Lesson 7: A History of Aerodynamics - Part I
Section 3 - Let There Be Wings!
DA VINCI'S PROCLAMATION
In 1940, two years before Columbus was to prove the earth was round, Leonardo da Vinci was introducing his designs and plans for mechanical fight, and the ultimate aerial lifesaver, the parachute.
The artist who painted the glorious “The Last Supper,” and the beautiful “Mona Lisa,” had made human flight a preoccupation of his long career, culminating in a portfolio of sketches of his imaginative flying machines.
It was Da Vinci who first cried, “There shall be wings!” He filled a large sketch book with details of the mechanics of bird flight, and turned out dozens of models of flying machines.
His sketches and observations can now be seen in the Library of Milan, and several models of his “flying machine,” created from his original drawings are on view at the National Museum in Washington, D.C.
EARLY PARACHUTES
Parachutes have actually had an important role in the development of the airplane. In 1607 or 1617, a Venetian Fausto Veranzio, made what is believed to be the first successful descent by such means.
His parachute was a square device made of sailcloth spread over a light framework. It was remarkably similar to the device originally drawn by Da Vinci.
Veranzio, who dangled from the cords tied to the corners of the framework, jumped off a tall tower and landed safely below.
BESNIER
The first man to attempt human flight with a mechanical device was a French locksmith named Besnier. In 1678, he created a simple glider-type flying machine consisting of two rods pivoted on his shoulders. At the ends of each rod were small V-type planes, and these were controlled by Besnier’s hands and feet, for the purposes of gliding or to provide flight propulsion. Besnier is said to have launched himself from the roof of his home, and then flown over a barn, landing on another roof.
As a strange footnote, in 1751, an engraving appeared in an English publication known as “The Scribleriad,” along with a satirical verse by Richard Cambridge. This depicted the first aerial race in which a Briton and a German met before an enthusiastic audience seated in a broad meadow. The English contestant wore feathered wings, but the German is shown flying with a set exactly like those devised by Besnier 75 years earlier.
During the contest, the Englishman’s wings collapsed. To save himself from defeat, he reached out and grasped the foot of his German opponent and they both fell to the turf below. This way, the Englishman had upheld the honor of his country.
FRANCOIS BLANCHARD
Around the year 1781, a new man took center stage. His name was Francois Blanchard and he was a Frenchman who designed and built a flying machine based on the ornithopter principle. His machine was known as the “Vaisseau-Volant” and a detailed report of the accomplishment appeared in the “Journal de Paris.”
It had four great wings that were attached to a light car. The operator sat inside, controlling the wings with his hand and foot pedals and levers. Unfortunately, Blanchard was never able to get off the ground. But later on, Blanchard applied his winged device to a spherical balloon, becoming an important figure in the science of aerodynamics.
THE MONTGOLFIER BROTHERS
The world at the time, however, was more interested in the art of ballooning. Lighter-than-air gas was more reliable than mechanical wings. Europe was enthralled by the Montgolfier brothers; Joseph and Jacques, dramatic proof that a balloon could be used in aerial navigation.
That remarkable demonstration occurred in 1783, when a linen and paper envelope, 110 feet in circumference, inflated with hot air, took to the sky at a height of 6000 feet.
More than 300,000 people were on hand to witness this amazing event. A short time later, F. Pilatre de Rozier, head of the French Royal Museum, and his friend, the Marquis d’ Arlandes, made the world’s first human balloon ascent.
MORE TO COME
There were no major heavier-than-air accomplishments until 1784 when a Frenchman, M. Gerard, attempted to devise a flying machine. This machine would have bird like wings, flappable by mechanical power. But there was no usable power available and the idea was left as a drawing.
Dr. John Jeffries of Boston later became the first passenger on an aerial flight across the English Channel. Francois Blanchard was at the helm in 1785 of a spherical balloon supporting a wicker basket, bearing a pair of light oak-like wings. This flight was later proclaimed as the greatest feat of the century.
The first tragedy of air transportation followed. J.F. Pilatre de Rozier, who had been the first man to actually sail in the air, was killed in a fall in a burning balloon on June 15, 1785, while attempting to cross the English Channel from France to England.
