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What were some of the challenges Sir George Cayel faced while designing the glider?
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∙ 12y ago
It was very hard for him.. and he faced a dinasour and pink flamingoes that ate his weiner ..
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∙ 12y ago
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Who was the first person to invent the aeroplane?
Orville and Wilbur Wright built the first airplane that flew under its own power, so they are usually called the inventors of the airplane. What the Wright Brothers actually invented was a gasoline engine light enough to put on an airplane; the first "flying machine" was the glider of Sir George Cayel. The combination of Cayel's glider and the Wrights' engine created the powered airplane. (And seriously, Cayel took the glider idea of Leonardo DaVinci and made one that flew.) And that is the story of most inventions: a person takes something that someone else thought up and makes a better or more useful product from it.
Where and when did planes originate?
In 1898, a 6 inch model of what looks like a glider was found in the tomb at Saqquara. It has been exhibited in a museum in Cario. Was it just a toy or a scale down version of the real aircraft?The first glider than actually flew was made by a man named Sir George Cayel. In 1843, William S. Henson made plans for a model plane, but it proved to be a failure. However, when his friend, John Stingfellow, tried to make a plane with the same model, he succeeded
What is the history of the airplane?
For years, men have tried to design a vehicle that would allow them to fly. Some built models of things like gliders that seemed to have flown. It is generally accepted that the first heavier-than-air airplane that flew in powered flight was the one built by Wilbur and Orville Wright and flown at Kill Devil Hills, Kittyhawk, North Carolina on Dec 17, 1903. Another American who tried to be the first was Glenn Curtis. He built a large airplane that he launched off a high dock over a lake. He made his attempt on Dec 8, 1903, but the airplane's wings caught the catapult and crashed into the lake. After the Wright Brothers made their first flight, they kept it pretty much quiet. They wanted to submit their patents and protect their invention. From then on, the Wright Brothers were very protective of their property and did not share their secrets. They took many designers to court for copying their designs. Glenn Curtis, on the other hand, continued with his design work. He formed a team of designers and pilots that became known as the Aerial Experimental Association. One of the team members was Alexander Bell. They began by picking a leader who would determine the design of the new airplane. When the first didn't work, they selected the next leader and tried a new design. This resulted in the June Bug, which was the first aircraft to be flown in a public demonstration and air race. The Wright Brothers continued to hold on to their design. They offered to demonstrate it to the US Army. On the flight, it crashed and killed the Army officer Lt. Sedfridge---the first person killed in an airplane crash. They also continued in legal activities to defend their design. The courts would rule in their favor even though it was obvious that they lacked knowledge of this new technology. For example, the Wright Brothers aircraft used warp wing controls. They took Glenn Curtis to court for using hinged ailerons on the wing-tips and the court ruled that the Wright Brothers had complete rights to all technology that involved controlling the aircraft using the wings. Some of the early airplane designers were:Igor SikorskyOctave ChanuteClyde CessnaMalcolm Loughead (later, Lockheed) During this time, the pilots who flew these early airplanes were as big a hero as the men who designed them. Some of these early pilots were:Claude Graham-WhiteFrank CoffynHarriet Quimby (female)Blanche Scott (female)John MoisantCal Rodgers In 1929, the two American companies combined to form the Curtis-Wright Corporation with stock worth $220M. Both Orville Wright and Glenn Curtis had stepped down from any control. "The First To Fly: Aviation Pioneer Days" by Sherwood Harris, Pub Simon & Schuster, 19970. Young Adult book with good history. "Unlocking the Sky" by Seth Shulman, Pub Perennial, 2002. Tells the story of Glenn Curits and his legal struggles with the Wright Brothers and the proof that his aircraft could have flown first. Time-Life Books on Aviaiton. "The Road to Kitty Hawk", by Valerie Moolman, and "The First Aviators" by Curtis Prendergast. "Aviation: The Early Years" by Peter Almond, Pub Konnemann, 1977. Large book with high qualitiy photos of early avaitors and some history.Ever since man first saw a bird fly, man has wanted to fly. The first attempts were efforts to fly like a bird by attaching feathers to their arms and flapping. Those attempts were unsuccessful.Hot Air BalloonsThe first successful air flight was in a hot air balloon. In 1783 a few men invented the first flying machine by making the hot air balloon. A hot air balloon is a balloon filled with heated air. Since heated air is lighter than cool air, the balloon would rise into the sky. The pilot would ride in a basket attached to the balloon and control the height by adding and subtracting more heat.The problem with hot air balloons is that you can not go the way you want. If the wind is blowing west, that means you would have to go west, too. During the Civil War hot air balloons were used by the armies to look at enemy troops.First AirplanesThe first airplane that was flown was a glider. A glider is a non-motorized flying machine (and very hard to control.) Early gliders were launched from high places like cliffs and floated on the wind to the ground.A man named Sir George Cayel made the first glider that actually flew. His first glider didn't have passengers or a pilot. It was too small and could not fit anyone in it. He made another that flew his coachman across a small valley. This glider was not launched from a cliff.During 1890 while Orville and Wilbur Wright were working in a bicycle shop, the Wright Brothers got interested in flying. They learned that bicycles that were closer to the ground were faster. They read all the books they could find about airplanes to learn more. They then began building gliders near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The Wright Brothers improved the glider. In 1899 they made a large, two wing kite. After experimenting for a while on unmanned gliders, they made a glider where the pilot would control the airplane in the air. After working on glider experiments they found out how to steer a plane while in flight by developing a rudder (the tail of the plane) and flaps on the wings. With the rudder and the flaps, the pilot could control the direction of the airplane and the height.Click on the picture above to see a video of a reenactment of the Wright's first flight.Video at www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/wright/glider.html created by Rick Young, March 2001In December of 1903, the Wright Brothers became the first people to successfully fly a plane with a person in it. The plane flew one hundred twenty feet and flew only about twelve seconds. They had three successful flights that day, but Wilbur made the longest flight of 892 feet and stayed up for about 59 seconds. In 1903 the Wright Brothers made their first powered airplane that they named the "flyer." It was a biplane (two winged plane) that had a 12 horse power engine that they had built themselves. The wings were 40 feet wide, wooden, and covered with cotton cloth. The pilot would lay on the lower wing on his stomach and steer the plane. In 1908 the Wright Brothers finally made a plane that could fly for more that one and a half hours.Improvements to AirplanesIn 1843 William S. Henson, an inventor, patented plans for an airplane after trying to build a model airplane. When those plans failed he gave up on airplanes. His friend, John Stingfellow, tried making a model off of Henson's model and succeeded. The plane launched, but could only stay in the air for a short time.In 1890 Cl`ement Ader took off on the first steam powered plane (a plane with an engine, unlike the glider) that he had built himself. What was very unlucky about that was he could not fly it because he could not control it. Around the same time another inventor, Hiram Maxiam, built a steam powered flying machine. He tested his airplanes, but never really got them off the ground because they were too heavy and he could not control the flight.During 1894 Samuel Langley flew a steam powered plane and went 0.8 kilometers in one and a half minutes. Once Langley made another airplane, he got a pilot to steer once on October, 7 and once on December, 8, but sadly the plane crashed in a lake.U.S Army Lieutenant Thomas E. Selfridge was the first person killed in a plane crash. The military wanted to see how good the Wright Brothers` airplane was for flying. On September 17, 1908, Selfridge went up in a plane with Orville Wright. When they were 75 feet in the air a propeller broke. The plane crashed, which killed Thomas and left Orville injured, but the Wright Brothers still did not give up. In 1909, they got a contract from the military to build the first military plane.In 1911, Calbriath Rodgers made the first flight across the United States. He flew from Sheepshead Bay, New York to Long Beach, California. During the 84 days of flying, Rodgers crashed at least 70 times. He had to replace almost every part of the plane before he reached Long Beach. All together this journey took 3 days, 10 hours, and 24 minutes of time spent in the air.Airplane travel has improved a great deal since the first efforts of the Wright Brothers. Airplanes now travel thousands of miles at altitudes of more than 7 miles, carrying over three hundred passengers. Those passengers rest in comfortable seats instead of on their stomachs like Orville did. Jet engines have replaced propellers and speeds are greater than 600 miles per hour. Not even the Wright brothers could have imagined what air travel would be like today.
