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The Short S.41 was a British single-engined biplane built for the Royal Naval Air Service in 1912. Capable of being operated either on wheels or floats, it was successful enough for a further two similar aircraft to be built, with the type remaining in use until the early years of the First World War. ==Development and design== In 1912, the Short S.36 tractor biplane built for Frank McClean, was loaned to the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) for use at its Naval Flying School. Impressed by the S.36, the RNAS ordered two similar tractor biplanes capable of operating on either wheels or floats, the smaller Short S.45, like the S.36, powered by a 70 hp (52 kW) Gnome Lambda, and the larger Short S.41 powered by a 14-cylinder, two row 100 hp (75 kW) Gnome double Omega rotary engine.〔Barnes 1967, pp. 79–80.〕 The S.41 was an unequal-span two bay tractor biplane with a slim rectangular section fuselage mounted between the wings.〔 It was first flown by Charles Rumney Samson on 2 April 1912 with a wheeled undercarriage, and shortly afterwards was fitted with a float undercarriage, which consisted of two main pontoons under the fuselage and smaller floats at the wingtips and tail, and delivered to the Navy.〔Barnes 1967, p.80.〕 Following the operational flights made during 1912 S.41 was returned to the factory for an overhaul and the fitting of folding wings, which were hinged so that they folded back horizontally alongside the fuselage, reducing the storage space required for stowage aboard ship. At this time it was given the RNAS number "10". In November 1913 it underwent further modifications, being used to perfect a development of the folding mechanism which allowed the wings to be unfolded from the cockpit: at the same time new wings, similar in pattern to those of the Short Admiralty Type 81 were fitted. The folding wing mechanisms for ship-borne aircraft had been designed by Horace Short, and were the subject of a series of patents〔Patents secured by Short Brothers including patents nos. 1792/13, 15727/13 and 28610/13, 5290/14, 20537/14 and 9276/15, see Barnes and James, pp. 92, 110〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Short S.41」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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