NO. 4 



PIONEER WIND TUNNELS RANDERS-PEHRSON 



CHARLES RENARD 



Col. Charles Renard, constructor of the famous airship La France, 

 conducted a large number of aeronautical experiments at the fitablisse- 

 ment Militaire de Chalais Meudon, of which he was the director. 

 Renard continued his experiments during a long period of years and 

 employed a variety of methods and equipment. The details were 

 secret at the time, and the information available is still meager. 



Fig. S. — Renard's tunnel, 1896. 



Some time during the latter half of the nineties a wind tunnel was 

 used. It was cylindrical, 80 centimeters in diameter and 4 meters long. 

 The wind was produced by a blower fan and said to be " violent ". 

 Fourteen meters per second is given in a published chart. There is no 

 mention of any means for straightening the wind. 



In his tunnel Renard studied the stability and critical speed of air- 

 ships.* Most of his equipment — balances, testing models, etc. — are pre- 

 served in the aeronautical museum at Chalais Meudon. 



SIR HIRAM MAXIM 



For the construction of his giant airplane, Sir Hiram Maxim realized 

 the necessity for scientific data and utilized a number of testing devices. 

 Among these was a wind tunnel which was in operation in 1896. 

 Maxim's tunnel was a wooden box 12 feet long and 3 by 3 feet inside 

 cross-section, connected with a shorter box 4 feet square. Two air- 

 screws on the same shaft, placed in the wider section and driven by a 

 loo-hp. steam engine, blew the air through the tunnel. To straighten 

 the airstream a number of wooden slats were placed in the tunnel 

 horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. The objects to be tested were 



' C. R. Acad. Sci., vol. 138, p. 146, June 6, 1904. 

 Aerophile, vol. 12, pp. 153-155, July 1904. 



IV congres internationale d'aeronautique, Nancy 1909. Proces-verbeauj 

 rapports et memoires, p. 241. 



Aeronautique, vol. 6, p. 84, illus., Paris, April 1924. 



