Tom Swift's Combined Aeroplane-Dirigible Balloons

To the modern reader used to visualizing the frail pioneering aircraft of the Wright brothers, Glenn Curtiss, and others, the Red Cloud seems utterly fantastic -- the stuff of science fiction. However, as was often the case, the descriptions were not pure fantasy but rather extensions of concepts and inventions described in magazines and newspapers.

Tom Swift had several aircraft in the Red Cloud class. His second one was the Black Hawk which he took to Africa when he hunted elephants with his electric rifle. This new airship was smaller and more maneuverable than its predecessor since the adventurers might want to land in a small clearing. It had a smaller gas bag which required a "more powerful gas" with greater lifting ability than that used in the Red Cloud.

"Victor Appleton" seems to have forgotten the propeller arrangement of the Red Cloud by the time he wrote this volume. Here is his full description of the Black Hawk and how it differed from the Red Cloud:

As we have described in detail, in the former books of this series, the construction of Tom Swift's airship, the Red Cloud, and as the Black Hawk was made in a similar manner to that, we will devote but brief space to it now. As the story proceeds, and the need arises for a description of certain features, we will give them to you, so that you will have a clear idea of what a wonderful craft it was.

Sufficient to say that there was a gas bag, made of a light but strong material, and capable of holding enough vapor, of a new and secret composition, to lift the airship with its load. This was the dirigible-balloon feature of the craft, and with the two powerful propellers, fore and aft (in which particular the Black Hawk differed from the Red Cloud which had two forward propellers);--with these two powerful wooden screws, as we have said, the new ship could travel swiftly without depending on the wing planes.

But as there is always a possibility of the gas bag being punctured, or the vapor suddenly escaping from one cause or another, Tom did not depend on this alone to keep his craft afloat. It was a perfect aeroplane, and with the gas bag entirely empty could be sent scudding along at any height desired. To enable it to rise by means of the wings, however, it was necessary to start it in motion along the ground, and for this purpose wheels were provided.

There was a large body or car to the craft, suspended from beneath the gas bag, and in this car were the cabins, the living, sleeping and eating apartments, the storerooms and the engine compartment.

This last was a marvel of skill, for it contained besides the gas machine, and the motor for working the propellers, dynamos, gages, and instruments for telling the speed and height, motors for doing various pieces of work, levers, wheels, cogs, gears, tanks for storing the lifting gas, and other features of interest.

There were several staterooms for the use of the young captain and the passengers, an observation and steering tower, a living-room, where they could all assemble as the ship was sailing through the air, and a completely equipped kitchen.

This last was Mr. Damon's special pride, as he was a sort of cook, and he liked nothing better than to get up a meal when the craft was two or three miles high, and scudding along at seventy-five miles an hour.

In addition there were to be taken along many scientific instruments, weapons of defense and offense, in addition to the electric rifle, and various other objects which will be spoken of in due time.

The airship used in Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera (1912) was called the Flyer. No mention is made of the Black Hawk and Tom says that this airship is in need of an overhaul, suggesting that it has been used on at least one adventure. In this story Tom and his friends travel around the world in the Flyer to take exciting motion pictures with his new electric movie camera. Mr. Appleton does indicate that it is of the combined design:

The craft was a sort of combined dirigible balloon, and aeroplane, and could be used as either. There was a machine on board for generating gas, to use in the balloon part of it, and the ship, which was named the Flyer, could carry several persons.

Tom had several aircraft in the Red Cloud class but the details are less specific in later volumes and after a certain point in the series he quietly abandons this design and focuses on more conventional aircraft.

The Red Cloud

The third volume in the Tom Swift series describes the first of several aircraft owned and flown by the young inventor. The Red Cloud was a large and versatile craft and was featured in several of the early adventures until it was destroyed in the caves of ice.

The initial plans for the Red Cloud came from John Sharp, the balloonist whom Tom had saved as his burning balloon descended over Lake Carlopa, near Shopton, New York. Mr. Sharp shared these plans with Tom and his father Barton Swift.

When the story begins, construction of the Red Cloud is well underway and Tom and Mr. Sharp are testing the "secret gas, made partly of hydrogen, being very light and powerful," in a small aluminum container. After a few explosions which rouse the attention of the neighbors, a suggestion by Barton allows them to fill their test tank.

The Red Cloud was described as a combination aeroplane and dirigible balloon. It had a large red gas container with a "cigar shape" made from aluminum constructed in several compartments. The secret gas could be generated from chemicals and fed into the container. With enough of this gas, the Red Cloud was buoyant enough to float in mid-air while stationary.

As "Victor Appleton" described: "Two sets of planes, one above the other, were used, bringing the airship into the biplane class." With these, the airship could be rolled along the ground for a more conventional, heavier-than-air takeoff, if a sufficient runway was available.

Two eight foot diameter propellers, one in the front and one in the rear, were driven by a powerful 20-cylinder gasoline engine which was designed by Barton. Each cylinder was cast separately and spares were taken in case a replacement was required on a long trip as illustrated in the story. The propellers were "built up" from several layers of wood for added strength and they rotated at a rate of 1500 RPM. After the incident at the Rocksmond Seminary, Tom and Mr. Sharp decided to keep a spare propeller onboard as well.

Perhaps more innovative than the combined aeroplane and dirigible aspect of the Red Cloud was its large and comfortable passenger cabin. "It was a complete living room, with the engine and other apparatus, including that for generating the gas, in a separate compartment." It also had sleeping arrangements for up to five people along with a small kitchen with an electric stove for cooking and heating the cabin. The "living room" part of the cabin had "several easy chairs where the travelers could rest in comfort while skimming along high in the air, as fast as the fastest railroad train." It also had a window in the floor for observing the ground.

The cockpit was in the bow of the craft, near the front propeller as Tom's eccentric friend, Mr. Wakefield Damon, learned when it caught his scarf. There were controls to control the steering and elevation planes. To maintain the motor, Tom or Mr. Sharp would have to leave the cockpit and go to the rear of the airship. A hook and winch was also available for bringing up supplies.

Tom, Mr. Sharp, and Mr. Damon took the Red Cloud on a long trip. The plan was to fly from Shopton, New York, to Atlanta, Georgia. However, Appleton is not specific about exactly how far south they flew before they returned home to clear their names in a bank robbery charge.

The Red Cloud appeared in the fourth volume of the series, Tom Swift and His Submarine Boat (1910) to ferry equipment between Shopton and the Atlantic seacoast town where the submarine Advance was built and launched. Although it would have been helpful to save the Shopton Bank in the next volume but Tom used his electric runabout instead.

Although its construction is not described in the stories, Tom's second aircraft is a monoplane he calls the Butterfly. He uses it to fly to Philadelphia in volume 6 since the Red Cloud was too large for him to easily manage alone and there was no through train from Shopton to that city.

The Red Cloud is used in volumes seven and eight when Tom tries to learn the secret of the diamond makers hidden in the Rocky Mountains and searches for gold among the caves of ice. The collapse of one of these caves destroys the Red Cloud.

Tom built several other aircraft, including ones similar to the Red Cloud with improvements based on what he learned.