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Domain: flyingmachines.org

Stories and comments across the archive that link to flyingmachines.org.

Comments · 8

  1. Re:airplanes, aeroplanes by good+soldier+svejk · · Score: 1 · on Lexus Computers Infected Via Bluetooth
    I was arguing that the airplane was invented in the US, and that the inventors get to name their invention what they want.

    I guess that depends on what you mean by invented the aeroplane/airplane. The first powered flight of a heavier than air aircraft took place in France in 1890. The designer and pilot was Clement Ader. He flew 160 feet at an altitude of about eight inches. The major contributions of the Wright Brothers were the internal combustion engine and comprehensive controls, which greatly increased the range and practicality of the craft. However, it appears that Kiwi backyard hobbyist Richard Pearse bet them to the punch on those counts as well.
  2. Madman Henson by jesup · · Score: 2, Interesting · on (At Least) 100 Years Of Powered Human Flight
    My great-great-great(?) grandfather, "Madman" Henson, was one of the aviation pioneers of the mid-1800's. He designed a heavier-than-air plane, and flew models of it back around 1850 (1853?). The models were on the order of 15-20' wingspan I think. The full plane "ARIEL - The Henson Aerial Steam Carriage" was to have a wingspan of 150'. He was fully aware of Cayley, and probably knew him.
    Image

    Eventually he gave up because steam engines just didn't have the power-to-weight ratio and moved on to other things, such as breech-loading-cannons (the family has a letter from the Dept of the Navy telling him, if I remember, that they were impractical/impossible).

    He started his work in England, and moved to the US. His assistant, Stringfellow, continued making models and is fairly well-known in early aviation history. You can find a reproduction of Stringfellow's gliders in the Franklin Institute in Philladelphia, and last I knew the Smithsonian had either an original glider or a full-size reproduction.

    When we went to the Smithsonian in the mid-70's to donate his papers, they took us into the closed section (renovations) to show us "Henson's glider". My mother said "that's not his glider, that's Stringfellow's" (we had most of his original drawings).

    When I was, oh, 11 or 12 I was interviewed by phone by the London Sun about him. They must have gotten our names from the Smithsonian I imagine.

    William Samuel Henson"

  3. Madman Henson by jesup · · Score: 2, Interesting · on (At Least) 100 Years Of Powered Human Flight
    My great-great-great(?) grandfather, "Madman" Henson, was one of the aviation pioneers of the mid-1800's. He designed a heavier-than-air plane, and flew models of it back around 1850 (1853?). The models were on the order of 15-20' wingspan I think. The full plane "ARIEL - The Henson Aerial Steam Carriage" was to have a wingspan of 150'. He was fully aware of Cayley, and probably knew him.
    Image

    Eventually he gave up because steam engines just didn't have the power-to-weight ratio and moved on to other things, such as breech-loading-cannons (the family has a letter from the Dept of the Navy telling him, if I remember, that they were impractical/impossible).

    He started his work in England, and moved to the US. His assistant, Stringfellow, continued making models and is fairly well-known in early aviation history. You can find a reproduction of Stringfellow's gliders in the Franklin Institute in Philladelphia, and last I knew the Smithsonian had either an original glider or a full-size reproduction.

    When we went to the Smithsonian in the mid-70's to donate his papers, they took us into the closed section (renovations) to show us "Henson's glider". My mother said "that's not his glider, that's Stringfellow's" (we had most of his original drawings).

    When I was, oh, 11 or 12 I was interviewed by phone by the London Sun about him. They must have gotten our names from the Smithsonian I imagine.

    William Samuel Henson"

  4. Re:Kind of like colossus by ahillen · · Score: 5, Insightful · on (At Least) 100 Years Of Powered Human Flight

    I guess it is basically impossible to name the person who really made the first powered flight. One problem is the credibility of the reports, the other the definition of 'powered flight'. Is a short hop of a couple of meters enough? Or should it be 10s of meters? Or 100s of meters? All that really can be said IMHO is that a couple of brave and intelligent man broke this barier in he beginning of the 20th century with varying degrees of success.

    Further claims of '1. powered flight' include for example Gustave Whitehead (or Weisskopf) and Karl Jatho.

  5. Re:Kind of like colossus by ahillen · · Score: 5, Insightful · on (At Least) 100 Years Of Powered Human Flight

    I guess it is basically impossible to name the person who really made the first powered flight. One problem is the credibility of the reports, the other the definition of 'powered flight'. Is a short hop of a couple of meters enough? Or should it be 10s of meters? Or 100s of meters? All that really can be said IMHO is that a couple of brave and intelligent man broke this barier in he beginning of the 20th century with varying degrees of success.

    Further claims of '1. powered flight' include for example Gustave Whitehead (or Weisskopf) and Karl Jatho.

  6. First flight by Clement Ader in 1890 ? by mat · · Score: 1 · on Kiwi Flight Before the Wright Brothers?

    Clement Ader made a short flight in november 1890 :
    http://www.flyingmachines.org/ader.html

  7. So what? by jzu · · Score: 2, Interesting · on Kiwi Flight Before the Wright Brothers?

    This guy was not the only one. Take Clément Ader, for instance. He managed a flight of 50 meters in 1890 in a steam-powered bat-like aeroplane, but with the wrong technology, one that forbade improvements, when the Wrights gave the right direction (and came at the right time, too).

  8. Re:Wright Brothers did not fly first by loopkin · · Score: 1 · on Re-Building the Wright Flyer

    well, not exactly

    technically, the first powered flight of a machine heavier than air was by Clement Ader's Eole, in 1890, as you can see here.

    however, Ader's planes lacked evolved flight controls (no tail, and thus very difficult to pilot), and the lack of power of the steam engine was another big issue.