Early History Of Flight

1485 - Leonardo Da Vinci: The Ornithopter And The Study Of Flight

Leonardo Da Vinci was probably the first person that conducted a true study of flight in the 1480's. (1) He explained his theory on the relationship between mechanical flight and a bird by illustrating the wing and the tail of a bird and the possibility that man could fly.

He designed a mechanical device called the ornithopter that closely resembled the structure of the bird. The ornithopter flying machine was never actually created. (1) It was a design that Leonardo Da Vinci created to show how man could fly. The modern day helicopter is based on this concept.

1783: The Montgolfier Hot Air Balloon

 The Montgolfier hot air balloon was the first balloon to be made and fly in the air. They used the smoke from a fire to blow hot air into a silk bag. The silk bag was attached to a basket. The hot air then rose and allowed the balloon to be lighter than air. (2)

In 1783, they put a sheep, rooster, and a duck in a colourful balloon and it climbed to a height of about six thousand feet and travelled more than one mile.

1799 - 1850's: George Cayley – Glider

Sir George Cayley experimented with wing design, distinguished between lift and drag, formulated the concept on the vertical tail surface, the steering rudder, the rear elevator, and the air screw. Cayley worked to discover a way that man could fly. Cayley designed how a glider can be used to control the movement of the body. (3)

For a long period of time, Cayley tried to improve his glider. He changed the shape of the wing so that the air would flow over them correctly. He also designed a tail to help with the stability. He tried a biplane design to add strength to the glider. (3) Cayley recognized that there would be a need for machine power if the flight was to be in the air for a long time.

He concluded that a fixed wing aircraft with a power system for propulsion and a tail to assist in the control of the airplane, would be the best way to allow man to fly.

1903 - First Flight

Orville and Wilbur Wright spent much of their life learning about each and every inventor that contributed to flight. They learned about how the wind would help with the flight and how it would affect the mechanical device once up in the air. They designed and used a wind tunnel to test the shape of a glider's wing and tail. After finding a shape that consistently would fly, they turned their attention to how to create a propulsion system that would create the lift needed to fly.

The "Flyer" lifted from level ground to the north of Big Kill Devil Hill on December 17, 1903. The first heavier than air flight traveled one hundred and twenty feet. (4)

Humankind was now able to fly. During the next century, each and every mechanical device we use today was developed to carry anything up in the air.

Bibliography

(1) Bellis, M. (n.d.). Leonardo Da Vinci The Artist And Leonardo Da Vinci The Inventor. Retrieved from http://inventors.about.com/od/italianinventors/a/LeonardoDaVinci.htm

(2) Bellis, M. (n.d.). History Of Balloons - Montgolfier Balloon. Retrieved from http://inventors.about.com/od/astartinventions/ss/airship_2.htm

(3) Early History Of Flight - Kites - Hot Air Balloons - Early Gliders. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blearlyflight.htm

(4) Bellis, M. (n.d.). The Wright Brothers - First Flight Of An Airplane. Retrieved from http://inventors.about.com/od/wstartinventors/a/TheWrightBrother.htm