The following pages are from the Lecture notes of Alwyn Greenhalgh.
NOTE: The text was scanned from some very 'sketchy' hand written script and then edited. There will be errors!
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THE DEVELOPMENT OF MODEL AVIATION - Page 1
THE HISTORY OF MODEL AVIATION IS REALLY DIVIDED IN TWO PARTS. THE FIRST PART IS ESSENTIALLY CONCERNED WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF MODELS WHICH WERE USED FOR EXPERIMENTS, THE RESULTS OF WHICH THEIR BUILDERS THOUGHT MAY HAVE LED TO A MAN-CARRY AIRCRAFT.
THE SECOND PART COMMENCES WITH THE ADVENT OF MANNED FLIGHT AND IS THE TRUE PURSUIT
OF MODEL AVIATION AS SUCH.
NO LECTURE ON AVIATION HISTORY IS COMPLETE WITHOUT A REFERENCE TO LEONARDO DA VINCI, WHO LIVED DURING THE YEARS 1452-1519 BECAUSE AMONGST HIS MANY ACHIEVEMENTS, HE PROPOUNDED THE THEORY OF ORNITHOI'TERS, HELICOPTERS AND PARACHUTES. DUE TO MISMANAGEMENT OF HIS WORKS AFTER HE DIED, DA VINCI'S AERONAUTICAL ACHIEVEMENTS WERE NOT MADE KNOWN UNTIL 1874. HAD THESE DOCUMENTS BEEN PUBLISHED EARLIER, THE PROGRESS OF AVIATION MAY WELL HAVE BEEN ACCELERATED; THE IMPORTANCE OF DA VINCI IS WORK WAS MAINLY TO SHOW WHAT WOULD NOT FLY, AND WOULD HAVE SAVED A LOT OF PEOPLE A LOT OF TIME AND TROUBLE.
KITES
THE EARLIEST DEVICE CAPABLE OF SUSTAINED BUT TETHERED FLIGHT IS OF COURSE THE KITE. BUT THIS IS NOT REALLY AN AIRCRAFT IN THE TRUE SENSE . IT SHOULD, HOWEVER, BE NOTED THAT SIR GEORGE CAYLEY USED A FLAT KITE AS THE MAINPLANE OF HIS MODEL GLIDER WHICH HE BUILT IN 1804.
AN IMPORTANT STEP IN AVIATION DEVELOPMENT WAS IN 1680 WHEN AN ITALIAN, G A BORELLI PUBLISHED HIS BOOK, "E MOTU ANIMALIlJlVI" IN WHICH HE PROVED ONCE AND FOR ALL THAT MAN'S MUSCLE POWER COULD NEVER EMULATE THAT OF THE BIRD AND PROPEL AN AIRCRAFT.
THIS BOOK WAS A GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT TO THE TOWER JUMPERS, ALTHOUGH IT FAILED TO DISCOURAGE THEM COMPLETELY.
THE FIRST VIABLE MODEL AIRCRAFT WAS IN FACT, THE HOT AIR BALLOON DEVISED BY THE BROTHERS ETIENNE AND JOSEPH MONTGOLFIER, IN 1744, PRIEST, CLERGYMAN, CHEMIST AND PHYSICIST, PUBLISHED A BOOK ENTITLED "EXPERIMlENTS RELATING TO THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF AIR". IN 1782, JOSEPH OBTAINED A FRENCH TRANSLATION OF THIS BOOK, AND AS A RESULT OF STUDY WAS ABLE TO RECOGNISE THE EFFECT OF HOT AIR ON BURNT PIECES OF PAPER WHEN ENTRAINED BY SMOKE FROM A FIRE. THUS, IN THE YEAR 1872, THE BROTHERS MONTGOLFIER DISCOVERED THE CAPABILITY OF HQT AIR TOPRGDUCE LIFT: THEY WERE . PAPER MANUFACTURERS BY TRADE AND THE STORY GOES THAT ONE EVENING WHILST CHATTING
BESIDE THEIR FIRE IT WAS THEN THEY NOTICED THAT BURNT PIECES OF THIN PAPER ROSE UP THE CHIMNEY. THEY THEN MADE SOME BAGS FROM THIN PAPER AND WHEN A LIGHT WAS APPLIED TO THE OPENING OF AN INVERTED BAG, IT FILLED WITH HOT AIR AND ROSE TOWARDS THE CEILING. THE IDEA WAS PROGRESSED AND A 30 FOOT DIAMETER MODEL WAS FLOWN IN JUNE 1783. LATER, A LARGER VERSION WAS MADE AND BECAME THE FIRST MAN CARRYING AIRCRAFT ON NOVEMBER 21ST 1783.
-1-
THE SECOND PART COMMENCES WITH THE ADVENT OF MANNED FLIGHT AND IS THE TRUE PURSUIT
OF MODEL AVIATION AS SUCH.
NO LECTURE ON AVIATION HISTORY IS COMPLETE WITHOUT A REFERENCE TO LEONARDO DA VINCI, WHO LIVED DURING THE YEARS 1452-1519 BECAUSE AMONGST HIS MANY ACHIEVEMENTS, HE PROPOUNDED THE THEORY OF ORNITHOI'TERS, HELICOPTERS AND PARACHUTES. DUE TO MISMANAGEMENT OF HIS WORKS AFTER HE DIED, DA VINCI'S AERONAUTICAL ACHIEVEMENTS WERE NOT MADE KNOWN UNTIL 1874. HAD THESE DOCUMENTS BEEN PUBLISHED EARLIER, THE PROGRESS OF AVIATION MAY WELL HAVE BEEN ACCELERATED; THE IMPORTANCE OF DA VINCI IS WORK WAS MAINLY TO SHOW WHAT WOULD NOT FLY, AND WOULD HAVE SAVED A LOT OF PEOPLE A LOT OF TIME AND TROUBLE.
KITES
THE EARLIEST DEVICE CAPABLE OF SUSTAINED BUT TETHERED FLIGHT IS OF COURSE THE KITE. BUT THIS IS NOT REALLY AN AIRCRAFT IN THE TRUE SENSE . IT SHOULD, HOWEVER, BE NOTED THAT SIR GEORGE CAYLEY USED A FLAT KITE AS THE MAINPLANE OF HIS MODEL GLIDER WHICH HE BUILT IN 1804.
AN IMPORTANT STEP IN AVIATION DEVELOPMENT WAS IN 1680 WHEN AN ITALIAN, G A BORELLI PUBLISHED HIS BOOK, "E MOTU ANIMALIlJlVI" IN WHICH HE PROVED ONCE AND FOR ALL THAT MAN'S MUSCLE POWER COULD NEVER EMULATE THAT OF THE BIRD AND PROPEL AN AIRCRAFT.
THIS BOOK WAS A GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT TO THE TOWER JUMPERS, ALTHOUGH IT FAILED TO DISCOURAGE THEM COMPLETELY.
THE FIRST VIABLE MODEL AIRCRAFT WAS IN FACT, THE HOT AIR BALLOON DEVISED BY THE BROTHERS ETIENNE AND JOSEPH MONTGOLFIER, IN 1744, PRIEST, CLERGYMAN, CHEMIST AND PHYSICIST, PUBLISHED A BOOK ENTITLED "EXPERIMlENTS RELATING TO THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF AIR". IN 1782, JOSEPH OBTAINED A FRENCH TRANSLATION OF THIS BOOK, AND AS A RESULT OF STUDY WAS ABLE TO RECOGNISE THE EFFECT OF HOT AIR ON BURNT PIECES OF PAPER WHEN ENTRAINED BY SMOKE FROM A FIRE. THUS, IN THE YEAR 1872, THE BROTHERS MONTGOLFIER DISCOVERED THE CAPABILITY OF HQT AIR TOPRGDUCE LIFT: THEY WERE . PAPER MANUFACTURERS BY TRADE AND THE STORY GOES THAT ONE EVENING WHILST CHATTING
BESIDE THEIR FIRE IT WAS THEN THEY NOTICED THAT BURNT PIECES OF THIN PAPER ROSE UP THE CHIMNEY. THEY THEN MADE SOME BAGS FROM THIN PAPER AND WHEN A LIGHT WAS APPLIED TO THE OPENING OF AN INVERTED BAG, IT FILLED WITH HOT AIR AND ROSE TOWARDS THE CEILING. THE IDEA WAS PROGRESSED AND A 30 FOOT DIAMETER MODEL WAS FLOWN IN JUNE 1783. LATER, A LARGER VERSION WAS MADE AND BECAME THE FIRST MAN CARRYING AIRCRAFT ON NOVEMBER 21ST 1783.
-1-
