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fandomhigh2008-09-25 01:01 am
crazypilotman.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2008-09-25 01:01 am
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Aviation & Avionics, Thursday September 25, Period 2
It might look like the class had a subsitute, despite the fact that the woman at the front of the room was wearing a very familiar brown leather jacket.
"Don't ask," he muttered once the students were settled. "Let's just focus on class, alright?"
And no that wasn't him muttering as he started scrawling on the chalkboard. Might not look like Murdock, but the handwriting was exactly the same.
"The reason I didn't cover the Wright Brothers last week is because I planned to include them today. Didn't want make things to redundant for y'all."
"Of course history was made on December 17, 1903 when Orville Wright flew 120 feet at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The thing that makes this attempt stand out more than any of their predecessors is that they made the first successful controlled flight of a powered aircraft. Before them, the previous attempts by early inventors were gliding only, completely unpowered except by the wind, or launch-assisted powered craft. The Wright Brothers were the first to have a successful flight of a piloted, powered aircraft that took off with nothing more than its own power. They were also able to sustain that flight, and land, without mishap. That is why they are credited as being the first men to fly."
"After the Wrights' success, many entrepreneurs jumped on the bandwagon, eager to conquer the skies. Of course, there were many failures, and some of the more distinctive ones we'll be covering later this semester, but we're going to look at those which had the greatest impact on the early development of flight."
(ocd up!a'comin')
"Don't ask," he muttered once the students were settled. "Let's just focus on class, alright?"
And no that wasn't him muttering as he started scrawling on the chalkboard. Might not look like Murdock, but the handwriting was exactly the same.
"The reason I didn't cover the Wright Brothers last week is because I planned to include them today. Didn't want make things to redundant for y'all."
"Of course history was made on December 17, 1903 when Orville Wright flew 120 feet at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The thing that makes this attempt stand out more than any of their predecessors is that they made the first successful controlled flight of a powered aircraft. Before them, the previous attempts by early inventors were gliding only, completely unpowered except by the wind, or launch-assisted powered craft. The Wright Brothers were the first to have a successful flight of a piloted, powered aircraft that took off with nothing more than its own power. They were also able to sustain that flight, and land, without mishap. That is why they are credited as being the first men to fly."
"After the Wrights' success, many entrepreneurs jumped on the bandwagon, eager to conquer the skies. Of course, there were many failures, and some of the more distinctive ones we'll be covering later this semester, but we're going to look at those which had the greatest impact on the early development of flight."
(ocd up!
Sign in
Re: Sign in
Re: Sign in
Re: Sign in
Re: Sign in
Class Goof-Off
Re: Class Goof-Off
Re: Class Goof-Off
She might look just that little bit smug about keeping her gender today. At least she's not openly making fun of him.
The Lecture
The Lecture, part 1
"They also ran careful wind tunnel tests," he turned and paced around the room a bit as he spoke, "which produced better aeronautical data than any before, enabling them to design and build more effective wings and propellers. Based on observation, Wilbur concluded that a good way for a flying machine to turn, would be to 'bank' or 'lean' into the turn, just like a bird. Equally important, they hoped this method would enable recovery when the wind tilted the machine to one side. And three axis-control evolved; wing-warping for roll, forward elevator for pitch and rear rudder for yaw. In 1905 they built a new Flyer III, which included an important design change. The brothers installed a separate control for the rear rudder instead of linking the rudder to the wing-warping 'cradle' as before. Each of the three axes; pitch, roll and yaw, now had its own independent control. These modifications greatly improved stability and control. Wilbur made a three-second flight attempt on December 14, 1903, stalling after takeoff and causing minor damage to the Flyer. Following repairs, the Wrights finally took to the air on 17 December 1903, making two flights each from level ground into a headwind gusting to 27 miles(43km) an hour. The first flight, by Orville, of 120 feet (36.5m) in 12 seconds, at a speed of only 6.8mph over the ground, was recorded in a famous photograph (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Wrightflyer.jpg). On September 20, 1904, Wilbur flew the first complete circle in history by a manned heavier-than-air powered machine, covering 4,080 feet (1,244m) in about a minute and a half. Their two best flights were on November 9 by Wilbur, and December 1 by Orville, each exceeding five minutes and covering nearly three miles in almost four circles."
"In August 1909, Glenn (http://www.glennhcurtissmuseum.org/educational/glenn_curtiss.htm) Curtiss (http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Dictionary/Curtiss/DI19.htm)," and he stopped pacing for a minute, facing the students, "He'll come up in class later in the semester too," and he went back to writing on the chalkboard, "competed in the world's first air meet, the Grande Semaine d'Aviation flying contest (http://www.air-racing-history.com/PILOTS/Glenn%20Curtiss.htm) at Rheims, France, organized by the Aero-Club de France. He completed a 10km course at 46.5mph (75kmh) in just under 16 minutes. Because of Curtiss's (http://www.aero-web.org/history/aviators/gcurtiss.htm) business of manufacturing lightweight motors, Alexander Graham Bell persuaded him to join his Aerial Experiment Association in 1907 to build aircraft. They succeeded with America's first 'official' heavier-than-air flight on July 4, 1908, with the June Bug. He became the first person to receive an air pilot license from the Aero Club of America on June 8, 1911. On May 29 1910, Curtiss flew from Albany, New York, along the Hudson River, to New York City. He covered 137 miles (220 km) in 153 minutes, averaging nearly 55mph (89kmh), then flew over Manhattan Island and circled the Statue of Liberty. Curtiss received the first U.S. pilot's license in 1911."
The Lecture, part 2
"F. W. (http://www.earlyaviators.com/ebaldwin.htm) 'Casey' (http://www.ns1763.ca/victco/baddckcrth.html) Baldwin (http://science.howstuffworks.com/curtiss-golden-flyer.htm) was an engineer and a hydrofoil and aviation pioneer. Baldwin used his engineering skills to help build the Silver Dart plus several other experimental aircraft and on March 12, 1908 he became the first Canadian to pilot an airplane. Baldwin also helped design and build the White Wing airplane and the Red Wing, piloting the latter in a public demonstration of powered aircraft flight at Hammondsport, New York in 1908."
"Lt. (http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/thomaset.htm) Thomas (http://www.nps.gov/archive/vick/visctr/sitebltn/selfrdg.htm) Selfridge (http://nationalaviation.blade6.donet.com/components/content_manager_v02/view_nahf/htdocs/menu_ps.asp?NodeID=848258618&group_ID=1134656385&Parent_ID=-1) was a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and after receiving his commission in the Field Artillery, he was assigned to the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps at Fort Myer, Virginia. There he was one of three pilots trained to fly the Army Dirigible Number One. He was also the United States government representative to the Aerial Experiment Association, which was chaired by Alexander Graham Bell, and became its first secretary. Selfridge took his first flight on December 6, 1907 on Alexander Graham Bell's tetrahedral kite, the Cygnet. It took him 168 feet (51m) in the air above Bras d'Or Lake in Nova Scotia, Canada and flew for seven minutes."
Murdock stopped writing and leaned against the chalboard. "When Orville Wright came to Fort Myer to demonstrate the Wright Flyer for the US Army, Selfridge arranged to be a passenger while Orville piloted the craft. On September 17, 1908, the Wright Flyer circled Fort Myer four and a half times at 150 feet (46m). Halfway through the fifth circuit, the right propeller broke, losing thrust. This set up a vibration, causing the split propeller to hit a guy wire bracing the rear vertical rudder. The wire tore out of its fastening and shattered the propeller; the rudder swiveled to the horizontal and sent the Flyer into a nose-dive. Orville shut off the engine and managed to glide to about 75 feet (23m), but the Flyer hit the ground nose first. When the craft hit the ground, both Selfridge and Wright were thrown against the remaining wires. Selfridge was thrown against one of the wooden uprights of the framework and his skull was fractured. He underwent neurosurgery but died that evening without regaining consciousness. Selfridge was the first casualty of air flight."
The Lecture, part 3
"The zenith of his lighter-than-air career came when he won the Deutsch de la Meurthe prize. The challenge called for flying from the Parc Saint Cloud to the Eiffel Tower and back in less than thirty minutes. The winner needed to maintain an average ground speed of at least 14mph (22kmh) to cover the round trip distance of 6.8 miles (11km) in the allotted time. On 19 October 1901, after several attempts and trials, Santos-Dumont succeeded in using his dirigible Number 6. Although Santos-Dumont continued to work on dirigibles, his primary interest soon turned to heavier-than-air aircraft. By 1905, he had finished his first airplane design, and also a helicopter." Murdock shot a grin back toward the class. "Choppers," he said with a certain gleam in his eye before going to back to his writing. "He finally achieved his dream of flying an airplane on 23 October 1906, piloting the 14-bis before a large crowd of witnesses, he flew a distance of 200feet (60m) at a height of 10 feet. This well-documented event was the first flight verified by the Aero-Club De France of a powered heavier-than-air machine in Europe, and the first public demonstration in the world of an aircraft taking off from an ordinary airstrip with a non-detachable landing gear."
"In 1909, Louis (http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Dictionary/Bleriot/DI11.htm) Blériot (http://www.century-of-flight.net/Aviation%20history/up%20to%20WW%201/Bleriot.htm) completed the first flight across a large body of water in a heavier-than-air craft when he crossed the English Channel. Blériot started creating his own airplanes, experimenting with various configurations, eventually creating the world's first successful monoplane, the Blériot V, but this model crashed easily. However, by 1909, he created the Blériot XI and its first flight was on January 23 of that year. Later it was displayed at the Exposition de la Locomotion Aerienne in Paris in 1909."
"Before the trip, the French government allowed a destroyer to escort and observe his plane during the trip to Dover. The flight started a little after dawn on July 25, 1909. He reported that he throttled his engine to 1,200 revolutions per minute, nearly top speed of the engine, to clear telegraph wires at the edge of the cliff near the runway field. Then he lowered the engine speed to give the XI an average airspeed of approximately 40mph (64kph) and an altitude of about 250feet (76m). Soon after, inclement weather began to form, and Blériot lost sight of landmarks, rapidly outpacing the destroyer escort. As airspeed slowed for the landing, the gusts of wind nearly crashed his plane at 20 meters, when he cut off the engine. The landing damaged his landing gear severely, along with the propellor, although the rest of the airplane was fine and the landing was deemed successful."
He put the chalk down and turned to the class. "That's a lot, ain't it? I know. So are there any questions?"
Re: The Lecture, part 3
Maybe she shouldn't have been distracted by the gender switch thing at the start...
Re: The Lecture, part 3
Re: The Lecture, part 3
Actual dates and facts, however, might have been escaping her.
Re: The Lecture, part 3
Talk to the Prof
OOC
And yah, class is huge today. I think I get a bit overboard. Ugh.