Aircraft

Samuel P. Langley, astronomer, mathematician, and physicist had always had interest in flying. He started working towards flight by gaining a spot as an assistant astronomer at the Harvard College Observatory and a mathematics professor for the U.S. Naval Academy. Langley constantly engaged in expanding his knowledge and through this he met many different colleagues led him to inventors and scientist that pursued heavier than air flight. Langley worked with gliders for a little bit but then…

Jet engines are commonly known to be on various aircraft. Whether it be an airplane or a rocket, jet engines are what allow these aircraft to fly through the air at tremendous speeds. In 1926, Frank Whittle had to write a thesis in order to graduate from officer training. Whittle chose his thesis topic to be over the future of aviation. In his paper, he discussed that with the way planes were gaining thrust, which was by propellers, the planes would never be able to fly higher than twenty…

“No flying machine will ever fly from New York to Paris…[because] no known motor can run at the requisite speed for four days without stopping.” -Orville Wright One thing that I found interesting about this quote is the fact that it came in 1909, which was about 6 years after the Wright Brothers’ original flights, which were considered very successful at that time. I think Orville Wright said this because he falsely assumed that airplanes would never go faster than they did at that time. Of…

The Wright Design The Wright Brothers didn't invent the design of the airplane. In fact, their entire plane was based on how birds fly. They made the aircraft so it would catch some heavy winds that blew. Plus, they needed light weight materials so the plane wouldn't fall from the sky. But they did tweak it so it could be controlled. That's where the engine and propellers come in. They launch the craft's thrust. Their plane has a very unique design. Nevertheless,their plane was…

It gives it the aerodynamic shape, it carries a share of the loads, it helps to carry torsional loads, it acts as fuel tanks and allows inspection and maintenance. Using the skin to carry part of the loads is called stressed skin. Almost all aircraft have their wing structure made entirely in metal, or a mixture of metal and composite. The skin may be fixed to the internal structure by rivets or bonding. The volume between the spars is often used for storing fuel. An alternative to attaching…

Wrights are famous for.the flight would inspire more people to design and test their own flying machine. This flight would open the way for the Wrights to advance the aircraft and change designs to carry more people, go faster, fly higher. Without this flight they would not have the ability to improve their design of the aircraft, because they would not have a base to advance on a design that worked. The Wrights continued to make airplanes to sell from their family business. They sold each…

Hughes had been interested in aviation long before his father’s death. The Hughes family was known for their engineering background; and growing up Hughes Jr. would take things apart and put them back together. Before the age of twelve, Hughes built Houston’s first radio transmitter and a motorized bicycle. And by the age of fourteen, Hughes started taking flying lessons. One day Hughes Sr. and Jr. were at a Harvard-Yale boat race. Hughes Sr. promised Jr. anything he would like if Harvard won…

and Wilbur Wright’s Legacy The American Legacy of flight pertains to two well known engineers of aviation. From various tests and creations came the first flight in which they created the legacy. The phenomenal creation of the control system in aircrafts from the Wright Brother’s skills, mechanics, curiosity, understanding, and teamwork changed the world of aviation. The Wright Brothers made a significant impact to history by achieving the first powered, sustained, and controlled flight. Their…

militaries around the world started to realize what an important tool this could become for warfare and homeland security. The German government in 1910 were the first in the world to establish a criteria of medical fitness to be able to pilot an aircraft, a step followed by other European countries and the United States. The medical fitness standards that were set forth for pilots in the United States were strongly advocated by its early pioneers, chiefly Dr. Isaac H. Jones, who championed the…

the first successful airplane design. As the only sustained, controlled, heavier-than-air, human flight of the time, it was groundbreaking. Furthermore, their three-axis control became and remains the standard steering system on various fixed-wing aircrafts. Their basic design would be developed into the much-more-practical Wright Flyer III. However, large scale usage of aviation technology would not be observed until World War One. At the time, militaries around the world saw little potential…