Evolution of Human Flight

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Evolution of Human Flight
Cause and Effect
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Why Human Flight?
The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us
by our ancestors who . . . looked enviously on
the birds soaring freely through space . . . on
the infinite highway of the air. Wilbur
Wright
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Mystery and Beliefs of the Unknown
Ancient civilizations, regardless of geographic
location, held a common belief
Beings possessed the ability to fly
Chinese emperors flew with wings and in
chariots King of Persia rode a flying throne
carried by eagles Griffin half eagle / half
lion Egyptian gods had wings
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Mystery and Beliefs of the Unknown
Greek god Hermes and Roman god Mercury had winged
sandals Eros and Cupid were winged
children Daedalus and Icarus created wings
from wax and feathers Flying dragons and winged
horses
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Mystery and Beliefs of the Unknown
Ancient cultures believed that only gods and
powerful past leaders had the ability of flight.
What caused this belief?
High importance on religion, history passed on by
verbal story telling, lack of education, lack of
experience, repression of self-thought, etc.
What changed this belief?
Acceptance of self-thought, life experience,
choice, etc.
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From Mystery to Reality
As societies changed, what specific human factor
still used today in flight design pushed flight
from mystery to reality?
Imagination
The ability to mentally conceptualize an idea or
concept
How did imagination turn into flight?
Science and trial-and-error
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Trial-and-Error
Early wing imagination
Feathers have lifting power
Flight was achieved by flapping
Wing reality
Wings dont equal flight Wings aid in the
creation of lift
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Trial-and-Error
First documented human attempt of flight was in
Spain in 852 by Armen Fiman
What did Fimans attempt consist of?
Jumping from a tower wearing a cloak with a
wooden support structure
For centuries flight was attempted by attaching
large wings to ones body and jumping from high
places. Why?
All flight observations were of animals with wings
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Trial-and-Error
When wing imagination meets reality
Humans are heavy and require a large amount of
lift Human-made wings produced little lift
What philosophy or mindset had to change before
human flight was made possible?
Science, technology, understanding, and trial and
error created flight theory and experimentation
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Theory and Experimentation
What experiments could be created to validate
wing theories?
Experiment results can lead to what possible
outcomes?
Theory is validated or discredited
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Early Aircraft
Before the invention of the reliable internal
combustion engine, could humans fly?
Yes
How?
Lighter than air flight
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• Early Aircraft

Why did it take nearly two thousand years to
accomplish the first lighter than air flight?
What inspired winged flight?
Birds and insects
What inspired lighter than air flight?
Smoke
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• Early Aircraft

Lighter than air flight
Archimedes (287-212 BCE) described the principle
of buoyant flight
1709 - First documented lighter than air flight
How was lift obtained?
Father Bartolomeo Lourenco de Gusmao created a
material envelope and filled it with hot air
created from fire
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• Early Aircraft

Henry Cavendish identified hydrogen in 1775
How did hydrogen affect lighter than air flight?
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Theory and Experimentation
In 1799 Sir George Cayley created the first
sketch of a flying machine that used wings for
lift and not propulsion
Cayley developed a whirling arm wind tunnel to
test wing lift, drag, and stability
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Theory and Experimentation
While utilizing the whirling arm wind tunnel,
Cayley concluded that
Wing surfaces experience different pressures
which cause lift Low pressure on the upper
surface High pressure on the lower surface
Curved wings produce greater lift than a flat
plate
1809 Cayley built the first successful glider,
the flying parachute
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Theory and Experimentation
What was the most widely used power source until
the mid 19th century?
Muscle power human or animal
What was a major non-muscle power source from the
early 18th century through the mid 20th century?
Steam power
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Theory and Experimentation
What are the limiting factors of muscle power?
Endurance Weight to power ratio Movement
limitations
What are the limiting factors of steam power?
Mid-19th century steam engine produced 1
horsepower per 3,000 pounds of weight
How did these factors affect human flight?
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Cause and Effect
What technology or invention overcame the
limiting factor of power in human flight?
1876 Nikolaus Otto developed a reliable internal
combustion engine - Improved power to weight
ratio - Adapted to aircraft
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1903 The Birth of Modern Flight
December 17, 1903
It was only a flight of 12 seconds, and it was
an uncertain, wavy, creeping sort of flight . . .
but it was a real flight at last and not a
glide. Orville Wright
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The Birth of the Aerospace Industry

• Government and private industry dedicated to
• Research and development
• Design and evaluation
• Manufacturing
• Operations of systems relating to the travel of
  vehicles in Earths atmosphere and surrounding
  space

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1903 to Present Day
How has the world changed since 1903?
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1903 to Present Day
How has education changed since 1903?
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1903 to Present Day
How has science changed since 1903?
How has technology changed since 1903?
How has human flight changed since 1903?