FLIGHT

JANUARY 8TH, 1942

WITHOUT PRIORITY
How One American Firm Built a "Plastic" Plane :
The Langley Uses Few Priority

Materials

C O U P L E of m o n t h s ago, in our issue of October

30th, 1941, t o be precise, we published photographs
a n d a brief description of t h e new American Langley monoplane. More detailed information has now become
available concerning the m e t h o d s of construction used in
building this interesting little experimental aircraft.
It
transpires t h a t there is nothing r e m a r k a b l y new in t h e proAfter "cooking." One-half of the fuselage of the Langley
cesses employed, b u t t h e y have been applied with inmonoplane is removed from the mould. Afterwards the two
genuity by t h e designer of t h e machine, Mr. Martin Jensen,
halves are joined together by a phenol resin.
and the result appears promising.
of H o n d u r a s mahogany, b e n t over moulds a n d cemented
The construction of the Langley, named after America's
together under h e a t and pressure, to form t h e main comfamous pioneer aircraft designer, Samuel P i e r p o n t Langley,
ponents of the m a c h i n e : fuselage, win centre section,
b u t not copied t o the extent of calling t h e machine an
outer wing portions, stabilising and control surfaces.- H o n " a e r o d r o m e , " is based upon the so-called Vidal process.
d u r a s mahogany was used because it would withstand t h e
Mr. Vidal, it m a y be recollected, once upon a t i m e , when
fairly high moulding pressures without crushing.
The
he occupied a Government office, h a d the laudable but
veneer was all " f l a t - c u t " m a h o g a n y , and t h e thickness
somewhat optimistic ambition of introducing t h e 1,000dollar light plane.
varied
from
; After returning to
1/64m. to i n . - ^ ? !
private life he beT h e resins emcame
interested
ployed
were
in plastics as apchiefly t h e vinyl
plied t o aircraft,
t h e r m o plastic
and his process
and
phenol
was tried experit h e r m o setting
mentally on an
resins. For the
Avro Anson in
benefit of the unCanada.
The
initiated it m a y
Langley Aviation
be explained t h a t
Corporation,
of
t h e term thermoPort
Washing
plastic is applied
ton, Long Island,
to resins which
made a very thor'' flow "
when
ough survey of all
sufficient h e a t is
existing methods
reached, set when
of using plastics
t h e h e a t is rein aircraft conduced, a n d can be
struction,
and
m a d e t o flow
:.. ..:;:" ::.... t.
came to the conagain when heat
clusion t h a t the
The Langley monoplane is a four-seater, powered by two Franklin air-cooled engines
is applied. Therof 65 h.p. each. It is of plastic-bonded plywood construction.
Vidal process was
mosetting resins,
the most promison t h e othering. I t avoided almost entirely the use of priority
h a n d , will flow a t a certain heat, b u t when they have once f
materials a n d h a d other advantages.
cooled down t h e y will not flow again on a further application of h e a t . Vinyl, a thermoplastic resin, flows a t
For the following notes on t h e building of the Langley
a b o u t 200 deg. F . Vinyl resins were used in t h e Langley
monoplane we are indebted *to our New York contemporary
for t h e main structural components, and phenols for
Aviation,
in the November, 1941, issue of which there
assembling, in place of nails or screws.
appears an article on the subject. We h a v e space t o reproduce the most outstanding points only.
D u r i n g t h e moulding process t h e veneer strips are laid
Very briefly explained, the system is to use t h i n veneers
on t h e mould, shaped if necessary for sharp curves, and
stapled t o t h e mould. T h e resin Was then applied, t h e
staples gradually removed, and a second layer laid over t h e
first. Nowhere were fewer t h a n three layers of veneer
used, a n d where stresses were h e a v y multiple layers were
applied. T h e finished component was then placed in a
rubber bag, from which the air was exhausted before placing t h e c o m p o n e n t in a n oven in which h e a t a n d ' ' liquid
p r e s s u r e " (air, steam or water) were applied. After a
period of some t h r e e hoursdepending on t h e thickness of
t h e veneerthe t e m p e r a t u r e was reduced, t h e component
cooled b y water, a n d finally removed from the mould.
T h e Langley monoplane is a four-seater powered by two
Franklin air-cooled engines of 65 h . p . each.
The tare
weight is 1,410 lb. a n d the loaded weight 2,300 lb. Maxim u m speed is 142 m . p . h . a n d t h e machine cruises a t 125
m . p . h . The range is 600 miles. A modified version fitted
with two 90 h . p . engines is now being produced.
An engine nacelle of wood construction is placed in the autoclave, where it is formed by liquid pressure and heated until
the vinyl resin flows. This happens at a temperature of about
200 deg. F.