Lecture 13: Dream of Flight Flashcards
Who was the first to fly?
Ancient Chinese, where Yuan Huangtou is the first to survive (c. 550 AD)
Who is Yuan Huangtou?
He is the son of an overthrown emperor, who survived the first flight
What did the Chinese built during that time?
Kites and gliders
What is the problem with the sources of China?
It was destroyed when the communist party took over
Who is Henri Giffard (1825–1882)?
He was a French inventor that built the first workable airship in 1852
What is unique about the airships?
It was the first powered/controlled flight that can travel over 20 km with passengers
Who is Clement Ader (1841–1926)?
A French inventor, scientist, entrepreneur, and engineer that built the monoplane in 1890
What is unique about the monoplanes?
It was the first contraption to use engines and propellers for flight and bear resemblance to modern aircraft
What is the report from the Academy of Sciences?
The monoplane was able to take off on its own engine power but would be airborne for a few seconds.
Who is David Schwarz (1852 - 1897)?
He is a forgotten Croatian inventor, who built modern airships
What is unique about the modern airships?
It was the first to be constructed out of metal with the internal combustion engine/gasoline of Daimler
What is the purpose of the modern airship?
It was to serve the military
What happens to David Schwarz and his wife?
He died from the airship injuries and his wife was left in charge of his unpaid bills, airship parts, patents, blueprints, and designs.
Who was the first to visit David Schwarz’s wife?
Count Ferdinand Adolf August Heinrich Graf von Zeppelin
Who is Zeppelin (historical figure) (1838–1917)?
He was a visionary with a great sense of humour that foreseen the zeppelin (airships) crossing the Atlantic Ocean
What is the flaw of the Zeppelin (airship)
- It was technological in nature due to the size of the airship being the size of Titanic
- Powered by hydrogen and painted silver that contained powdered aluminum plus cellulose nitrate
What does the Zeppelin (airship) represent in relationship with technology?
It was one of the worst technologies due to several casualties but accepted by external factors
Who would hire Zeppelin (historical figure) to build more Zeppelins (airships)?
The Germans
What did the Germans do with the Zeppelin (airship)
They would use it for the military and political campaign for Adolf Hitler
How many Zeppelins (airships) were created?
LZ 1 to LZ 129
What does cellulose nitrate plus powdered aluminum create?
Rocket fuel
What did the Zeppelin (aircraft) prove to investors and inventors?
The future of aviation was in contraptions heavier than air, which is airplanes
Who is Wilbur Wright (1867–1912) and Orville Wright (1871–1948)?
They are known as the “Wright brothers” as they did not invent airplanes but put all the parts together. They were also bicycle producers
What parts did they use to create airplane?
- Gliders
- Internal Combustion
- Propellers
- Wind Tunnels
- Everything else that was invented before them
What approach did the Wright brothers use for flight?
They used the scientific approach such as experimentation
What 3 innovations did the Wright brothers develope?
- Longer, narrower, and slightly curved wings to allow better lift
- Control system
- Modern propellers
Who did the Wright Brothers hired?
Charles Taylor, who was a professional engineer that help build their engine
What did the first flight of the Wright Brothers prove?
The “first powered flight” (December 17, 1903. C. 12 seconds) prove that a glider, equipped with an internal combustion engine, can sustain powered flight
How does the Wright Brothers start their airplane?
They used a catapult
What was the turning point in 1903?
In 1903, Marie Sklodowska - Curie (1867–1934) was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics
So in 1903, Wright Brothers’ ‘invented’ airplane, and …
Absolutely none whatsoever. Nobody cared/listen as they were bicycle producers and almost everyone was flying by 1903.
What is the true motive behind the Wright brothers building aircraft?
To sell their aircraft to the military for profit
What was the Wright brothers referred as?
In 1908, they were nicknamed the “Heroes” of Europe as they introduce their invention was the best in terms of sustain flight
What did the United States government mass produce from the Wright brothers?
They would mass produce the Flyer III that would become a warplane
Who is Henri Coanda (1886 - 1972)?
He is a Romanian scientist, who was interested in physics and math
What did Henri Coanda invented?
He invented the first jet aircraft that is powered by a jet turbine in 1910
Why was the jet turbine engine not powerful enough?
It was the enine of Daimler, which had removed the propeller and turbine was installed at the front. Also made the airplane caught fire during his presentation at France
How does the aircraft move forward?
It was using the cold thrust
What happens in 1914?
The Wright brothers were getting sued by other families across the world for the inventions they burrowed/copied