THE CONQUEST OF THE AIR 97 



bent portion turns to the right and lies at right angles to the rest 

 of this side of the V. Bend the other arm of the V in the same 

 direction i inch from its end so that the bent portion is parallel 

 to that of the first arm of the V. These two parallel parts 

 should now be bound tightly with coarse linen thread to the end 

 of the backbone, their long axes coincident with its long axis. 

 This end is the front end of the machine. Near the tip of this 

 V and in its midline punch a hole through both sides so that a 

 stiff wire axle that bears the propeller may run through the holes 

 parallel to the long axis of the backbone. 



For the skids, cut two thin strips of bamboo f inch wide and 

 6 inches long, and one 4! inches long. Bind these together with 

 the linen thread in the form of a triangle, letting their ends over- 

 lap J inch. Bind this to the backbone i inch back of the tin 

 propeller bearing, the juncture of the two long sides above the 

 backbone and on the opposite side from the point of the tin strip. 

 Let the plane of the triangle be at right angles to the backbone. 

 Cut two more such thin strips 5 inches long and bind one end of 

 one to the midpoint of one of the long sides of the triangle, the 

 other end to the backbone about z\ inches back of the point to 

 which the apex of the triangle is affixed. The other strip will be 

 bound to brace the other side of the triangle in a similar way. 



Cut two more thin strips 5 inches long. Set one on each side 

 of the backbone i inch from its rear end at right angles to the 

 backbone and perpendicular to the base of the forward triangle. 

 Bind them on tightly at their midpoints. Fasten a brace of 

 bamboo from the upper end of this pair of strips to the backbone 

 about 3 inches in front of the point where the pair of 5-inch strips 

 is bound to it. 



Cut three strips of bamboo 3 inches long and so thin that each 

 can be bent into a U over the end of the finger without breaking. 

 Bind one of these by its ends to the lower end of each side of the 

 bamboo triangle and one to the lower end of this last support 

 near the rear, the plane of each U parallel to the longitudinal 

 axis of the backbone. These three loops form skids on which 



