The first aircraft in history. The first people above the earth What the Wright brothers invented

American inventors, aircraft designers and pilots Wilber and Orville Wright entered the history of aviation as the Wright brothers - the brothers who were the first to fly on the aircraft they built. They loved each other dearly and always worked together. As kids, they joined a kite club. Soon their snakes became the best. Enterprising young Americans have achieved such skill that they even began to sell their first "flying machines" - kites - to other guys. Child's play has grown into a passion for the idea of ​​human flight in a controlled machine heavier than air.

December 17 is considered the birthday of aviation. It was on this day in 1903 that the first flight of an airplane piloted by Orville Wright took place. The aircraft stayed in the air for 12 seconds and, having overcome 40 m, fell to the ground.

The French believe that the palm should be awarded to Clement Ader, whose aircraft in 1890 took off the ground by 20 cm. Gustav Whitehead, a German by birth, made the first flight in the United States. New Zealanders proudly remember Richard Pearse, who in March 1903 flew 135 m in a bamboo and canvas monoplane and crashed into a fence (which once again confirms how important the control system of an aircraft is).

Speaking in Chicago in September 1901 to members of the Western Society of Engineers, Wilber Wright declared that the most difficult thing to control an aircraft after it had taken off the ground. The pilot cannot immediately master the art of piloting, and he needs some time to learn how to fly. The Wright brothers carefully studied the experience of the German engineer Otto Lilienthal, the most experienced pilot of his time, who made thousands of flights on gliders of his own design. But they understood that the control systems of a motorized aircraft and a glider are different, and flight stability is achieved by changing the position of the wingtips.

Everything before December 17, 1903 is the prehistory of aviation, which began a thousand years before our era with the first Chinese kites. According to ancient chronicles, in 206 BC. these kites lifted Chinese scouts into the air. One and a half thousand years later, Marco Polo saw with his own eyes in the Celestial Empire that such flights were not fiction. In Europe, they basically didn’t go up, but jumped down, building wings for themselves. The first person to survive was Oliver, an English Benedictine monk, in 1010, who jumped from Malmesbury Abbey and landed 125 paces away, breaking his legs. Other "flights" ended more tragically. Leonardo da Vinci created drawings of an aircraft that we would call a hang glider. But the design remained on paper. And in 1783, the history of aeronautics, but not aviation, began with the hot air balloon of the Montgolfier brothers. Here the palm belongs to the Wright brothers.

Wilbur and Orville were born in 1867 and 1871, respectively, to a family of six children. One day, my father brought home a toy with wings that, with the help of a twisted elastic band, rose into the air. Orville recalled that she simply fascinated them with her brother.

Most of the time the family lived in Dayton, Ohio. When Wilbur was already finishing school, a misfortune happened to him: while playing hockey, he was hit in the mouth with a stick. The wound was not severe, but gave complications. As a result, the boy fell into a depression that lasted three years. There was no question of continuing education. By this time, Orville had graduated from high school, but he also refused to go to college. Together with his school friend, he began to print advertisements, postcards to order, and even published several short-lived newspapers. Orville talked Wilbur into the business.

The brothers were very friendly. Wilbur recalls that they “played together, worked together and eventually thought. We have always discussed our thoughts and ideas together, so everything that has been done in our lives has been the result of conversations, suggestions and discussions that we had among ourselves.” Both never married.

Working with printing presses, the brothers showed a fair amount of ingenuity, constantly inventing various devices from improvised materials. Once a visiting printer from Chicago, having familiarized himself with their machines, said: “They really work, but it’s completely incomprehensible how.”

Then came a new hobby - bicycles. By 1892 they had their own shop and workshop. The bicycle boom in the United States was in full swing: monsters with a huge, taller than human front wheel were replaced by the familiar bicycle with wheels of the same diameter - a safe car that began to be in huge demand.

The brothers successfully invented their own models, which they traded until 1907. According to historians, it was the bicycle business that was the turning point in the development of Wilbur and Orville as inventors of aeronautical machines. After all, there is something in common between a bicycle and an airplane - the need to maintain balance, control movement.

A new sharp turn in life happened when the book of the German inventor Otto Lilienthal "Air flight as the basis for aeronautics" fell into the hands of the brothers. Lilienthal designed gliders, on which he made more than 2 thousand flights, and began to design an aircraft with a 2.5 horsepower engine. If he had not died during the next flight in a glider in August 1896, perhaps the Wright brothers would not have taken priority in creating an aircraft.

After reading the book Lilienthal, which became their desktop, Wilbur and Orville began to collect all available literature on apparatuses heavier than air and asked the Smithsonian Institution in Washington to send them links to all available English language work on this topic. After studying them, they concluded: "The issue of maintaining balance has been an insurmountable obstacle in all serious attempts to solve the problem of human flight in the air." The answer to this question, in their opinion, was in the creation of a system for controlling the apparatus along three axes by means of cables, and a person must be able to constantly control the rotary, inclined and rotational movements of the apparatus parts.

With this conviction, they set about creating their first glider, on which they were to learn to fly. The brothers did not have an engineering education, but they understood that it was impossible to do without calculations, and they took up textbooks. Based on Lilienthal's work, they were able to calculate that if they wanted to lift a large glider into the air, they needed a head-on wind speed of about 30 kilometers per hour. The brothers asked the US Weather Bureau for a list of the windiest areas in the country. As expected, Chicago, which the Americans call the Windy City, turned out to be the most suitable. But they wanted to work away from onlookers and journalists.

Sixth on the Weather Bureau's list was Kitty Hawk. In those days, it was a godforsaken fishing village on one of the islands that stretched along the coast of North Carolina in a narrow chain of almost 290 kilometers. Today, this chain of Outer Banks is a favorite vacation spot for Americans who come to sunbathe on ocean beaches. And about 250 years ago, when the settlement of the islands began, they were notorious. Near Kitty Hawk, for example, there is the village of Nags Head - Nag's Head. According to legend, pirates settled there, who robbed ships that came to the shores of America. At night, in bad weather, the pirates put lanterns around the neck of the horses and let them along the coast. The sailors mistook the lights for lighthouses and sent their ships directly to the coastal rocks. The rest is a matter of technique. It may be legend, but the Wright brothers' museum shop in Kill Devil Hills, and everywhere in North Carolina, still sell maps of the Outer Banks coastline showing hundreds of shipwrecks.

Kill Devil Hills is located between Kitty Hawk and Nags Head, and the name of the place in translation means Kill the Devil Hills. There are high sand dunes, reaching 30 meters. Since 1900, Wilbur and Orville have been constantly running between Dayton and Kill Devil Hills, building and testing aircraft in their bicycle shop.

First, they launch the glider like a tethered kite, and once again they are convinced that the problem of automatic stability has not been completely solved by Shaniut, there is still work to be done.

Wilbur and Orville Wright start building gliders of their own design. They are building a biplane glider with a wingspan of 12 meters, and Professor Shanyut is invited to test it, who willingly responded and helped them with his experience and knowledge.

The brothers began by gliding over the hills. "It was the only way to study the equilibrium conditions," they say.

The glider of the Wright brothers differed significantly from the gliders of Lilienthal and Chanute. They used horizontal depth rudders, placed forward of the wing on special rods, and behind the poles arranged vertical plates that acted as rudders. To maintain lateral balance, the Wright brothers first used the method of warping the trailing edge at the ends of the wings. With the help of levers and special rods at one end of the wing, the edge deviated, at the request of the pilot, either up or down, while at the other end of the wing, the bend occurred in the opposite direction. This helped to correct rolls.

Naturally, the hanging position of the pilot, as it was on the gliders of Lilienthal and Chanute, was no longer suitable here, and the Wright brothers were located, lying on the lower wing. Leaning on their elbows, they could move the control levers. But in connection with this, a new question arose: how to scatter and land? The inventors adapted light skids from below under the wing, on which the glider landed, like on skis. And the takeoff was even simpler: the pilot lay down in his seat, took control levers in his hands, and two assistants lifted the glider by the ends of the wings, ran with it against the wind and, feeling how the lifting force balances the force of gravity, strongly pushed the glider down the hill.

During September and October 1902, Wilbur and Orville Wright made about a thousand flights with their glider. The length of some of them reached two hundred meters.

Thanks to the improved control, the pilots were now not afraid of even very strong winds.

“Having received accurate data for our calculations,” they write, “and having achieved an equilibrium sufficiently stable both in wind and in a calm atmosphere, we found it possible to start building an apparatus with a motor.”

The experience of building gliders was the best fit for Wilbur and Orville Wright when working on the first aircraft. In fact, it was the same biplane glider, only slightly larger and more durable. And a gasoline engine with a capacity of 12 horsepower and weighing about 100 kilograms was installed on the lower wing. Nearby was a cradle for the pilot with rudders. The motor developed 1400 revolutions per minute and, with the help of chain drives, rotated two pushing propellers with a diameter of 2.6 meters, located symmetrically behind the wings.

Both the gasoline engine and the propellers were made by the brothers themselves. The motor, however, was still far from perfect and rather heavy, but still better than a steam engine with its enormous weight and meager power. A lot of work had to be done on the propellers. The Wright brothers did many experiments until they finally found the right sizes for them. They made very important conclusions, which aircraft designers still use today, namely, that for each aircraft and engine, the propeller must be calculated separately.

With the same thoughtfulness and thoroughness, the Wright brothers built every detail, every node of the structure. Finally everything was ready.

The morning of December 17, 1903 was overcast and cold. A gusty wind from the ocean whistled dejectedly through the crevices of the plank shed where Wilbur and Orville were finishing the final preparations for their winged machine. Having had a quick bite, the brothers threw open the wide doors of the barn. Far away, beyond the sandy spit of the beach, the surf roared restlessly, the wind whirled the sand. The first desire was to close the doors and warm up by the brazier, because the wind was exasperating with might and main. However, the brothers wanted to quickly test their creation, and the cheerful merry fellow Orville, looking at the eldest, Wilbur, read consent in his eyes. Then he pulled the cord, and a small flag was raised on a high pole over the barn. It was a prearranged signal.

In the distance, on a sand dune where a small rescue station was located, they waved in response, and the brothers, without waiting for the helpers to arrive, pulled their airplane out of the barn.

Five people came up from the rescue station and volunteered to help. Young sailors and old sea wolves, bored by winter idleness, examined the winged wonder with curiosity, holding it tighter in gusts of wind.

Next to the shed was a wooden tower, from which Wilbur and Orville laid a wooden rail, about forty meters long, strictly against the wind. The assistants did not immediately realize what it was for. But then the brothers hoisted onto the rail a two-wheeled cart on bicycle hubs, on which the airplane was installed. Then Wilbur and his assistants lifted a rather heavy load suspended on a block to the top of the tower, and then from it, again through blocks, he led a rope to the cart. The most ingenious of the sailors realized that all this device resembled a catapult and was necessary for take-off: after all, the plane had no wheels, and for landing, as on previous gliders, only wooden skids were adapted from below.

The brothers stopped near the plane. Wilbur's pocket watch showed ten thirty in the morning. Everyone wanted to fly first. Reasonable and calm, Wilbur took out a coin and briefly asked:
- Heads or tails?
- Eagle! Orville exclaimed impatiently.

The coin soared into the air and fell back into his palm. Eagle!

Thirty-two-year-old Orville jumped up like a boy and habitually climbed onto the plane. Wilbur helped start the engine, and while it warmed up, Orville lay down beside the roaring engine in the pilot's cradle and adjusted himself once more to the controls.

The elder Wilbur moved to the edge of the wing, held it in a horizontal position, feeling how, with an increase in engine speed, the trembling from the car was transmitted to him.

Finally, Orville raised his hand in the pilot's seat - the signal "Ready to fly." Then the older brother pressed the brake lever. The load on the tower broke from the stopper, the blocks creaked. The airplane, together with the trolley, started off and, picking up speed, rushed forward along the rail. Wilbur, after running a few steps, released his wing and froze in place. The sailors, too, followed the takeoff with intense attention, and suddenly saw how the airplane broke away from the cart and soared into the air. He flew uncertainly, like a barely fledged chick that fell out of the nest, then soaring three or four meters up, then descending to the very ground. But he flew!

And from the consciousness of this miracle, one of the young sailors could not stand it and shouted: "Hurray!"

But then the airplane pecked with its nose and sank down on its runners on the sand. Wilbur clicked the stopwatch and glanced at the dial. The flight lasted twelve seconds. Only twelve seconds!

"... True, for a very short time," the Wright brothers wrote, "if we compare it with the flight of birds, but this was the first time in world history when a machine carrying a person rose own strength into the air, in free flight passed a certain horizontal distance, not reducing its speed in the least, and finally descended to the ground without damage.

And although the "known distance" was only thirty-odd meters, it was from him that the victorious path of flying vehicles heavier than air began.

Now it was Wilbur's turn. He flew a little longer and a little further. The brothers seemed to compete with each other. In the third flight, Orville already felt the effectiveness of control.

“When I flew about the same distance as Wilbur, a strong gust of wind struck from the left side, which raised the left wing and threw the car sharply to the right. I immediately turned the handle to land the car, and then started working with the tail rudder. when the left wing touched the ground first, proving that lateral control on this machine is much more efficient than on previous ones."

In the fourth flight, Wilbur was in the air for 59 seconds and flew a distance of about three hundred meters.

The Wright brothers measured this distance in steps and were satisfied. Rescue station workers who witnessed this historical event rejoiced with the brothers. They helped drag the car back to the start. And while Orville and Wilbur shared their impressions, a strong gust of wind suddenly came up from the ocean. He picked up the airplane, circled it above the ground and threw it on the sand. All attempts to keep the car were in vain.

From the airplane in an instant there was only a pile of debris. The sky seemed to take revenge on people for the fact that they dared to invade its limits.

But the Wright brothers were stubborn. Having dragged the wreckage of the car into the barn, they immediately began to discuss the project of a new, more advanced airplane.

Wilbur and Orville decided to leave Kill Devil Hills and return to Dayton. A pasture ten miles from their home was chosen to continue the work. By that time they became famous all over the world. People came to see the tests, paid a lot of money to find out from neighboring farmers when the next flight would take place. And the brothers were seriously afraid that competitors would be able to copy their model before their creation was patented. It was decided to stop flying until better times. In October 1905, the plane was driven into a hangar, and for two and a half years the Wright brothers did not fly.

All this time they were negotiating with the US War Department and even a number of European governments, trying to find a client to conclude a contract to build a commercial aircraft. Again, they took to the air only in 1908. Demonstration flights were carried out in France and Germany, and only later it was possible to agree on demonstrating the capabilities of the aircraft to American military officials. The signal corps of the US Army set a condition: a contract for the production and sale of aircraft will be signed if the device can stay in the air for about an hour, and there must be a passenger on board. The first flight ended in disaster: the plane crashed on a field in Fort Myer, Virginia. Orville was injured and his passenger was killed. And only a year later, Orville returned to Fort Myer to demonstrate the capabilities of the new model, which exceeded all expectations. The contract was signed, and the brothers created the Wright Company Corporation. Its headquarters were in New York, and the plant was in Dayton.

From 1910 to 1915, the Wright Company designed 12 different types aircraft. Orville estimated that their plant produced approximately 100 cars. However, at first things were not going well, so I had to look for other ways to make money. The brothers organized a flying school for everyone, and also began to train French and American military pilots. In parallel, they decided to create a group of pilots who were supposed to perform demonstration flights. Wilbur and Orville hoped that selling tickets to spectacles that could be held all over the country would bring good profits. However, this business lasted only two years: it had to be abandoned when two of the group's six pilots died in accidents.

From the moment the company was founded, the brothers began to face intense competition, including from European aircraft manufacturers. Wilbur and Orville filed numerous lawsuits against American and foreign designers and pilots, who, in their opinion, violated their copyrights, protected by a number of patents. Now the time has come for the brethren to take up international law, in which they have not been very successful. So, in Germany, the courts decided not in favor of the Wrights. In France, the case dragged on until 1917, when the brothers' patents expired.

All this undermined Wilbur's health. He contracted typhus and died in 1912 at the age of 45. Orville, on the contrary, lived longer than all of his immediate family. True, he retired from business already in 1915, and died in 1948.

The first flight on an airplane was carried out by two Wright brothers Orville and Wilbur in December 1903. The inventors were able to realize the old dream of mankind - to conquer the expanses of heaven and view the beauty of the Earth from a bird's eye view.

Of course, the first flight of the Wright brothers did not last too long, and the transport itself did not much resemble a modern airliner. But despite this, the brothers were able to raise a controlled aircraft into the sky and soar in it in the sky like birds, by using the energy of the thermal air flow.

Before this event, a person was able to learn to raise only gliders that were not equipped with motors into the heavenly heights.

Inventors of the first flying machine

Why exactly did the brothers-inventors manage to lift into the sky hard kind transport, despite the fact that many scientists have not been able to succeed in this endeavor? Several reasons contributed to the success:

1. The brothers always worked together, carefully discussing each step among themselves.
2. Before starting to build the plane of the Wright brothers, these scientists made the right decision - to learn how to soar in the sky.
3. Inventors before the construction of air transport received a lot of experience flying on an air glider, which also helped them in the design of the aircraft.

First of all, the brothers decided to learn how to soar in the heavenly space, and only after that they tried to lift heavy vehicles into the heavenly heights. But how could this be done? Scientists were able to find a way out of a difficult situation here. In order to "learn to fly," the brothers used gliders and kites that they assembled on their own.

Such a glider had sufficient dimensions to support the weight of a person. However, the first invention was unsuccessful for many reasons, so the brothers set about creating the second and third models. And only the latter was able to fully satisfy brilliant minds, as a result, the first plane of the Wright brothers rushed into the air in 1903, piloted by already experienced glider pilots. Designing several models of gliders, the brothers gained vast experience in this direction, which, of course, helped them achieve unprecedented success.

Important nuances

For the Wright brothers, it was primarily the control of the mechanism and the stability of the flight that were important. Perhaps that is why they sought to find effective ways, helping to control air transport, which they succeeded in full. In the course of numerous experiments, scientists have found an effective three-stage control method, which helped them achieve remarkable maneuverability and complete control of the aircraft.

Scientists have revised a lot of information about the design of the wings of the old air Vehicle, which could not be lifted into the sky, and decided to make some changes to the design. The brothers developed a unique form of a wind tunnel and passed over it over 100 experiences until they were able to find the ideal wing shape for the aircraft.

Wright brothers plane

How long was the first flight?

The first flight of the Wright brothers was incredibly short by today's standards - only 12 seconds. But on the same day, the researchers raised their invention into the sky two more times. The longest was the last flight, which lasted 55 seconds. During this time, the glider successfully flew a distance of 255 meters. Taking into account all the shortcomings, Wright was able to make numerous improvements to their ingenious design.

The brothers spent more than 5 years on improving the first model, and only in 1908 they presented an aircraft assembled by their own hands for Europe. Of course, the European public was shocked by what they saw, especially since, as it turned out, such an invention could be created by two ordinary person without special education.

How was the first plane flown?

The Wright brothers' first aircraft was named " Flyer-1”, and the main methods of controlling it, with minor improvements, are still used in world aviation today:

1. Cabrating - performing a transverse turn on the plane of the Wright brothers was carried out by changing the angle of the front rudder, which regulates the flight altitude. In modern airliners, the altitude control rudder is also used in aircraft, however, it is located in the tail section.
2. So that the first aircraft could carry out a longitudinal turn, a special mechanism was used. The pilot's legs were used to control it. With the help of a foot mechanism, the pilot could both bend and tilt the wings of the glider.
3. The rear steering wheel was used to implement the vertical turn.

Modern pilots performing the above maneuvers also need to control the speed, coordinate the tilt of the aircraft and the angle of flight. If these points are not taken into account, then the lifting force will be insufficient, since the wings of the airliner will lose the necessary streamlining. As a result, the plane will enter the so-called tailspin, and only a pilot with vast experience who will not lose his composure at a critical moment will be able to get out of this difficult situation.

One of the drawings by the Wright brothers

Use of the first airframe for military purposes

The plane of the Wright brothers could not but interest the military, who very quickly were able to appreciate the unique capabilities of the airplane. To create as many of these machines as possible, a huge factory was built. It was on these planes that the first bombs were dropped on the ground, and real battles took place in the airspace.

After the end of the war, airplanes were not forgotten, they turned into a convenient and fast mode of transport that delivered various cargoes to cities and countries. An airplane was often used to deliver mail and correspondence, especially to the most remote places and settlements.

Passenger traffic began in the mid-20s of the last century and was available only to wealthy people. A few years later, having received many improvements, the airplane was able to overcome a very long distance - to fly over the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

In contact with

Many mistakenly believe that Americans Wright brothers built the first aircraft - the plane. No, it's not. They own a much greater achievement - the first controlled flight on an airplane. It was this fact that served as the foundation for aircraft construction in the future.

The biggest fundamental achievement of the Wright brothers was their discovery three axes of aircraft rotation, which allowed pilots to effectively control the aircraft and maintain its balance during flight.

This method has become the main one, and remains so to this day for all types of aircraft.

Brief biography of the Wright brothers

The Wright brothers were born into a family Milton Wright- Bishop of the Evangelical Church, and Susan Katherine Koerner. wilber(Wilbur) Wright was born in 1867 and Orville- in 1871. In total, the family of Susan and Milton had 7 children.

Study period

Both brothers attended high school but did not receive their diplomas. The unexpected move of the family in 1884 from Richmond to Dayton prevented Wilber from getting his diploma at the end of the 4th grade of high school.

Orville left high school after completing his freshman year in 1889 to start publishing business by designing and building his own printing press with the help of Wilber.

Early career

Thus, the Wright brothers began their path to success with an early career as publishers of the weekly newspaper " Westside News”, where Wilber was the editor, and Orville was directly involved in the publication.

Taking advantage bike boom The Wright brothers opened a bicycle repair shop and shop in 1892, and then began manufacturing bicycles under their own brand in 1896.

They spent all the money they earned on their aviation experiments.

Interest in flying

Brothers got interested in flying in 1890 when they read in the newspapers about the flights of a German engineer Otto Lilienthal, who designed, built and tested 11 aircraft himself. Lilienthal studied the structure of the wings of birds, their flight, his gliders flew like birds.

He did not succeed in everything, but he made over 2 thousand flights.

Apparatus with a motor

And if you attach a motor to the glider? Then you can make big flights. This idea so captivated the Wright brothers that they began to collect all the publications related to aeronautics.

In August 1896, Lilienthal died during his flight to Berlin. This news made a depressing impression on the brethren. They were more and more inclined to think that the aircraft need an engine with which a person could control it.

First experiments

The brothers began their experiments in 1899. They were the first to fly kites into the sky. Watching their flight, they realized that in order to make a turn, the kite must roll exactly as birds do.

This means that the fixed wing must have its own rudders - ailerons. They tested the kites again and turned these rudders with cables from the ground. The snakes listened to them.

Aerodynamic tube

Then the brothers began to experiment with gliders, but instead of a man in the cockpit, they put a sandbag, rode bicycles with wings attached to them, and, in the end, created a wind tunnel to determine lift.

They made sure that the device obeys a person, turns if the wings are skewed. Turning can be carried out in one direction or another with the help of a roll - multidirectionally rotated wing corners. And the rise to the desired height will occur with the help of a special flat steering wheel lying in front of it horizontally.

History of the Flyers

Wilbur and Orville designed everything themselves - the wooden frame of the apparatus, 2 wooden propellers, a gasoline engine and a chain drive, like a bicycle. After the first successful test of the Flyer aircraft December 17, 1903 they made two more models, which, however, flew only up to 100 m in length at a speed of 40 kilometers per hour.

But already in 1905 their Flyer-3 flew 38 km in 33 minutes. It was an absolute record!

Their first "Flyer" had a wingspan of 12 m, weighed only 283 kg, the engine weighed 77 kg. It was the lightest and at the same time the most manageable car.

Interested search

Having created their own company, the brothers tried to establish contacts with the US Army. To draw the attention of the military to their vehicles, they showed them their controlled vehicles, able to fly in circles! Nobody had been able to do that at the time.

But the brothers also had failures. They fell to the ground more than once, broke bones, were treated - and continued their work. Starting in 1908, they traveled to Europe and showed their cars there, which caused universal admiration.

The Last Triumph of the Wright Brothers

October 4, 1909 during a celebration in New York, Wilber flew over the city, making a circle over the Statue of Liberty. It was the last triumph of both brothers. In 1912, Wilber contracted typhoid fever and died. Orville sold the company and was no longer involved in aircraft.

The funny thing is that everyone is right. Each aviation pioneer who worked in the 19th - early 20th centuries brought something new to the aircraft industry, invented components and parts that no one had used before. The reason for this was simple: no one really knew which concept would work, which system was actually capable of flight. Phillips' outlandish multiplane had exactly the same chance of flying as a machine of a more traditional design.

First glider and flight theory

Long before Mozhaisky, the Wrights and Santos-Dumont, there lived in Great Britain a man named George Cayley (1773−1857). It makes sense to consider him "guilty" in the emergence of such a science as aerodynamics and, in general, the theoretical foundations of aviation. Between 1805 and 1810, Cayley built model gliders and tested them on a rotary aerodynamic machine of his own design, measuring lift and trying different wing configurations—for the first time in history! And in 1809-10, he published a series of articles under the general title On Aerial Navigation (“On Air Navigation”) - the first work in history on aerodynamics and flight theory. He, Caylee, also built the first full-sized gliders, which made small flights, but were not capable of a full-fledged flight. Cayley's last glider was tested in 1853. At the helm was either John Appleby, a Caylee employee, or the inventor's grandson George. Replicas of Caylee's glider can now be found in various aviation museums.

A replica of Caylee's glider, built by Derek Piggott, flew in 1973.

Magazine cover of Caylee's original article on gliders, which he calls steerable parachutes.

So, Cayley was the first to try to build a full-sized flying glider using the basics of aerodynamics. But he did not think about installing an engine on his airframe, since the steam plants of that time were extremely bulky and heavy; it was hard to imagine that they could lift something light into the air (naturally, by that time they were actively used on ships and steam locomotives, and a little later on the first steam tractors).

First aircraft and steam model patent

The first person who guessed to equip the glider with a motor and thus get a full-fledged aircraft was another Briton - William Henson (1812−1888). Henson was a renowned engineer and inventor, and made money by mechanizing the manufacture of razor blades. And in April 1841, with his friend and colleague John Stringfellow (1799−1883), he patented an airplane for the first time in history. His Aerial Steam Carriage (Ariel) was a 420 m? and a span of 46 m and a closed streamlined fuselage. It was powered by two pusher propellers powered by a single 50-horsepower steam engine. Henson and Stringfellow registered the first airline in history, The Aerial Transit Company, which offered high-speed tours ... to Egypt in the near future. It was assumed that the aircraft would carry 10-12 passengers over a distance of up to 1500 km.

Ariel by William Henson.

Newspaper engraving depicting a steam powered airplane of the William Henson system.

But the inventors did not have enough money for a full-size aircraft. Henson soon lost interest in the project, and in 1848 he emigrated with his family to the United States, where patent law was much friendlier to inventors, and Stringfellow continued his experiments with Ariel models.

In 1848, John Stringfellow made the first motorized flight in history - naturally, unmanned. His 3-meter-span Ariel model, powered by a compact steam engine, made several successful flights, subsequently repeated at the 1868 World's Fair, where the inventor received a gold medal for his work. The model is still kept in the London Museum of Science and Technology.

John Stringfellow's Model Steam Plane (1848) is the first unmanned aircraft to fly.

Monoplane Stringfellow, one of the rare photographs.

A replica of Stringfellow's monoplane is kept at the London Technical Museum.

First full size aircraft

So, the steam model has already flown. The next step was a full-size aircraft - and here the "right of the first night" passed from Britain to France. Many people were building full-size gliders by that time - the most famous was the Frenchman Jean-Marie Le Bris (1817-1872) and his Albatross glider, which successfully took off in 1856. But somehow the hands did not reach the plane with the motor.

The French naval officer Felix du Temple de la Croix (1823-1890) was the first to decide on the construction of a full-size aircraft - and found funding. In 1857, he patented a flying machine - single, with a 6-horsepower steam engine. Her micromodels, equipped with a clockwork instead of a steam engine, successfully flew. But the steam engines that existed at that time were too heavy for flight, and by 1776 du Temple created and patented an ultralight engine - especially for his aircraft.

However, he built the power plant even earlier, in 1874, simultaneously with the aircraft, which received the simple name Monoplane. The Du Temple Monoplane is the first non-flying full-size steam aircraft in history. The aircraft was shown at the 1878 World's Fair but never took off, and du Temple made his fortune manufacturing and selling ultralight steam engines that were used in torpedo boats.

And only here Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky appears. He was one of the great pioneers of aviation late XIX century and the second in history decided to build a full-size aircraft, and mainly on own funds. The plane was completed by 1883, and was much more perfect - and incredibly heavier - than du Temple's machine. His only test took place in 1885 - the plane drove along the rails, but could not rise into the air, but capsized, breaking the wing. Mozhaisky became the first aviator who equipped his system with transverse controls (ailerons) and generally thought about the mechanization of the wing.

An image of Mozhaisky's plane from a pre-revolutionary book. The year is wrong, in fact the car was finished in 1883.

Aircraft model of Alexander Mozhaisky.

In general, from 1880 to 1910, about 200 different aircraft were built in the world, which could not take off. Each inventor contributed something of his own, something new that his followers used - it was a great era of finding the right solution. Ader, Voisin, Cornu, Mozhaisky, Wenham, Phillips - these names are forever recorded in the history of aeronautics.

First powered flight

The first powered aircraft took off on December 17, 1903, and it was a motorized glider by Orville and Wilbur Wright. The power unit for the Flyer was the engine internal combustion, created by the Wrights in collaboration with mechanic Charles Taylor. The glider made four flights that day. The first - Orville was the pilot - lasted 12 seconds, and the car overcame 36.5 meters. The most successful was the fourth, when the Flyer was in the air for 59 seconds, covering a full 260 meters.

But not everyone considers the Wrights' flight complete. The Flyer glider did not have a landing gear and took off from special skids (however, like many other pioneer aircraft) or with the help of a catapult, and, in addition, it was stable only in a headwind, and due to the lack of wing mechanization, it could only move in a straight line, no turns. By 1905, the brothers had significantly improved the car (in this configuration it was called the Wright Flyer III), but then they were “overtaken” by another pioneer, Alberto Santos-Dumont.

The first "real" aircraft

Dumont was born and died in Brazil, but spent most of his life in France. He became famous as a designer of airships and was known for very eccentric antics - for example, Dumont could fly a compact one-seat airship from his apartment to a restaurant, land the car on a wide avenue and go to breakfast. Thanks to this, he was very popular, starred for magazines and even became the founder of the style of clothing.

And on October 23, 1906, Alberto Santos-Dumont did what no one before him could do, even the Wright brothers. In his 14-bis aircraft, also known as the "Bird of Prey", Santos-Dumont took off independently from a flat area, flew 60 meters, and in an arc, made a turn, and successfully landed on his own landing gear. In fact, it was the 14-bis that was the first full-fledged aircraft - in the sense that is accepted in aviation today.

All of them contributed to the aircraft industry, and the term "inventor of the first aircraft" is simply incorrect - neither in relation to the Wrights, nor in relation to Santos-Dumont, and even more so to Mozhaisky. All of them can be called the "inventors of the aircraft", and there were actually at least fifty of them like them. And each left an indelible mark on history.

IN THE USA. Of course, there are still disputes about the palm between them, Alberto Santos-Dumont and the Russian inventor Alexander Mikhailovich Mozhaisky. And yet, the majority of votes are given precisely for the Wright brothers.

It is they who are credited with the first flight on an airplane that already had an engine. What is the first flight of the Wright brothers and in what year was it carried out? And who are these Wright brothers and their plane - what was it? All these questions you will get answers in this article. To do this, you will need to delve a little into the history of the aircraft industry.

Wilbur Wright came up with the idea to create an aircraft capable of staying well in the air and at the same time well controlled. back in 1899-1900. Based on the experience of others, they identified several key problems from the very beginning that would help create something new:

• method of practical management;
• lifting force;
• engines.

Watching the birds fly, the brothers saw that the bird leans to the side when it wants to turn. Thus, it was developed wing warping method.

In their early experiments and developments, they sought to ensure complete control over the airframe. They first experimented with a biplane kite. by trying certain ideas on it. Then they moved on to the creation of gliders. Work continued from 1900 to 1903, with varied success.

Wright brothers.

All experiments were performed by Willbur. It was he who directly controlled the glider. They tested the wing warping system. The pilot also had to lie on the lower wing, which solved the problem with aerodynamic drag.

True, not all problems have been solved. The glider was losing speed. But the effect of the parachute helped the pilot to land safely.

They began to produce wind tunnel experiments. This was necessary for the correct calculation of the lifting force. Thanks to this, it was discovery of the effectiveness of longer and narrower wings. In terms of aerodynamic performance, they were better than the wide ones.

The brothers developed a new glider, already relying on past experiences. He already had a vertical, hard rudder that helped him stay on course. Also, a more perfect wing shape made it possible to perform more.

They opened and the appointment of a vertical rudder. He helped to level the glider during rolls and gusts of wind.

October 8, 1902 they managed to achieve full control above the glider. So was born and three-axis aircraft control system. This led them to the idea of ​​creating an air vehicle with an engine.

Creation of a device with an engine

By 1903 they started developing a new model. It was made of a favorite material - spruce, as this type of wood is light, but at the same time strong. The propellers were also made from it. As for the engine, it was made in the brothers' bicycle shop.

The propeller was made from three pieces of spruce glued together. Its efficiency was as much as 66%. Modern studies have shown that it was even 85%.

They themselves could not find a suitable company where they could design the desired engine. So they turned to the mechanic who works in their shop, Charlie Taylor. Many of its parts were made of aluminum in order to reduce the weight of the engine, and the chain was made in a facility that specializes in heavy-duty machine chains. Of course, by modern standards, it was primitive. But given that the brothers relied only on their experience, at that time it was revolutionary.

Its wingspan was 12 m and weighed 283 kg. The engine had a power of 9 watts, weighing 77 kg.

The Wright brothers' first plane of 1903 was named Flyer 1.

Aircraft testing

First time soared into the air December 14, 1903. However, he collapsed almost immediately. Willbur wrote that the reason was a lack of experience and a small mistake. Flights that were made a little later - three days later - became successful.

Flyer layout 1.

The aircraft was able to overcome 36.5 m in 12 s. It is he who appears in the photo of the plane of the Wright brothers. The following times were even more successful - the plane was able to fly 52 and 60 meters, over 3 meters above the ground.

5 people watched over the flights, so they are also considered public.

After the tests, the brothers no longer used it. They took him home. Later, it was transferred to the British Museum. From there he was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution.