TAKING FLIGHT

The Montgolfier Brothers experimental flight

Watching birds in flight, it is easy to understand how our ancestors became fascinated by the idea of flying. History is littered with stories of would-be fliers who jumped form towers with artificial wings strapped to their arms. Inevitably, the wing-flapping 'bird man' would plummet to the ground with dire consequences. Ancient myths tell of flying machines even more fanciful but there was one device, the kite, which did take to the air. Created in ancient China, there are even acounts of people attempting to fly attached to kites.

But it was with balloons that the first successful human flights were made. On 21 November 1783, Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis d’Arlandes made the first free flight, in a hot air balloon created by the Montgolfier Brothers. They flew from Paris for eight kilometres (five miles) at a height of 900 metres (3,000 feet). Work on hydrogen-filled balloons had been taking place in parallel with the Montgolfier’s experiments, and on 1 December 1783, Jacques Charles and a companion lifted of from Paris for the first manned ascent in a hydrogen-filled balloon.

The first balloon crossing of the English Channel was made only two years later by Jean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jefries. Ballooning became a popular sport but practical uses were also found for balloons in nineteenth-century warfare, either to carry messages or as observation platforms. Balloons, however, have the drawback of being at the mercy of the winds. Powered and controlled airships do not have this disadvantage. In 1852, Frenchman Henri Gifard’s airship used a small steam engine to drive a propeller mounted under a cigar-shaped balloon to fly a distance of 27 kilometres (17 miles).

Englishman George Cayley was the first to make real theoretical and practical progress towards heavier-than-air flight. In his experiments, he investigated the lift and drag created by different wings at various speeds and angles. Cayley applied what he had learnt to a series of glider models. This work culminated in his 1853 glider in which his coachman made a flight of 450 metres (1,500 feet) across Brompton Dale in Yorkshire. Cayley’s work influenced aerial pioneers for the next 50 years.

Some of the early pioneers who followed on from Cayley tried to build powered flying machines; others had more success with gliders. In 1890, French engineer Clement Ader claimed that his steam-powered Éole had flown. It managed 50 metres (165 feet) at a height of 20 centimetres (eight inches). Then in 1894, in England, Hiram Maxim tested a steam-powered biplane on rails which lifted briefly.

Neither Maxim, Ader or other exponents of the power-centred approach to aeroplane development, including the American Samuel Pierpont Langley, fully considered how they might control their aircraft if they actually flew, unlike experimenters who concentrated on gliding. Chief among these was the German Otto Lilienthal who developed his flying skills as he tested a series of 18 gliders in more than 2,000 flights, some of which were over 300 metres (1,000 feet), until his death during a crash landing in 1896.

Lilienthal influenced the work of American engineer and gliding experimenter Octave Chanute, who would in turn become a friend and mentor to the Wright brothers. It was to be the Wrights who successfully moved from gliding to the first controlled powered flight.

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The Montgolfier Brothers

In 1782 Joseph-Michael (1740–1810) and Étienne (1745–1799) Montgolfier experimented with hot-air-filled silk bags which rose up because the heated air in the bags was lighter than the external air. However, the brothers did not realize this, believing that gas created by burning material caused the bags to rise. Nevertheless, in June 1783, their first public demonstration of a hot air balloon, consisting of an 11-metre (38-feet) paper-lined linen bag, was a success. In September of that year, at a royal demonstration at Versailles, a balloon was flown with a sheep, a rooster and a duck as its passengers. All returned safely to the ground. The first manned flight was made in
November 1783.

George Cayley (1773–1857)

Sir George Cayley is sometimes referred to as “the father of aviation”. He was an engineer and a Member of Parliament. He worked on a wide range of engineering projects but is best remembered for his pioneering work in aviation, developing the first proper understanding of the principles of flight. Cayley’s 1804 model glider was similar in configuration to modern aircraft with monoplane wings towards the front and a tailplane with horizontal stabilizers and a vertical fin at the rear. His man-carrying glider first flew in 1853.

Written by Stephen Woolford & Carl Warner in "All About History - Book Of Flight", UK, 2016, excerpts pp. 8-13. Digitized, adapted and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.