[nurflugel] Re: Flying Wings and Things
'Serge Krauss' [nurflugel] <nurflugel@yahoogroups.com>
12/7/15
to Nurflugel
I've always been a J.W. Dunne fan. While not as systematic and knowledgable about aerodynamics as the Wrights, he did happen upon a geometry that led to stable flight, where the plane reacted to upsets by righting itself. His airfoils (defined as flying surfaces) were oblique wrappings of cylinders and cones. He even traded letters with his friend H.G. Wells on this. His first successful manned glider flew 7/07 and his first powered "hops" occurred in late 1908. His powered craft were flying in 1910, before he demonstrated controlled and hands-off powered flight and descent in front of Griffith Brewer and Orville Wright on 12/20/10, flying his craft as a novice, while writing all of his moves on a sheet of paper.
The problems with assessing priority in tailless-aircraft flight involve not only verification of events, but just how close to tailless the craft is, whether or not you want powered flight, and whether it must be manned. In historic times, other craft to consider include Berblinger's glides ca. 1810, Mouilliard's uncontrolled lifting from the ground in a "plank" glider, in gusts ca. 1865, Ader's powered, but not well controlled "hops" with his comples, bird-like "Eole" in 1890 and "Avion" in 1897, and Etrich/Wels extensive experiments in the early 1900's. Among their accomplishments in Zanonia-type craft were model glider experiments in 1900-1904, a 15-m manned glider that flew in 1906, and later powered experiments that grew separate stabilizers and evolved into WW I's "Taube". They had a "hop" on 10/13/08.
Probably the most controversial is New Zealand's Robert Pearse's first powered flight in a "plank" configuration in early 1903, before the Wrights by a few months. It seems fairly well documented that he actually got off the ground for some distance at that time, but also that he was not well, if at all, in controlled flight.
Jose Weiss' Zanonia-type model experiments of 1890-1912, with a manned flight in 1909 or 1910, merit respect too.
I'm one of the guys who feel that to claim real flight, it has to be controlled. So, I'm a real Wright brothers fan and, with Chris, give the nod to J.W. Dunne for stable and practical powered tailles flight. 'just don't want to forget the other pioneers.
Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 9:55 am