SOME AVIATION GROWTH EVENTS M Leroy Spearman* NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, Virginia 23681 Abstract the Growth of Aviati
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AIAA 2002-0172 Introduction SOME AVIATION GROWTH EVENTS Orville and Wilber Wright were credited with M Leroy Spearman* achieving the first flight of a heavier-than-air, NASA Langley Research Center powered, man-carrying airplane at Kitty Hawk, Hampton, Virginia 23681 North Carolina, USA on December 17, 1903. This event marked the beginning of a dramatic Abstract history of aviation growth. The airplane has changed from a curiosity to a vehicle of many The growth of aviation since the first flight of uses that include transportation, exploration, a heavier-than-air powered manned vehicle in recreation and warfare. The growth in aviation 1903 has been somewhat remarkable. Some of has occurred in many countries around the world the events that have influenced this growth are and has been fostered by the native talent of reviewed in this paper. This review will include individuals as well as by the exchange of some events prior to World War I; the influence information between countries and by the import of the war itself; the events during the post-war and export of hardware. Driving factors in this years including the establishment of aeronautical growth have included the innate curiosity of research laboratories; and the influence of World man, an inherent desire for adventure, the quest War II which, among other things, introduced for economic benefits, and the feeling of need for new technologies that included rocket and jet security and superiority. propulsion and supersonic aerodynamics. Discussion The subsequent era of aeronautical research and the attendant growth in aviation over the past The Beginnings. The Wright's achievement of half century will be reviewed from the view manned, powered, controlled, heavier-than-air point of the author who, since 1944, has been flight in 1903 was preceded by many years of involved in the NACA/NASA aeronautical thinking, planning, and working. The Wright's research effort at what is now the Langley could also benefit from the works of several Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The other's. One of the first to concentrate on the review will discuss some of the research development of a heavier-than-air, fixed-wing programs related to the development of some flying machine was Sir George Cayley of experimental aircraft, the Century series of England. In 1853, Cayley made a glider in fighter aircraft, multi-mission aircraft, advanced which it is said that his unwilling coachman military aircraft and missiles, advanced civil made what was probably the first flight in a aircraft, supersonic transports, spacecraft and manned, heavier-than-air craft. While Cayley others was laying much of the foundation for modem aircraft, he could not provide what he called a prime mover - a suitable lightweight engine. * Senior Technical Specialist Among other innovative glider designers was Systems Analysis Branch Otto Lilienthal, a German, who, in the 1890's Associate Fellow, AIAA built and flew many successful hang-gliders. Copyright (c) 2002 by the American Institute of Lilienthal was killed in 1896 when a wind gust Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. No copyright caused the glider on which he was flying to stall is asserted in the United States under Title 17, and crash. Lilienthal did record his work so that U.S. Code. The U.S. Government has a royalty- others might benefit from his experience. One free license to exercise all rights under the follower, Percy Pilcher in Scotland, constructed copyright claimed herein for Governmental several promising gliders in the late 1890's and purposes. All other rights are reserved for the was working toward a powered machine when a copyright owner. crash ended his career. In the United States, a French-born American, Octave Chanute, became interested in aeronautics and flight. He wrote severaljournalarticlesonthedevelopmentofthe ofaerodynamicsandleadtomeansofstability, flyingmachineandin1894thearticlesappeared control,andbalance.Thedevelopmentofthe inbookformentitledProgressinFlying lightweightinternalcombustionreciprocating Machines.Chanuteandhisassociatesdiddesign, enginecompletedtheapproachtomannedflight. buildandflyseveralmodifiedversionsofthe Thereciprocatingengineisstillinusetodayand Lilienthal-typeglider.Inaboutthesameperiod wasessentiallytheonlytypeofairplaneengine oftimeinthelate1800'sanotherAmerican formorethan40yearsbeforetheturbojetengine scientist,SamuelPierpointLangleybecame wasperfected. convincedthatpoweredflightwasachievable. Langleydidnotexperimentwithglidingflight The Concept Spreads. A French artillery butwithmodelspoweredwithrubberbandsat commander, Captain Ferdinand Ferber became firstandthenwithsteamengines.InNovember interested in flying because of the exploits of 1896,hissteam-poweredAerodromeNo.6 Lilienthal and Chanute. In corresponding with successfullydemonstratedpoweredflightwhen Chanute, Ferber learned about the Wright's and it flewforthree-quartersofamilebeforerunning began to correspond with them. Through his outoffuel.TheWrightbrotherswereawareof writings and lectures, Ferber had a significant Langley'sexperimentsandwroteformore influence on the advancement of flight in France. informationonhiswork.TheWrightbrothers One early flyer in France was Brazilian-born alsowrotetoChanuteanddescribedsomeof Alberto Santos-Dumont who built and flew theirexperimentstohim.Thiswasthebeginning gasoline-powered airships in the late 1800's, ofafriendshipduringwhichChanuteprovided turned to gliders and then to powered airplanes. assistanceandencouragementtotheWright's. He earned the credit for making the first TheWright'sstudiesalsoincludedtheworkof powered, manned aircraft flight in France in Lilienthal. 1906. The Wright's finally demonstrated their airplane to the U.S Army and sold the first Whileglidingflightdemonstratedmanned, airplane to the Army in 1908. The Wright's also heavier-than-airflight,asatisfactoryengineto demonstrated in France to an enthusiastic providepoweredflightwasneeded.Someearly audience. The first heavier-than-air machine to attemptsforpoweredflightweremadeusing fly in England, the Army Aeroplane No. 1, flew steamenginestodrivearotororpropellerbut in October 1908. The machine, similar to the noneweresuccessfulinachievingsustained, Wright design, was created by Samuel Cody, an controllableflight.Langleydidproceedfromhis American-born naturalized Briton. The first poweredflightsuccesstoanattempttoflya heavier-than-air flight in Germany was a 1908 mannedversionoftheAerodrome.Hewas demonstration by J.C.H. Ellehammer, a Danish dissatisfiedwithsteampowerbecauseofthelow visitor. The German's were intrigued with the power-to-weightratioandhadchangedtoan rigid airships being built by Count von Zepplin internalcombustiongasolineenginesimilarto and paid little attention to the airplane. In an thatbeingusedonearlyautomobiles.Anattempt effort to catch up, however, the German's were wasmadeonOct.7,1903toachievemanned- soon to borrow from France and from other's. powered-flightwiththeAerodromebutit Germany capitalized on the talent of Anthony crashedimmediatelyduetoaproblemattributed Fokker, a Dutchman who came to Germany to tothecatapultlaunchmechanism.Another study engineering. In Russia, a young designer, attemptwasmadetoflythemanned-powered Igor Sikorsky, was experimenting unsuccessfully AerodromeonDec.8,1903butagainacrash with helicopters. He then turned his attention to attributedtothecatapultlaunchoccurred.Nine large, fixed-wing airplanes and produced what dayslateronDec.17,1903,OrvilleWright would become a forerunner of large bombers and successfullyachievedpoweredflightatKitty commercial airplanes. Latter Sikorsky left Russia Hawk,NC.TheWright'shadalsoturnedtothe and came to the United States where he was to gasoline-fueledinternalcombustionengineand successfully produce helicopters. Following the hadbuilttheirownenginebasedonthetype initial success of the Wright Brother's, little beingdevelopedforautomobiles. attention was given to the airplane in the United States. Another U.S. designer, Glenn Curtiss, Manned-powered-flightwasnowareality. was becoming well known and a Curtiss airplane Man'sinnatecuriosityhadsparkedthedesireto was the second airplane to be bought by the U.S. fly.Glidingflighthaddemonstratedthetheory Army in 1911. 2 2 The Airplane at War. The idea that an airplane In the final days of World War I, Russia, in might be used in warfare was adopted in the the midst of a revolution was also accumulating early 1900's by European countries where war foreign aircraft and engines from various sources was imminent. The French, the most air-minded including French, German, British, Italian and in Europe, had 254 airplanes in the Army by Dutch. Soon after the war, the Russians also 1912. Two prominent French designers's at the obtained the rights to build the U.S. Liberty time were Louis Bechereau and Edouard engine. These acquisitions were of great value to Nieuport. Bechereau designed the Deperdussin the newly formed Soviet Union in establishing a racer in 1913 that was the first airplane to have a base in aviation technology. monocoque fuselage. Later he designed the Spad fighter of World War I fame. Nieuport was to Between World War I and II. During the become the designer of the famous Nieuport 1920's and 1930's many nations were developing fighters of World War I. The British, after indigenous airplane types for both military and acquiring Army Aeroplane No. 1, were slow in civil use. Among the producers in the U.S. were getting into military aviation. At the urging of Curtiss, Boeing, Douglas, Martin, Lockheed,