Dream of flight Flashcards
Who were the very first to fly?
Chinese! First to fly in contraptions heavier than air.
Who was Eilmer of Malmesbury? What did he do?
- English monk from the 11th century
- Attached wings to himself, believed he would fly closer to god
- got paralyzed
Who was Henri Giffard? What could his invention do?
- French Engineer
- Achieved powered flight
- Hydrogen controllable, steam engine/propeller
- Could control down, left, right motion, but not so much up
Who was Clement Ader? What did he create? Was it successful?
- French engineer
- Created an engine/propeller that kind of looked like flying bats, had a mono-wing design
- Did not fly
Did Clement Ader ever build a successful flying machine?
Yes, eventually. Succeeded in takeoff but was not controlled well.
Who was David Schwarz? What did he create? What happened to him?
- Croatian inventor
- Created dirigible airship with internal combustion engine.
- He crashed and died
What did Schwarz’s widow do when he died?
Since she had no means of supporting herself she sold her husband’s plans to a stranger (Zeppelin)
Why were Zeppelins one of the worst technologies?
- Had basically rocket fuel paint (very flammable)
- Could carry very few people
- Flew at low altitudes
What was the Wright Brothers’ profession? What did the experiment with?
- Bicycle producers
- Experimented with wind tunnels.
What were the Wright brothers the first to do?
Attain controlled flight.
What was unique about the Wright Brothers approach to flight?
Took a scientific approach.
What were planes seen as from the very start?
War machines.
What were 3 innovations the Wright Brothers attained with their planes?
- Longer narrower wings which were slightly curved, better lift
- Control system, used two sticks
- Modern propeller
Who built the combustion engine for the Wright Brothers plane?
Charles Taylor, gifted mechanic.
How long was the first powered flight? What was it called?
About 12 seconds. Flyer 1.
What happened immediately after the Wright brothers invented the airplane?
Nobody was interested and no one cared, they got discouraged. Took their airplane to France.
How did the F.III (Flyer 3) fare?
Successfully, flew for over 1 hour. Sold to US army as first war plane.
What happened to the Wright brothers’ planes by the outbreak of WWI? Why?
Their airplanes became completely obsolete. Because of countless lawsuits, had no time to improve their designs.
Where did the most advanced aircraft at the time of WWI come out of? What was it called? What were some of its details?
Russia. Sikorsky S-22.
- First large passenger aircraft
- Converted to a bomber
- 4 engines
- Capable of 110 km/h
How did commercial flight start?
With a surplus of airplanes and pilots after WWI.
Who was Henri Coanda? What did he do?
- Romanian scientist
- Made first jet plane
What makes a jet special?
Has a fan creating thrust instead of a propeller.
Who was Frank Whittle? What happened to his designs after WWII?
- Member of the British air force.
- Started his own private company selling engines
- Designs were given to Russians after WWII.
What was a flaw in Frank Whittle’s design?
Had external burners. Air wasn’t going through core of engine, it was going around.
