsible for the steering and the running of the
engine, and the controls utilized are the fittings supplied with the
aeroplane. Steering is operated by the feet and elevating by a
vertical wheel mounted in a fore and aft direction across the seat.
The control wires are led aft inside the fairing of the fuselage to the
extreme end, whence they pass to the elevators and rudders.
The instrument board is mounted in front of the pilot. The instruments
comprise a watch, an air-speed indicator graduated in knots, an aneroid
reading to 10,000 feet, an Elliott revolution counter, a Clift
inclinometer reading up to 20 degrees depression or elevation, a map
case with celluloid front.
There are in addition an oil pressure gauge, a petrol pressure gauge, a
glass petrol level and two concentric glass pressure gauges for gas
pressure.
The steering compass is mounted on a small wooden pedestal on the floor
between the pilot's legs.
The water-ballast tank is situated immediately behind the pilot's seat
and contains 14 gallons of water weighing 140 lbs. The armament
consists of a Lewis gun and bombs. The bombs are carried in frames
suspended about the centre of the undercarriage. The bomb sight is
fitted near the bomb releasing gear outside the car on the starboard
side adjacent to the pilot's seat. The Lewis gun, although not always
carried on the early S.S. airships, was mounted on a post alongside the
pilot's seat.
S.S. MAURICE FARMAN
For this type of S.S. the cars were built by Messrs. Airships Ltd. In
general appearance they resemble the Maurice Farman aeroplane and were
of the pusher type; 60,000 and in later cases 70,000 cubic feet
envelopes were rigged to these ships, which proved to be slight
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