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Aviation History
1912
1912 - 1144.PDF
ffi.'G"T DECEMBER 7. 1912. ARTIFICIAL WING FLIGHT, SOME EARLY EXPERIMENTS So fascinated are a large number of those interested in the progress of flight with the possibilities and prospects of flapping flight, that we feel it may be of considerable interest to a large section of our readers if we recall to Fig. 1.—Goose's wings and tall arranged to be actuated by an electric motor, and to demonstrate the fact that up-and-down flapping flight produces forward motion at the same time, as proved by rotation of the balanced lever-arm from which the mechanism is suspended, round its centre. mind those experiments which were conducted by Messrs. E. P. Frost, F. W. Hutchinson, and C. R. D'Esterre, some years ago. The results of their latest work were embodied in a paper which Dr. Hutchinson read before the Cam bridge University Engi neering Society in 1905, an account of which appeared in The Auio- motor Journal of that date, and it is from that article that the following illustrations and text are abstracted. The object of the ex perimenters was to ascer tain what practical results could be obtained from this mode of aerial pro pulsion. The first experi ments of the series were carried out in 1887 bv Mr. Frost, who used a pair of artificial wings connected to another pair super imposed, both pairs being designed to be flapped synchronously. An aerocurve and aeroplane were fitted in front, and there was an extension behind. The front aerocurve was formed by two wings joined continuously at their inner ends, and the curvature of the wings lollowed that of the wings of a swift. The motive power consisted of a steam engine, and this, not unnaturally, proved inadequate for the work, so that these experi ments gave no practical confirmation of Mr. Frost's theory thai a bird flies mainly by flapping its wings at right angles to its line of flight. The later experiments- were made by Messrs- Frost, Hutchinson, and D'Esterre, with a pair of wings as shown in Fig. i- These were dried natural (goose) wings, their total area being about 3 sq. ft. The wings were connected with a small electric motor, and a reduction gear arranged to flap them up and down, the whole arrangement being sus pended by a spring balance from a balanced lever adapted to move round in a large circle. What is the most interest ing feature of the machine is that this up and movement obtainable. down flapping ot the goose's wings occasioned not merely^ a vibratory up-and-down motion in which the bird, formed by the two wings, rose and fell, but also produced a forward movement as well, causing the balanced lever to rotate about its centre. In the first 1144
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