Dream of flight

Question 1

Who were the very first to fly?

Answer 1

Chinese! First to fly in contraptions heavier than air.

Question 2

Who was Eilmer of Malmesbury? What did he do?

Answer 2

• English monk from the 11th century
• Attached wings to himself, believed he would fly closer to god
• got paralyzed

Question 3

Who was Henri Giffard? What could his invention do?

Answer 3

• French Engineer
• Achieved powered flight
• Hydrogen controllable, steam engine/propeller
• Could control down, left, right motion, but not so much up

Question 4

Who was Clement Ader? What did he create? Was it successful?

Answer 4

• French engineer
• Created an engine/propeller that kind of looked like flying bats, had a mono-wing design
• Did not fly

Question 5

Did Clement Ader ever build a successful flying machine?

Answer 5

Yes, eventually. Succeeded in takeoff but was not controlled well.

Question 6

Who was David Schwarz? What did he create? What happened to him?

Answer 6

• Croatian inventor
• Created dirigible airship with internal combustion engine.
• He crashed and died

Question 7

What did Schwarz’s widow do when he died?

Answer 7

Since she had no means of supporting herself she sold her husband’s plans to a stranger (Zeppelin)

Question 8

Why were Zeppelins one of the worst technologies?

Answer 8

• Had basically rocket fuel paint (very flammable)
• Could carry very few people
• Flew at low altitudes

Question 9

What was the Wright Brothers’ profession? What did the experiment with?

Answer 9

• Bicycle producers

- Experimented with wind tunnels.

Question 10

What were the Wright brothers the first to do?

Answer 10

Attain controlled flight.

Question 11

What was unique about the Wright Brothers approach to flight?

Answer 11

Took a scientific approach.

Question 12

What were planes seen as from the very start?

Answer 12

War machines.

Question 13

What were 3 innovations the Wright Brothers attained with their planes?

Answer 13

1. Longer narrower wings which were slightly curved, better lift
2. Control system, used two sticks
3. Modern propeller

Question 14

Who built the combustion engine for the Wright Brothers plane?

Answer 14

Charles Taylor, gifted mechanic.

Question 15

How long was the first powered flight? What was it called?

Answer 15

About 12 seconds. Flyer 1.

Question 16

What happened immediately after the Wright brothers invented the airplane?

Answer 16

Nobody was interested and no one cared, they got discouraged. Took their airplane to France.

Question 17

How did the F.III (Flyer 3) fare?

Answer 17

Successfully, flew for over 1 hour. Sold to US army as first war plane.

Question 18

What happened to the Wright brothers’ planes by the outbreak of WWI? Why?

Answer 18

Their airplanes became completely obsolete. Because of countless lawsuits, had no time to improve their designs.

Question 19

Where did the most advanced aircraft at the time of WWI come out of? What was it called? What were some of its details?

Answer 19

Russia. Sikorsky S-22.

• First large passenger aircraft
• Converted to a bomber
• 4 engines
• Capable of 110 km/h

Question 20

How did commercial flight start?

Answer 20

With a surplus of airplanes and pilots after WWI.

Question 21

Who was Henri Coanda? What did he do?

Answer 21

• Romanian scientist

- Made first jet plane

Question 22

What makes a jet special?

Answer 22

Has a fan creating thrust instead of a propeller.

Question 23

Who was Frank Whittle? What happened to his designs after WWII?

Answer 23

• Member of the British air force.
• Started his own private company selling engines
• Designs were given to Russians after WWII.

Question 24

What was a flaw in Frank Whittle’s design?

Answer 24

Had external burners. Air wasn’t going through core of engine, it was going around.

Question 25

Who was Hans von Ohain? What did he do?

Answer 25

• German physicist
• Created HeS3 in 1935
• Would become model for all jet engines

Question 26

What was the world’s first successful jet aircraft? Who made it?

Answer 26

The Heinkel He 178. Hans von Ohain.

Question 27

What was the first jet fighter? What was significant about this?

Answer 27

German Me 262. Flew 100mi/hr faster than any allied aircraft.

Question 28

Who were the first to experience speed of sound in flight?

Answer 28

Germans.

Question 29

What is transonic speed?

Answer 29

Nose is supersonic, tail is subsonic, creates a shock wave.

Supersonic and subsonic airflows act together.

Question 30

What is the coke bottle principle?

Answer 30

Engine needs to be in the shape of a coke bottle, it would guide air in such a wave that it eliminates shockwave effect.

Question 31

What was the arrow Cf-105? Why was it built?

Answer 31

• A Canadian aircraft

- Government wanted airplane that could intercept Russian bombers in arctic.

Question 32

What was a first about the arrow CF-105?

Answer 32

First aircraft powered by onboard computer. Would lock rocket onto its target.

Question 33

Why was the Arrow cancelled and destroyed? At what stage of its production did this happen?

Answer 33

Final trials done, it was finished. Right at this moment government cancelled and said they should be building boats and home appliances.

Similar to Harrison and his clocks.

Question 34

What was the SR-71 Blackbird? Who designed it? What was it built out of?

Answer 34

• The world’s fastest of all conventional airplanes to this day
• Kelly Johnson
• Titanium

Question 35

How many rockets were aimed at blackbird and missed?

Answer 35

over 4100.

Question 36

What is the limitation of the high speed aircraft?

Answer 36

• Human limitation. Humans can’t withstand the G forces of some of these super fast planes.