Vintage Wings - Demoiselle 1908

*** Vintage Wings ***

Grade Eindecker - 1909

Altough in those years in Germany attention has been almost entirely directed to the development of dirigibles, Herr Grade, an engineer from Berlin, was patiently working in the development of his flying machines.
His first model was a triplane, but as a result of his experiments Grade gradually modified his designs until the successful flyer was evolved in the form of a monoplane, which in silhouette combined features of the Bleriot and Antoinette machines.
The planes were mounted on a framework built up of steel tubing and carried on three wheels. This framework was remarkably simple, consisting of the triangular front frame and the tube which formed the backbone of the aircraft.
The pilot was sitting below the main planes in a hammock seat suspended by springs from the framework, and controlling the wings warping and the tail with a hand lever, in a similar solution to that adopted by Santos Dumont on his Demoiselle.
The machine was powered by a Grade designed engine, a 24 Hp. air cooled 4 cylinder in V.
After a long period of patient experimenting with little visible result, success followed rapidly, and Herr Grade has gradually improved his records.
One of his most notable performances was the winning of the Lanz prize of L2,000 for the first German-built aeroplane to describe a figure "8" round two posts placed a kilometer apart. Grade successfully accomplished the goal on October 30th.
Although he has had one or two tumbles Herr Grade has only experienced one serious accident, and that was due to the propeller breaking when the machine was flying at a height of 30 metres.

*** All aircraft can be seen inworld in my shop ***