FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1963
1963 - 0722.PDF
FLIGHT International, 9 May 1963 Burattini's "Flying Dragon" SIR,—The fascinating discoveries of Mr Gibbs-Smith con cerning the work of Sir George Cayley Flight International, September 20, 1962) prompt me to raise the question of the world's first aeroplane in which "the system of lift is sepa rated from the system of thrust" and "history's first tandem- wing aeroplane." These inventions are attributed by Mr Gibbs-Smith to Cayley. There is, however, ample evidence in existence to suggest that such an aircraft was in fact de signed and constructed in Poland by Burattini some 150 years earlier. Tito Livio Burattini, born in Venice circa 1615, settled in Poland about 1644. He became naturalized (his name was polonized and often spelled as Buratin or Boratini) and acquired the friendship and protection of Stanislaw Pud- lowski, mathematician of the Jagiellon University in Krak6w and later of the King of Poland. Burattini became known as a scientist and inventor, and devoted much of his energy to the development of a flying machine. Evidence concerning his experiments is to be found in letters of the Secretary to the Polish Queen, Pierre Des Noyers (Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, Vol 6204), in the book Narrische Weisheit und Weise Narrheit by Doct Joh Joachim Bechers, Frankfurt, 1682, and in the corres pondence of several prominent scholars of the 17th Century such as Bouillau, Hevelius, Huygens, Kircher, Mersenne, Riccioli and others. According to these sources, Burattini constructed in 1647 a working model of a flying machine. The model, 4 to 5ft long, could rise into the air and carried a cat as passenger. It "remained airborne as long as a man kept the feathers and wheels in motion by the way of a string" (Des Noyers). At the request of the King of Poland, Wladyslaw IV, Burattini demonstrated the device before the Polish Court, and apparently obtained 500 talers from the Royal Treasury for the construction of a full-size machine, which he promised to complete in eight months' time. MrJ.B.Cynk's impression of Burattini's "Dragon Volant," based upon descriptions of the craft. Mr Cynk comments: "The original drawing of the machine, attached to one of the Des Noyers letters, seems to be lost without trace" By May 1648, Burattini's aircraft, called Dragon Volant ("Flying Dragon"), was ready. The machine was provided with four pairs of wings mounted in tandem. Two middle pairs "served only as lifting surfaces," one further pair for lifting and forward movement, and two wings at the front of the machine "only for forward movement" (Des Noyers). The "thrust" wings were operated by hand-pulled cords, and folded in forward movement, extending widely in a beating propulsion movement. The aircraft had a crew of three (Bechers), with a front and rear man probably operating the wings and a "master of the ship" in the middle. At the rear of the main body of the craft there was a large tail surface, movable in all directions, which served for steering and, in case of an emergency landing on water, acted as a float. Another remarkable feature was a large folding 695 parachute, which in case of wing failure could be released by a spring to slow down the machine's descent. Regarding the tests with Dragon Volant, Bechers writes that the aircraft, with three persons on board, including Burattini, ascended into the air, but "... as there were always some shortcomings, perfection was never achieved, although Burattini maintained that he would fly from War saw to Constantinople inside 12 hours" (a distance of over 1,000 miles). It seems most probable that Dragon Volant was eventually destroyed in 1655, when the Swedes invading Poland from the north approached (and briefly occupied) Warsaw. No one can seriously suggest that it really flew, or that the work of Burattini can be compared with that of Cayley on an equal footing. Nevertheless his aircraft was a most outstanding concept for that time; it was the first tandem- wing design in the history of flying, the first in which the lift system was separated from the propulsion system, and the most elaborate and sophisticated aeroplane to be built before the 19th Century. The little-publicized Dragon Volant was undoubtedly the most important stepping-stone in the development of the "heavier-than-air" flying machines between Leonardo da Vinci and Cayley, and as such deserves due recognition from aviation writers. London N9 j. B. CYNK Rapide Pilots Required SIR,—May I, through the generosity of your columns, ask for help? The Army Free Fall Parachuting Association has recently been presented with an excellent D.H. Rapide. This aeroplane will be used by us for parachuting both in this country and BAOR. It will probably put in many flying hours in any one year. Our problem is pilots. We have none, and I wish to avoid the expense of hiring them, since this increases the cost of parachuting. Most of our members are private soldiers. I would be glad to hear from any of your readers who have experience of Rapides, and who would be willing to increase their flying hours for no greater reward than their travelling expenses to and from our airfields. They should write to Trial and Development Wing, The School of Infantry, Netheravon, Salisbury, Wilts. j. s. WEEKS, MAJ, Vice-Chairman, Army Free Fall Parachuting Association BEA's Radio Officers SIR,—Further to Roger Bacon's sadness (Straight and Level, April 11) on reading of BEA's departing ROs, is it not de plorably sad and a waste of accumulated experience, that not one has been absorbed into the aircraft or allied industries? Slough, Bucks EX-BEA/RO FORTHCOMING EVENTS May 9 RAeS: a.g.m. and film, "Friendship Seven." May 9-10 Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute: a.g.m. and Lecture Sessions, Winnipeg. May 13 RAeS Historical Group: "Trail-blazing," by Sir Alan Cobham. May 15 Kronfeld Club: "Aspects of Modern Air Survey" by John Saffery. May 15 RAeS, Chester: a.g.m., and Lecture by Capt O. P. Jones. May 16 RAeS, Birmingham and Wolverhampton: a.g.m. and Film Show. May 16 RAeS: All-day Symposium, "Landing and Take-off Problems." May 16 Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators: Livery Invest iture and Informal Reception. May 17 Institute of Navigation: "Compound Air Navigation Systems," by Claud Powell and Michael Pearson. May 21 Cranfield Society RAeS: First Handley Page Memorial Lecture, by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh. May 22 Kronfeld Club: Films. May 23 RAeS: 51st Wilbur Wright Memorial Lecture, "Man and Military Space," by C. D. Perkins.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
