Here is what makes the whole thing work ... and is critical to a flyable design.

In fact, on the first test flights of the original design it was decided to change the plane from a wheels version to a pontoon design since the wings produced such a sensitivity to the wind direction.

It was designed like an arrow head and wanted to orientate itself directly into the wind on landings. Any slight crosswind on a runway could spell trouble. Landing on water eliminated the crosswind problem.

Here we see one of the wings before it is attached to the fuselage. It has a special tight woven cotton fabric stretched over the wing skeleton. It was then treated with a nitrate solution to make it into a hard airfoil surface and give it durability against the elements.




     # Sept 2000 Display 14