Journey Into Aviation History

1
Journey Into Aviation History

• Lesson 1-1
• Discovering Flight

2
Early Ideas about Flight

• People wanted to fly as far back as 2,000 years
  before Christ (B.C.)
• At first fantasy, magic, and legend used, later
  trial-and-error method
• In the past 500 years people with interest in
  flying began to develop machines that would carry
  them through the air

3
Ancient Chinese Legends

• Emperor Shun escaped prison by putting on work
  clothes of a bird and flying to freedom
• Kei Kung, Chinese god of thunder and lightning,
  was believed to be able to fly using bat wings
• Ki-Shun-Shi flew on a chariot--levitation

4
Chinese Contributions to Flight

• Two significant Chinese inventions
• Kites invented around 1000 B.C.
• Used in 17th century to carry soldiers
• Gunpowder developed in the ninth century
• Wan Hoo, fastened 47 rockets around a large chair
  to fly to the moon

5
Greek and Roman Legends

• Greek god, Hermes and Roman god, Mercury had
  wings on their sandals by
  which they could travel through the heavens

6
Greek and Roman Legends

• Eros, the Greek god of love, and Cupid, the
  Roman god of lovehad wings

• Pegasus, the winged horse

7
Other Legends

• In the 4th century B.C.,Alexander the
  Great,King of Macedonia was believed to have
  ridden in a cage pulled by griffins(half eagle
  and half lion)

Griffin
8
Daedalus and Icarus

• Imprisoned by Minos, theKing of the Greek island
  of Crete
• Daedalus made two pairs of wings and covered them
  with bird feathers and wax he and his son flew
  away from the prison

9
Daedalus and Icarus

• Despite his fatherswarnings, Icarus flewtoo
  close to the sun and the wax they used to
  attached the wings to their shoulders
  meltedcausing the wings tofall off and
  Icarusfell to his death inthe sea

10
Desire to Fly

• People had the desire to fly, but didnt
  understand the science necessary to fly
• As time progressed, a glimmer of understanding
  began to surface
• Franceso de Lana developed an aerial boat
  using evacuated hollow copperspheres to provide
  lift

Aerial Boat
11
Ancient Attempts to Fly

• In A.D. 852, Armen Firman, a Moor, donned a huge
  cloak and jumped to his death from a high tower
  in Cordoba, Spain
• Several attempts were made to fly by means of
  strapped-on wings and bat-like garments made of
  cloth and wood
• All were failures due to lack of scientific
  knowledge and power

12
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

• Considered by some the first aeronautical
  engineer
• Designed parachute, model helicopter,
  and ornithopter
• It wasnt until 300 years after his death that
  his manuscripts were found and made known to the
  world

13
Work of Leonardo da Vinci
Ornithopter (powered by arms and legs of
passenger)
Helicopter Design
Early Parachute
14
Leonardo da Vinci Contributions to Aeronautical
Engineering

• Center of Gravity
• Center of Pressure
• Streamlining