Burgess projects.

[blackkite]

Hi! Burgess HT-1A/B and HT-2 speed scout.
IT's very hard to identify HT-1A/B and HT-2 speed scout pictures.
https://www.massairspace.org/virtualexhibit/vex2/BE067F66-7663-4614-B1B2-126525949253.htm

https://picclick.co.uk/1920s-Burgess-Model-HT-1-Speed-Scout-Observation-Photo-401769136871.html
http://www.aviastar.org/air/usa/burgess_ht-2.php

 

[blackkite]

Hi! HT-2 three side view drawing.

 

[blackkite]

I think these aircraft had transparent windshield.

 

[blackkite]

Hi! Burgess Gordon Bennett Racer.
https://www.massairspace.org/virtualexhibit/vex2/9E74BD75-2BB8-44F7-B65E-390621427660.htm
"The Burgess Company and Curtis Gordon Bennett Racer was a single place monoplane racer built for The Cup Defenders Syndicate, Chicago, Illinois for its defense of the American title to the Gordon Bennet Cup Race. With the race scheduled for September 9, 1912 and a lack of potential contenders from the United States, Norman Prince asked his friend, W. Starling Burgess to consider submitting a design to Charles Dickenson, the Chairman of the Chicago group that was hosting the air race and encouraging American participation.

The discussion on Burgess design–build project for the Bennett Cup Racer was initiated in Early June 1912 and the order with Burgess placed in early July. The company agreed to design and build in six weeks' time a monoplane racer which would use the Syndicates engine which was ordered from France. The Gordon Bennett Racer was delivered on schedule on August 24, 1912 to Clearing, Illinois, the site of the Gordon Bennett World's Championship Aeroplane Race.

The Racer was powered by an $8,500 Gnome 14 cyl 160 hp engine. It had an 8'2.5" Integrale propeller, a span of 29'3", wing area 128 sq ft, wing loading 8.9 lbs, length 24'3", and chord 5'. Its weight empty was 755 lbs with a gross weight of 1,135 lbs. It had a fabric covering of #10 Goodyear. The price for the monoplane was $17,500. Its structural analysis stress had a safety factor of 5, tested at MIT.

The aircraft was not test flown by the Burgess Company. Flight testing was to take place at the airfield at Clearing, Illinois. From the time it arrived, there was both good comments and criticism on the Racer's design and appearance. Aviator after aviator declined to fly the Racer yet others who were interested were not asked. Some aviators suggested they would fly it if, in Glenn Martin's case, he wanted the wings reduced in size and the Wright type control system replaced.

The Burgess Company with the Syndicate's approval constructed the new wing panels and made other recommended changes but it still wasn't flown. In the end, the aviators from France dominated the Race and the Cup went back to France along with the Syndicate's 160 hp Gnome engine.

The Gordon–Bennett Racer was never flown and was subsequently stored in an open junk yard in Chicago and then moved to an inside storage location somewhere in that area. As reported in correspondence circa 1980. What remains in storage includes the single fuselage and multiple sets of wing panels, rudders, control surfaces and other hardware, wires and metal parts which the Burgess Company brought to the race site or shipped later as changes were requested in the original design."

http://www.volaticum.com/american-magazine-of-aeronautics-volume-11-03-september-1912.htm

https://chicagology.com/transportation/1912gordonbennett/

 

[blackkite]

Hi! Burgess model K.
https://www.massairspace.org/virtualexhibit/vex2/F749A28C-3221-44DE-A385-336644320438.htm
"The Burgess Company and Curtis Model K was a two place tandem, pusher type flying boat built for the U.S. Navy, designed by Burgess and designated as U.S.N D–1.
The order was placed in February/March 1913 and there was one built.
Its first flight was April 14, 1913 piloted by W. Starling Burgess. Frank Coffyn started pre–delivery flight and water tests at Marblehead on April 16, 1913.
It was delivered on May 17, 1913.

The Model K was powered by a Renault 8 cly 70 hp air cooled engine with a fan blower, a maximum speed of 62 mph and had a Chauviere 9'6" propeller.
Burgess serial # K–36 was displayed on the hull. It had a span of 43' upper wing & 36' lower wing, a length of 30'9", hull length 29"6", chord 5'6", gap 5"10" and height of 8"10".

Installed equipment specified in the contract included a compass, altimeter, inclinometer, airspeed indicator, chart boards and Wright controls for the entire upper wing panels that could easily be warped with the aviator's levers.

The Model K was accepted by the U.S. Navy on May 17, 1913 and designated U.S.N. D–1. It was re–designated AB–6 in December 1914, long after it was destroyed in February 1914. Initial use was to test various control systems being reviewed by the Navy Department, including Deperdussin, Nieuport and variations of both types. It crashed at Pensacola on February 16, 1914 and the pilot, Ltjg. James M. Murray drowned after stalling this aircraft while maneuvering at 200'. Murray had been assigned to special duty at the Burgess Company in January 1913 and had flown with Coffyn at Marblehead on the acceptance flights of the Model K, D–1 in May."

 

[riggerrob]

Fascinating engine mount on that Burgess Gordon Bennett racing monoplane.

Finally we understand the odd engine cowling on Sopwith Tabloid.
Next we wonder why most other rotary engines lacked front bearings.

 

[blackkite]

Hi! Burgess model I.
https://www.massairspace.org/virtualexhibit/vex2/1F65C006-0846-475A-BC6B-417149855051.htm
"The Burgess Company and Curtis Model I was a pusher biplane flying boat designated and built for Robert Collier. It was also reported in the aviation press as Model M.
It was ordered in the spring of 1913. There was one built and delivered in July 1913. Its first flight was on July 19, 1913 by Frank Coffyn. Coffyn was subsequently hired by Collier as his personal pilot.

It was somewhat smaller than the Model K Flying Boat. It had wing struts staggered as in the Model K and the fuselage was custom fitted for the large Anzani radial engine.
The Model L had a price of $10,000. This two place tandem aircraft was powered by a 20 cyl, 220 hp radial engine weighing 968 lbs, with a Burgess four bladed 8'4' propeller.
The engine was supplied by Collier and had a maximum speed of 75 mph. The upper span was 41'4", lower was 33'4", the wing area was 373 sq ft, length 28'/30'6" overall, chord 5'6", gap 6'8.5" and had a gross weight of 2,050 lbs."
List source : wikipedia

 

[Cy-27]

Burgess BP Primary Trainer (1917)

On 1st November 1916, the U.S. Army placed an order for a half dozen basic primary trainers from Burgess at a cost of $8,000 each. The first example flew for the first time in February 1917.

The biplane had side-by-side searing with two control wheels working on a yoke. The aeroplane gave the initial impression of having a tricycle undercarriage, but the BP also had a tail skid. The rear two main wheels were fitted with shock absorbers, the nose wheel being rigid. The front wheels served as a nose-over prevention device.

Ailerons were fitted to the upper wings only. A distinctive feature of the type was that the struts were slanted. After initial flight tests of the first example by pilots Webster and Doherty, the machine was found to be so tail heavy that it necessitated the removal of the upper wing and realignment of the struts. Lateral and longitudinal balance was found to be good as was the glide characteristics.

The first two aircraft were delivered to the U.S. Army in May 1917, the next two in June with the final two examples in September and October 1917. The service allocated serials 271-276 to the deliveries. The officer commanding the unit discounted the type in a scathing report and the type was soon relegated to the ground school as a maintenance training aid for ground crew.

Details:

Engine: 1x Curtiss OX-2 (90 hp)
Length: 24 ft 7 in
Upper Wing Span: 41 ft 6 in
Lower Wing Span: 34 ft 0 in
Wing Chord: 6 ft 6 in
Speed: 63 mph
Time to Height of 1,900 ft : 10 minutes
Airscrew Diameter: 7 ft 9 in
Crew: 2

Attached is a photo of the first example in February 1917 at Saugus, MA. along with a 3-view of the type.

Source:

WWI Aero #140 (May 1993) article by Bartlett Gould

Aerial Age Weekly (30 April 1917)

 

[steelpillow]

From The Aeroplane, 16 April 1919

A True Aerial Target..

The Americans claim another innovation to their credit — namely, a large-scale aeroplane which will fly by itself and can therefore be used as an aerial target.

For a considerable time the Burgess Company has manufactured aeroplanes on the principle evolved by the British aeronautical pioneer, Mr. J. W. Dunne. The Dunne machines were notable for the arrow arrangement of the wings and the absence of a true tail — within the scope of the usual meaning of the term. The machines were, however, eminently stable and could fly indefinitely without assistance from the pilot.

The new target machine produced by the Burgess-Dunne Company is built on this principle, the following being the over-all dimensions: — Span 18 ft. 5 ins., length 9 ft., over-all height 4 ft. 8 ins., and chord of wings 28 ins. The machine weighs 175 lbs., including a 12 h.p. four-cylinder motor-cycle engine, which has been adapted to meet the special requirements. The engine drives a 42 ins. airscrew, which gives the machine a speed of from 40 to 50 miles an hour. It is said that it is capable of carrying the weight of a man.

The apparatus is fitted with a single central float and two wing-tip balancing floats, so that it is started off the water.

Pupils flying ordinary aeroplanes pursue the machine and endeavour to score knock-out hits with machine-guns, a very difficult feat,; because the only really vulnerable part of the machine is the diminutive engine and petrol tank. Superficial damage done to planes and structural members is very quickly repaired.

Presumably, also, the machine would form a useful target for practice with anti-aircraft guns from the ground.

 

[Cy-27]

Burgess Model U (1916)

The Burgess Model U was a two seat seaplane and a single example was built in 1916. It had a balanced rudder and had ailerons fitted to the upper wing. The type was originally designed and built for the U.S. Navy in 1916 but ended up being delivered to the Aero Club of New England. Later on 8th November 1916 it was donated to the Massachusetts Naval Militia along with a Burgess-Dunne 17. By April 1917, both types disappeared from the Militia inventory. Later on, the Model U design was improved and appeared as the Model U-2.

Details:

Engine: 1x Curtiss OXX-2 - 8-cylinder (100 hp)

Wing Span: 46 ft 9 in

Length: 30 ft 6 in

Height: 11 ft 2 in

Wing Chord: 6 ft 3 in

Empty Weight: 1,798 lb

Payload: 640 lb

Maximum Speed: 70 mph

Stall Speed: 40 mph

Endurance: 4 hours

Fuel Capacity: 30 gallons

Rate of Climb: 210 ft per min

Main Float Length: 19 ft 0 in

Main Float Width: 2 ft 4 in

Main Float Depth: 1 ft 10 in

Wing Float Length: 6 ft 6 in

Wing Float Width: 1 ft 2 in

Airscrew Diameter: 6 ft 5 in

Crew: 2

Source:

WWI Aero #139 (Feb 1993)
Aeronautics 17 January 1917