Temistocle
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Just find some info (and pictures) about the Buck automatic aerial torpedo, developed in 1916. It is interesting that the following year they tryed to sell the aerial torpedo to "governments" wit advertisement on magazines.
Other info taken from "History of Colorado", edited by Wilbur Fisk Stone, published by The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. (1918) Vol. II, p. 382-383
FREDERICK W. BUCK, M. D., M. E.
Dr. Frederick W. Buck is well known as a physician and is coming
prominently to the front as an inventor, being now at the head of the
Buck Aircraft & Munitions Company, in which connection he has brought
forth an aircraft that it is believed will largely revolutionize flying
and torpedo use in aviation. Dr. Buck was born in Allegan county,
Michigan, on the 13th of March, 1873, a son of David S. and H. A.
(Richmond) Buck. The mother died when he was but three years of age. He
was educated in the public schools but when a youth of fourteen years
left home and when but sixteen years of age taught in the rural schools
of his native state. He afterward went upon the road as a commercial
traveler and for three years he was engaged in government work on the
Mississippi river. While employed in these different capacities he
saved the money which enabled him to take up the study of medicine, the
profession which he felt that he wished to enter. He first graduated
from the Physio-medical College of Chicago in 1898 and then secured his
degree of M. E. from the National College of Electrotherapeutics and
afterward became a student in the Central Medical College at St.
Joseph, Missouri, in which he completed his studies in 1902. He first
located for practice at Grand Rapids, Michigan, and afterward became
connected with a private sanitarium at Aberdeen, South Dakota. In 1905
he removed to Flagler, Colorado, where he purchased a ranch and in
addition to practicing his profession he has pursued his investigations
and experiments, resulting in notable inventions. He has organized the
Buck Aircraft & Munitions Company, which was incorporated for three
million dollars on the 27th of January, 1917, for the purpose of
manufacturing and selling aircraft, aeroplanes, torpedoes and explosive
carriers and for the further purpose of maintaining an aerial
passenger, mail and express service and an aviation school. The company
are manufacturing at Pueblo, Colorado. The officers are: Dr. F. W.
Buck. president; D. D. Buck, vice president; and John G. Powell, of
Denver, secretary and treasurer. These constitute the board of
directors together with A. C. Troutman, of Palisade. Nebraska, and F.
E. Gibson, of Kokomo, Colorado. For five years Dr. Buck has been
working upon the invention and evolution of the Buck aerial torpedo,
which he has succeeded in bringing to its present state of perfection
and efficiency. This (the aerial torpedo) is one American invention
that Germany was not able to purchase. After turning down their first
two offers of one and five million dollars, in June, 1916, - ten months
before we entered the war, her agents raised the bid to ten million
dollars and received the truly American reply: "The Kaiser hasn't
money enough in his kingdom to buy it." One of the devices which he has
introduced is the stabilizer, so essential to the automatic control of
the plane, as well as the device for the automatic detachment of the
torpedo carrying the explosive. In regard to the former, Santos Dumont,
who only saw patent drawings of the torpedo and an explanation of the
stabilizer, said: "It's funny as long as I have been flying that I
never thought of your principle of stabilization. I guess it's because
it was too simple for me to see it." The editor of the Aerial Age said:
"We certainly believe you are bound to succeed," while Lee Wallace,
aeronautical engineer and designer, said: "On account of your
reduction in weight, head resistance and skin friction, you should get
from ten to twenty-five miles per hour greater speed with same motor
than other machines of the same design." The inventor of the gyroscope,
Elmer A. Sperry, expressed himself in these words: "There is no
question about being able to direct an aerial torpedo or airplane
without a pilot. The only thing you have done is to beat us to it with
your patents." All aviators and aeronautical engineers agree 'that the
aircraft set forth by Dr. Buck will reduce weight, head resistance and
skin friction, and eliminate sideslip and skidding.
In 1894, Dr. Buck was united in marriage to Mi&s Hattie Parmalee,
of Parmalee, Michigan, and to them have been born a son and a daughter,
Lawrence and Nellie. In 1912 Dr. Buck was a candidate for the
legislature and in 1914 was a candidate before the primaries for
congress and was beaten by only ninety-six votes. He has always given
his political allegiance to the republican party, of which he is a
stanch champion. Fraternally he is a Mason, an Odd Fellow and an Elk,
but more than that he is a scientist and Inventor who is prompted by
the most patriotic purposes in endeavoring to perfect and build his
aircraft, realizing how important this is at the present hour of crisis
in the nation's history.
EDIT: some other info in another pdf page taken from a 1917 magazine (added now). You can buy
the picture of this article at this page:
Buck aerial torpedo
I made a patchwork of screenshots from that page, to have a better idea of the aerial torpedo:
Other info taken from "History of Colorado", edited by Wilbur Fisk Stone, published by The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. (1918) Vol. II, p. 382-383
FREDERICK W. BUCK, M. D., M. E.
Dr. Frederick W. Buck is well known as a physician and is coming
prominently to the front as an inventor, being now at the head of the
Buck Aircraft & Munitions Company, in which connection he has brought
forth an aircraft that it is believed will largely revolutionize flying
and torpedo use in aviation. Dr. Buck was born in Allegan county,
Michigan, on the 13th of March, 1873, a son of David S. and H. A.
(Richmond) Buck. The mother died when he was but three years of age. He
was educated in the public schools but when a youth of fourteen years
left home and when but sixteen years of age taught in the rural schools
of his native state. He afterward went upon the road as a commercial
traveler and for three years he was engaged in government work on the
Mississippi river. While employed in these different capacities he
saved the money which enabled him to take up the study of medicine, the
profession which he felt that he wished to enter. He first graduated
from the Physio-medical College of Chicago in 1898 and then secured his
degree of M. E. from the National College of Electrotherapeutics and
afterward became a student in the Central Medical College at St.
Joseph, Missouri, in which he completed his studies in 1902. He first
located for practice at Grand Rapids, Michigan, and afterward became
connected with a private sanitarium at Aberdeen, South Dakota. In 1905
he removed to Flagler, Colorado, where he purchased a ranch and in
addition to practicing his profession he has pursued his investigations
and experiments, resulting in notable inventions. He has organized the
Buck Aircraft & Munitions Company, which was incorporated for three
million dollars on the 27th of January, 1917, for the purpose of
manufacturing and selling aircraft, aeroplanes, torpedoes and explosive
carriers and for the further purpose of maintaining an aerial
passenger, mail and express service and an aviation school. The company
are manufacturing at Pueblo, Colorado. The officers are: Dr. F. W.
Buck. president; D. D. Buck, vice president; and John G. Powell, of
Denver, secretary and treasurer. These constitute the board of
directors together with A. C. Troutman, of Palisade. Nebraska, and F.
E. Gibson, of Kokomo, Colorado. For five years Dr. Buck has been
working upon the invention and evolution of the Buck aerial torpedo,
which he has succeeded in bringing to its present state of perfection
and efficiency. This (the aerial torpedo) is one American invention
that Germany was not able to purchase. After turning down their first
two offers of one and five million dollars, in June, 1916, - ten months
before we entered the war, her agents raised the bid to ten million
dollars and received the truly American reply: "The Kaiser hasn't
money enough in his kingdom to buy it." One of the devices which he has
introduced is the stabilizer, so essential to the automatic control of
the plane, as well as the device for the automatic detachment of the
torpedo carrying the explosive. In regard to the former, Santos Dumont,
who only saw patent drawings of the torpedo and an explanation of the
stabilizer, said: "It's funny as long as I have been flying that I
never thought of your principle of stabilization. I guess it's because
it was too simple for me to see it." The editor of the Aerial Age said:
"We certainly believe you are bound to succeed," while Lee Wallace,
aeronautical engineer and designer, said: "On account of your
reduction in weight, head resistance and skin friction, you should get
from ten to twenty-five miles per hour greater speed with same motor
than other machines of the same design." The inventor of the gyroscope,
Elmer A. Sperry, expressed himself in these words: "There is no
question about being able to direct an aerial torpedo or airplane
without a pilot. The only thing you have done is to beat us to it with
your patents." All aviators and aeronautical engineers agree 'that the
aircraft set forth by Dr. Buck will reduce weight, head resistance and
skin friction, and eliminate sideslip and skidding.
In 1894, Dr. Buck was united in marriage to Mi&s Hattie Parmalee,
of Parmalee, Michigan, and to them have been born a son and a daughter,
Lawrence and Nellie. In 1912 Dr. Buck was a candidate for the
legislature and in 1914 was a candidate before the primaries for
congress and was beaten by only ninety-six votes. He has always given
his political allegiance to the republican party, of which he is a
stanch champion. Fraternally he is a Mason, an Odd Fellow and an Elk,
but more than that he is a scientist and Inventor who is prompted by
the most patriotic purposes in endeavoring to perfect and build his
aircraft, realizing how important this is at the present hour of crisis
in the nation's history.
EDIT: some other info in another pdf page taken from a 1917 magazine (added now). You can buy
the picture of this article at this page:Buck aerial torpedo
I made a patchwork of screenshots from that page, to have a better idea of the aerial torpedo:
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