Learn about the history of flight and how planes can take off.
Transcript:
The idea of flight has been around for a long time. In 1000 BCE, China invented kites. In 1485, Leonardo Da Vinci started secretly designing flying machines on paper and they weren’t discovered until 400 years later. In 1783 in Paris, was the first manned hot air balloon flight and also the first time a human could “fly” and for the next 100 of years, it was the main form of flight. The hot air balloon works because air itself has weight. When you heat up the air inside the balloon, it becomes lighter and more buoyant than the air outside the balloon and allows it to float up. Inside the balloon and the outside air have the same volume, but the air molecules in the balloon become more spaced out creating less pressure and weight. This is a lighter-than-air concept. But what about flying things heavier than air like planes?
In 1843, George Cayley, a British engineer designed a biplane glider but it wasn’t until 1895, that the first biplane glider was reliably flown with a human onboard. Cayley is considered a father of aerospace and began the concept of aerodynamic system for lift, propulsion, and control. He identified 4 forces involved in heavier-than-air flight: weight, lift, drag, and thrust. Without these concepts, modern airplanes would not be around. Let’s talk a little bit about these 4 things.
Lift – Wings on a plane are designed to make air move faster over the top. The faster the air moves, the less pressure on the top of the wing. This means there is more pressure under the wing and the difference between the top and bottom creates a force pushing the wing up into the air. This allows the lift to occur.
The weight of the plane is also important for flight. The lighter it is, the less lift and thrust required to get in the air. The lighter it is, also makes it easier for the plane to turn. If you tried to move a 50 lb box or a 10 lb box, the 10 lb box will turn a lot quicker and easier than the 50lb. That is why large planes need to make wide turns in the air.
Drag/Thrust – At the same time, the plane also has a drag that is opposing the motion of the plane. For example, when you stand still, there is no drag, but when you walk or run forward, you create drag because you are running against the air. The same happens with planes in the air. To overcome this drag and to get lift, engines are the thrust used to overcome the drag force. It is important to recognize that engines move the plane forward, but the wings make it fly
Back in 1903, the Wright brothers were the first to fly a powered biplane with propellers. Before this all happened, they created a wind tunnel to test over 200 different wing designs and lengths This wind tunnel allowed them to correct mathematical errors in drag and lift calculations and advance aerospace knowledge. The next century was focused on the development of new planes and engines to transport people, cargo, and military. Without the contributions of the past and the Wright brothers, we would not have the space shuttle or planes that can break the sound barrier! Science, technology, engineering, and math all intertwined together to make flight possible.
