Nautical Research Journal
well versed in the life of Alberto Santos-Dumont as well as in the actual mechanics of Santo-Dumont’s machines. I am indebted to his kindness in sharing copies of unpublished original pictures of the No. 18 Hydroplane. T is was particularly important when it came time to model the engine on the boat. I also learned a great deal about Santos-Dumont through de Barros’ book: Santos-Dumont E A Invencoo Do Voo even though it is written in Portuguese.
Professor de Barros’ book about Santos-Dumont is the only one I have come across that correctly portrays and talks about the No. 18 machine. Unfortunately, the two well-regarded books written in English, Wings of Madness by Paul Hoff man and Master of the Balloon by Nancy Winters, mistakenly portray the boat as an airplane that could rise from the water. However, the books are still worth reading as they do give insight into Santos-Dumont as a person.
T e books authored by Alberto Santos-Dumont: My Airships (1904) and O Que Eu Vi, O Que Nós Veremos (1908), do not touch on the hydroplane project. Nevertheless, they helped me understand his design process. I now view Santos-Dumont as an exceptional inventor with substantial engineering talent. His designs effi ciently blend simplicity with functionality. It is also clear that he would work in an iterative nature—one project oſt en being a natural extension of a previous project. T is can be seen in design and by noticing that parts of one project were oſt en seen on an ensuing project. For example, the radiators on the No. 18 Hydroplane seem to be the same ones used fi rst on the No. 15 airplane.
During the time that the hydroplane was being
constructed several articles were published that provided a dimensional starting point for a reconstruction. Two articles published in Scientifi c American and one in the Aeronautical Journal indicate that the craſt was 10 meters long, had a width of 6 meters and a propeller diameter of 2.1 meters. We also learn that the ‘apparatus consists of
three cigar-shaped reservoirs fi lled with compressed air’. A 100-horsepower V16 Antoinette engine is the likely power source; however, it also could have been rated at 120 horsepower. Either way, the dimensions of the engine would be similar.
Contemporary photographs of the hydroplane
during and aſt er construction were most helpful in understanding the design aspects. It was additionally useful to know that Alberto Santos-Dumont stood fi ve feet tall. One of the most useful pictures for creating plans for the model shows Santos-Dumont standing next to the uncovered main pontoon. (Figure 3).
Based on the dimensions quoted above and
photographic evidence, I made the conjectures that the main pontoon had maximum diameter of 75 centimeters at the fourth or fi ſt h cross-section hoop; that hoops were made from material 1 centimeter thick and 3 to 4 centimeters wide; the hoops were spaced about two feet apart, that is approximately 0.61 meters apart; and the longitudinal framing was made from material dimensioned approximately 4 to 5 centimeters by 2.5 to 3 centimeters.
I chose to build my model to the scale of 1:16. T e choice was dictated by my desire to use two of the Model Airway 14-bis Antoinette engine kits as a basis for the V16 engine needed for the model. T us, based on published articles and historical photographs I commenced the draſt ing process. Soon a working drawing was developed so that the modeling process could begin. (Figure 4).
Building the Pontoon and Nacelles
Castello boxwood was chosen to be the wood species used in this model. Fabricating the transverse circular hoops would be my fi rst task. T ey would be laminated using three layers of 0.35-millimeter wood. T e thickness sander got a good workout thinning the material. Formers were turned on a lathe to the inside
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