38 
FOREST AND STREAM 
January, 1918 
BUILDING A SPEEDY AERO-POWER SLED 
THE NEWEST MODEL OF SPORTSMAN’S FLYER FOR USE ON ICE OR SNOW FIELDS, 
CAN BE CONSTRUCTED AT HOME ACCORDING TO DRAWINGS AND SPECIFICATIONS 
Drawn for FOREST AND STREAM by P. P. AVERY, M. E. 
F ROM early boyhood all American 
men with red blood in their veins 
have loved winter’s most exhilarating 
sport, ice-boating. There is something in 
the exciting rush over the glassy frozen 
surface of lake or pond that stirs the blood 
and fires the imagination. There have 
been many types of ice-boats designed, 
with the wind as motive power, which com¬ 
pare favorably in spread of sail and ele¬ 
gance of execution with the finest yachts 
afloat. But unless a steady wind was blow¬ 
ing the sport was not to be enjoyed. 
The aero-power sled which I am here 
illustrating has all the virtues of the wind- 
propelled ice-boat, and, I think, none of its 
faults. It does not depend on the fickle¬ 
ness of the air for its safe return from 
miles afield; it can be sailed as speedily in 
one direction as another; there is none of 
the inconvenience of dodging booms on 
various and frequent tacks; and one can 
sit comfortably while whizzing at a speed 
which is limited by little but the nerve of 
the driver. These considerations all ap¬ 
peal to the outdoor men or women who 
do not despise comfort in their sports. 
T O construct a sportsman’s flyer which 
should appeal to any man of out¬ 
door habits living near a fresh water 
river, steam, or lake, the following parts 
are necessary: I—Second hand 22.5 to 25- 
30 Horse Power automobile engine, com¬ 
plete power unit, including mot.or, fly¬ 
wheel, supporting brackets, carburetor, 
magneto, inlet pipe and manifold, and ex¬ 
haust manifold and pipe, radiator, cooling 
fan, and starting crank (all to be set upon 
frame as shown), X aeroplane propellor, 
5 ft. dia. and necessary flange, bolted to 
crank shaft of motor or directly to fly¬ 
wheel. This may be purchased from any 
aero supply company or obtained sec¬ 
ond hand by advertising in newspapers 
for one. The balance of material required 
is lumber, small fittings, and iron runners 
for the sleds. 
Purchase several 12 foot lengths of 4" 
x 4" yellow pine and construct the main 
frame as shown, 12 feet long and 3'-3" 
wide with “halved” joints reinforced 
FS&/VT5L. 'Enc V« bw. 
with Y" iron corner brackets securely 
screwed into place with 2" screws. Cover 
the frame with 1" x 5" yellow pine or 
North Carolina pine, tongue and grooved 
and blind nailed to join each board in a 
workmanlike manner. Extend the floor 
from front to engine frame. Cross brace 
the engine frame with 2" x 4" yellow pine 
or spruce timbers halved at joints, and 
securely screwed into place. Reinforce 
all joints with J /%" x 1" band iron strips 
screwed tight to the two members. 
Build the seat as shown of lYs" mate¬ 
rial, pine or chestnut, screwed together 
and hinged lid on top so a storage com¬ 
partment is made. Cover the inside of 
seat with a good imitation leather with 
hair or cotton or cotton waste under 
same to make a comfortable upholstered 
seat. Tack down with Y\' copper tacks 
spaced every 3" square. Have filling of 
a thickness of I loose and when tacked 
down it makes a Y" padding very nicely. 
B UILD the front shield of ordinary gal¬ 
vanized sheet iron of size as shown, 
riveted together at seams with Y&" x 
Y" X Y" angle iron and Ya" rivets. Riv¬ 
ets are to be malleable iron, as copper 
is too soft. Construct the sleds of 1%." 
yellow pine of size as shown sawed to 
curve shown by a compass or “keyhole” 
saw and fitted with iron runners made V 
shape and screwed fast with counter¬ 
sunk screws. The front sled is attached 
to the frame or “chassis” by a “king 
bolt” and bearing plates (2). Its axis is 
the steering rod and its handle for steer¬ 
ing is as shown. Cut a ring around the 
plates with a cape chisel about 4" diam¬ 
eter which groove retains grease enough 
to keep it properly lubricated for the 
work it must do. This steering rod is 
made of I'Jq" galvanized iron water pipe 
and handle is of wrapped tire tape or wood 
bored out to tight fit and shellaced to 
the steering rod. 
The rear sled is fastened to the chassis 
by a pair of swivel hinges and chaiqs 
at their front end, so that in case of 
meeting a large obstruction of uneven 
ice, the rear sled will assume a natural 
course and maintain a true course of 
travel up and down; in operation it is 
very similar to the spring action of an 
automobile. The front sled is made nar¬ 
rower than the rear one as it has the 
duty of steering as well as support. 
The steering gear is of the “tiller” type 
because this is more positive and less 
complicated than the steering wheel, and 
its control is almost instantaneous with 
the handle action. The brake is made of 
a pair of YY' x I'Yt," band iron hooks or 
forks, which are fastened to the main frame 
with Y" bolts 6" long and plain washers 
on each side, well lubricated with heavy 
grease, the pair operating from a cross 
axle fastened to the lever (J4" x 2" band 
iron) by steel cable wire about Ya" diam¬ 
eter. A ratchet lock may be provided 
to hold brake lever in its position, or 
&a5oun e nuue k. cap 
