NEW (OR IMPROVED) MEANS AND MACHINERY OR APPARATUS POR ENABLING PERSONS TO FLY IN THE AIR
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas Craddock at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 6th July
1867.
I, THOMAS CRADDOCK, of 49, Elgin Terrace, Kilburn, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"NEW (OR IMPROVED) MEANS AND MACHINERY OR APPARATUS POR ENABLING
PERSONS TO FLY IN THE AIR," to be as follows:-
The muscular and weight power is first communicated to and concentrated
in a short and small shaft fixed o. the per on's body so as to best adapt it to
receive the power from the hands and feet, the first through two winch
handles one at each end of the shaft, and that from the feet through two
small pullies, one connected with each foot by a catgut, light wire, or leather
cord which terminates in a stirrup under the foot; these two pullies are
loose on the shaft, and fixed to it only by a ratchet and pall when the weight
of the body is thrown through the cord on to the pulley. A very small pulley
supported on a fixed axis and working in front on the circumference of each
of the before-named pullies insures the proper action of the cord from each
foot, thus the weight of the person and all he carries is made to turn this
shaft either in conjunction with the hand power or without it. A spring
(with one end fastened to the circumference of the pulley and coiled round
the shaft has its other end made fast to the bearing that carries the shaft)
takes the pulley back the loose way as the foot on rising slackens the cord.
Now suppose this shaft to make one revolution which if the foot be supposed

page_text: to be lifted a foot high cord enough is taken up to pull the pulley round one
entire revolution, and with it in that direction the shaft also must go, and on the
shaft making one revolution each pair of wings must make an up-and-down
stroke so that we have two lifting strokes. In these two lifting strokes the
four wings fall through near 40 feet at their extremities, this distance is of
course near 10 feet for each wing; this is given as an extreme lift of the foot,
but the lift may be but 3 inches and a proportionate effect is produced.
But here comes what at first appeared to me to be a fallacy involved in this
point, which is that instead of the shaft turning, body shaft and all will come
down together; if there was no abutment in the air this would be the case,
but though not a solid one yet there it is or birds could not fly any more than
in the exhausted receiver. Another consideration is, that before a lift from
the earth takes place the person has his other leg to prop himself up with,
and at the same time throw the greater part of his weight on to the shaft,
and in addition he has all his muscular strength to impart through the winch
handles; if the shaft turns the wings must move as described, this will as it were
make stairs of the air, or the air becomes the fulcrum. Men accustomed only to
solid fulcrums will see difficulties that do not exist. This fulcrum is produced
chiefly at the extremity of the wing as will be further explained hereafter.
Of course both pullies act in the same way, and the muscular and weight
power is at all times applied at right angles or nearly so with the shaft;
this shaft could be dispensed with and the pullies and handles placed on the
ends of the T lever, but the shaft adds more to success than the objections
against it amount to. The root of the winch handles form two crank pins,
one at each end of the shaft, from which two connecting rods transmit the
power and motion to the T lever before named; this lever conveys the power
and motion to the wings by moving in a pencil case way, a rod or tube within
another tube, which last tube forms the shaft which moves to any desired
angle with the wings, so that the wings whilst at work, continuously if it
were desired, can traverse the whole circle which crosses the person's length,
except the thickness of his body, they can not only be brought over head; but
right in front, or again thrown back to the middle of the back without in any
way impairing the best action of the parts, as the clutch end of the T lever
and pencil case mode of transmitting the power and motion into the centre
of the hollow shaft which moves with the wings conveys the power and
motion to the wings at all angles alike; this was a point of some difficulty,
but was essential to success, as any angle can thus at pleasure be given to the
wings. The person can walk, run, or stand in the same place, and work the
wings with his feet as well as with his hands, and with the wings also at the

page_text: most effective angle for lifting himself up in the air. Thus we have all the
angular motions at discretion, which the bird has in its wings, even to a
greater extent than it has, and the person flying can in the act of doing so
change them at pleasure and fix them until he desires to change them again..
The inner tube or rod which is moved by the T lever acts upon a small lever,
on either side; these levers are fixed to the two supports which carry a light
frame, which gives support to the small beam which works the wings, and
also gives a foundation for the swivel joints in which the wings work; these
swivel joints are hereafter referred to as the centres of motion of the wings.
The gudgeon of the small beam is elongated into a short shaft which by
connecting rods from each of the small levers last referred to completes the.
whole by conveying the power and motion to the beam through its elongated
gudgeon and through the beam to the wings; here again the one small.
lever and its connecting rod can be dispensed with, but balance and concen-,
trated action render their use preferable; but all the body parts, as I will call
them to distinguish them from the wings, are so small that though levers,
shafts, pullies, and beam are named their whole weight makes very few
pounds, so that the obstruction to flying will not be from them, but is more.
likely to be removed by them. The wings ar in double pairs, but can be
used in single pairs or increased to any number of pairs with car or basket.
The small beam before named performs a three-fold part, as all the wings
receive their action from it, and are made to balance each other through it
by the one end of it working the one pair of wings, and the other end the
other pair; it also gives the swivel action to what are called the swivel
joints in which the wings work. On this small beam are four little swivel
shafts, one for each wing, and in the outer end of each of these swivel shafts
is a common swivel ring, each of these rings receives the inner end of one
wing; the compound swivel thus provides for the up-and-down action of the
wing, and also for the swivel motion, the vibration of the beam gives to the
joint in which the wing works. By the swivel motion of these joints a
swimmer-like action is given to each wing which pulls the person forward at
the same time that the main or downward motion of the wings lift him.
this pull-forward motion is as obvious in the swift flying bird as in the
swimmer. There is at the extreme part of the wings a motion of this kind in
each down stroke of each wing equal to five feet, so that with every 10 feet
lift there is a pull forward of: five feet; of course on the return stroke of
the one pair of wings for a repetition of the effective stroke the other pair
of wings make the effective stroke, and thus there is a continued effective
stroke. Another point thus gained by this swivel action of the wing joint is

page_text: that although the wings at the joints are only five inches apart, that is the
edge of each of the front and back wing stand only five inches apart there,
but uniformly separate from each other, until at their extremity they are
three feet six inches away from each other, even in crossing when going in
opposite directions, and of course at other times they are far away from each
other. The rising wing is by this swivel action made to approach nearly a
parallel line with the long way of the persons body instead of the right angle
way at which it commences the downward stroke, thus the resistance due to
the long lever is practically diminished by half for the up stroke, here again
it resembles the bird as they draw their wings in for the up stroke. The
above applies to the direct attachment of the two pair of wings to the person's
body, and with the car or basket this can be extended not only by fixing the
wings further apart but by increasing the number of pairs of wings to any
extent required. The beam which works the wings stands front and back
over the centre of the person in the long direction, that is, right over his
head when he stands upright, of course as beforesaid the beam and wings
can be thrown back, but that does not alter the line of the beam it only
alters its angle with the earth; the wings at the commencement of their
downward stroke are at right angles, or nearly so, with the beam. As for the
best action the vibration of the beam is all above the centre at the one end,
and all below it at the other, and as opposite ends of it work each pair of wings
it will be readily understood that all the motions in the one pair of wings are
the opposite at any given time of that of the other pair, as the wings are
levers with the resistance on one side of their centre of motion joint, and
the power
is applied on the other or inner side; thus though the back pair
of wings commence their down stroke at or near right angles with the beam,
they become less and less so as the beam ascends above the centre. The
back pair of wings do not come further forward than to right angles with the
beam, but the front pair come back a little more than to right angles with
the beam, but it is matter of choice, as having got the swivel motion in the
joints, as before explained, we can change the angle of each pair of wings for
the commencement of their stroke, and that determins it at all other points of
the double stroke, that is, up and down. Now it will be seen that all the
wings thus having their motions from the central beam it is as much deter-
mined and governed as that of the locomotive on the rails, and as all the
parts described are bound together before they are fixed on the person they
may rock about when so on as much as the locomotive on the rails, but they
must like it work as intended; but the air road is much smoother than the
railroad, and the spring of the former is perfect, so that the fixity of a well

page_text: fitting coat and trousers, strengthened with webbing at the proper parts, on to
which parts four screwed nuts should be firmly sewn, the whole of what I
have described is attached to these nuts by four bolts; when it is off and the
bolts out buttons in appearance might take their place, and you have the
flying dress; this perhaps is the best as well as the neatest of several modes
for effecting this, and any intelligent tailor on seeing what is required will
supply a jacket and trousers suitable for the purpose, with padded sheet steel
as a substitute for the webbing if desired, and the whole weight, wings and
all, need not exceed twenty-eight pounds, and is likely to be reduced 10lb.
below that. The beam named is only six inches long. The T lever that
receives the power and motion from the hand and foot shaft is the largest of
all the levers, the two ends of it that receive the power and motion are
4 inches between centres, and the end that gives the power and motion to the
sliding rod or tube in the tube shaft that moves with the wings is but 3 inches
between centres. It is perhaps as well to say here that the sliding part and
all connected with the hollow shaft, except the two bearings it moves. in, go
round with it, that is, move round with it to any angle, as before explained,
the short or clutch end of the T lever being so connected as to admit of this.
The wings are made upon the principle of the lady's fan, with three or more
pieces radiating from a common centre to form the framework; or in one
modification these radiating pieces assume the form of what I will call wood
feathers, though only the frames of such feathers are wood; the surface is
made chiefly of the light covering as hereafter explained. The modification of
this feather that I think the best has its frame made like an elongated kite,
uniting in one piece at the common centre, and so substituting the radial
framework first named; this common centre is the part by which it is fixed
to what I will call the root of the wing, which has already been described. This
fixture is effected a few inches outward from what has been called the joint
or centre of motion of the wing which is the swivel joint, here provision is
made by which this swivel action will expand and contract. the wing, but
until men have repeatedly made flying a fact accomplished by raising them-
selves in the air the simple mode of feathing the covering of the wing is
preferable. This is readily done on the principle of the Venetian blind, so as
to present a nearly impervious surface to the air from below the wing, but a
nearly free passage to the air from above it, this mode will with the shortening
of the leverage of the wing on the up stroke, as before explained, remove all
or nearly all resistance to the up stroke from the air. The wings here des-
cribed are 12 feet, or they may be 14 feet, or even longer than even 14 feet,
the longer the better consistently with other practical requirements, but. 12

page_text: feet is the length here described, which radiate out to 9 feet at their extremities,
but of course the breadth can be contracted at pleasure. I have ascertained
that it is desirable to have the covering of the wings of material impervious
'or nearly so to air under such pressures as are in question.
One mode of obtaining this is by the combination of gutta percha paper
with light muslin, the muslin being made to give strength to the gutta
percha paper in its weak direction; thus used we can with these substances
obtain 100 square feet of covering having little if any more weight than
two. pounds. The inuslin combined with dried oil, or better still india-
rubber when made light, meets the wants of the case; but on all these detail
points once prove such things as they relate to are valuable for flying and
they: will spring into being like mushrooms. The form of wings given may
be covered with the above covering like that of the bat or umbrella, and like
the latter contract, collapse, or expand at pleasure.
To make flying the fact accomplished, as before expressed, we require to
use only the following simple and cheap method (which is applicable to either
the radial or the wood-feather wing) which is to divide the covering of the
wing with three radial arms into 8 strips, which of course will extend in
breadth as they radiate from the common centre to the extremity of the wing.
These strips may be above or below the radial arms, and all contract or
expand from the common centre, having at that end a piece of elastic suffi-
ciently long, so that when the strain came on the thread or cloth it became
elongated six or eight inches; the outer or broad end' of these covering strips
connects the webbing which is connected to the three radial arms at their
extremity; this webbing is formed by lengths of about six inches long, so as
to resemble a rule 9 feet long which folds at every six inches, so that when
the wing is expanded the webbing as a jointed chain forms a straight line at
the extremity of the wing, but when contracted it folds up by the pull of the
elastic connected with the common centre; thus to make this chain nothing
but ceillets and webbing are required, the ceillets being of two sizes and
lengths, and the webbing light and strong. The shorter and larger ceillets
make the metallic holes in the separate pieces of webbing; these pieces thus
prepared are by the longer and smaller ceillets made into the jointed chain
with these last ceillets for the axes of the joints; these joints well made act
well, and are stronger than the webbing, and a hundred of them can be made
in a short time and at very little cost. The strip surface when fixed to this
chain at its proper centres feathers well, being by the elastic kept with a
tension on it at all times.
What has just been described can and will be done with string or wire in

page_text: the straight direction, having other short strings or wires knotted to it at right
angles. Again sheet steel or any material suitable can thus be made to
effect a more perfect structure, but it is all the while the same idea. Any
number of these chains, with the feathering strips fastened to each, can cross
the radial arms at right angles, being also connected with each radial arm,
the links shortening as the common centre is approached. The elastic will
act on all alike; thus we get strength with lightness and a cheap structure of
wing which is capable of sustaining the weight of any man.
The elongated kite feather fan wing is the next simplest and best form of
wing when two or more pair of wings are used. These feathers take the place
of the radial arms and form the whole of the fan part of the wing, uniting to
the root at the common centre in the same way and with the same provisions
as the former wing. Instead of 9 feet I have not the least doubt 7 feet in
width is more than is required in the wings, as here described; in such case
4 elongated kite feathers, each two feet wide at the extremity, form each wing,
and the covering surface of these feathers can feather in itself, independent of
the kite-shaped frame, as such frame gives the means for doing it, which in
the preceding case we get by the webbing chains; but in this case it will
not contract to less than two feet wide at the extremity; this is not important
until flying is a fact accomplished, therefore so made this is a simple, cheap,
and good wing for that purpose, as before described, but no form, perhaps,
admits of greater perfection of wing than this, as the feathers can be so mul-
tiplied as to contract to any extent, and dispense with the independent
feathering of its covering surface. If such elongated kite feathers are made
of proper material with good sections and proportions the weight will increase
very little as their number is increased, and by so doing we get a perfect
wing. These feathers could have separate joints in a short arm, and thus get
the true form of the bird's wing; but with two or more pair of wings I do
not think that form the desirable one, as the fan-form gives greater surface
at the extremity, which with two or more pair of wings will lead to a great
reduction of the surface of the wing.
Another good form of wing is the elongated square with feathering surface ;
in it we have more surface in the body of the wing and less at the extremity,
but if desirable we can increase the body surface of the fan wing, and in the
fan wing we have the most of the weight at the root, giving strength where it
is required.
I have other modifications, but as they all embody the same principles as
those described it will suffice to name them; they are the rectangular and
the fan-like form converted into the rectangular by projecting two of the three

page_text: radiating arms first named back two or three feet beyond what has been
called the common centre; in such case this common centre would be thus
much further from the swivel centre joint in which the wing has its centre of
motion. By connecting two short pieces with the projecting ends referred
to the fan form is converted into the rectangular form with parallel sides and
equal breadth throughout; all these forms admit of feathering their surface,
and all collapse or contract at pleasure.
I have other modifications relating to the mode of fixing on the dress or
person, and also avoid carrying the wings up over head; they are fixed to
work at the top or back of the shoulders, and when so fixed the wings can be
thrown to any angle, and all the parts will work much the same, as described,
but the centralization, balance, and tying of all the parts together is most
complete in the way fully described; in that way all is complete, so much so
that I think it cannot be mended. Some may think at first sight that the ball-
and-socket joint would be better than the swivel shafts and swivel rings, but
they will find it otherwise. When the person is up in the air he can throw
the wings into such position as to suspend him in an inclined position with his
face looking to the earth, or if he prefer it he can retain the vertical position
with the wings over his head; upon these points he can do as he prefers. As
before said the wings work equally well at any angle with the body, and the
person has the same facility of working them at one angle as at another, the
only reason for changing to the inclined position being that by so doing he
will lie as it were in a hanging bed or hammock and view the things on earth,
and his body will present less resistance to the air.
Before referring to the car or basket, or the application of engine motive
power in conjunction with this Invention, a few remarks will suffice to show
it is not the foolish thing many suppose it is. The resistance to the up stroke
is not the formidable objection it is supposed to be; it is the time it occupies,
allowing the person not only actually to fall, but to produce that momentum
in the downward direction which has to be stopped and reversed before the
lifting stroke has any power to raise him; it is here where the two pair of
wings so effectively aid us. In the two pair of wings here described there are
nearly 200 square feet of surface, but less than 100 square feet will be found
fully sufficient to raise 150 lbs. weight on when applied as it is here described;
but we can easily reduce it; the difficulty has been to see how we could get
enough combined with practical means of using it, and not exceeding in weight
the practical bounds. Let those who view this Invention as foolish reflect that
half an oz. of resistance from the air on each downward stroke of each pair of
wings per square foot at or near the extremity is equal to oue oz. on one wing,

page_text: and that this one oz. is by leverage made a fulcrum equal to raise twenty-four
ounces of the weight of the person upon; or, in other words, a resistance
thus offered to the extent only of two ozs. per square foot on the twenty-five
square feet nearest the extremity of each pair of wings, that is, with 100
ounces in the both wings which act as the pair in each down stroke we
have in such resistance a fulcrum equal to raise 150 lbs. in the air, situate
as the person's body is by this Invention; thus we get what in the general
explanation of the nature of this Invention I have called the two supports
by which the person could raise himself in the air; but with one pair of
wings this fulcrum is non-existent during the up stroke and then the
surface near the body is more effective in preventing or at least retarding
the falling of the bird or person than that at the extremity of the wings; and
to sufficiently retard the falling at least an 150 square feet of surface would be
required with only one pair of wings. It is thus seen the double pair are
more likely not only to lift the man, but also diminish very considerably the
surface and weight required. in the wings for the purpose. But the
balancing which the two pair of wings enable us to effect is complete; 'this
too is a point of great importance to success, as the same leverage which
makes one oz. equal to one pound and a half as above explained has the same
effect in increasing the evil effects due to one pair of wings from want of
balance, which in my early experiments I found to be a serious matter,
though I used a strong spring to neutralize it. In what is here said on the
leverage of the wings we have the explanation how fragile feathers lift the
bird into the air. It is Archimedes with two long levers, the body of the
bird as the earth, and the air at the extremity of the wings chiefly as the.
fulcrum, with the muscular power of the bird as Archimedes, and up the bird
goes; and so can human beings in the way here described, as instead of
the fulcrum being, only equal to two ounces on the square foot of the surface.
given in the above illustration we can get at least a fulcrum resistance equal.
to sixteen ounces or one pound per square foot of the fifty feet of surface.
there represented, which gives in place of the one hundred ounces a fulcrum
resistance of eight hundred ounces, which with two levers each 24 to 1 is
equal to raise a body of at least ten hundred pounds weight, with the levers
acting on the air and person as here described if the person's weight and
muscular power were equal to work them, mind I say equal to raise and
not to suspend this weight in the air; these are two very different questions
which all through this Specification I have pointed the reader's attention to
as that which shows the importance of two pair of wings. It must be seen.
here that the actual fulcrum resistance is determined by the weight of the

page_text: person to be raised, if two ounces as given in the first case will do it, as it
will, if the person be under 150 lbs. weight, why that is all the resistance
that part of the wing has to bear in raising the person, and consequently all his
weight and muscular power has opposed to it in giving motion to the wings;
here is the full explanation of what is meant in the general explanation of the
nature of this Invention when I refer to the support on each side in the resis-
tance of the air. Now suppose the person mounted up in the air, and the back
pair of wings in their rising position, with the front pair at the commencement
of their down stroke, and the wings all held stationary in their joints, which
as they balance each other is nearly done by the wings until power is
applied to move them; the person in this state would sink in the air, this
producing an upward tendency in the extremities of the wings, but now the
extremities of the back pair of wings are in nearly the parallel line, as before
described, and in this position with the air acting on them by the sinking of
the person; as before said these back wings act as two powerful propellers,
driving the person forward through the air whilst the front pair of wings
are at right angles, presenting the best means for rising to the best possible
purpose; this sailing action generated by the compound forces thus brought into
play, and at any moment the person has only to pull the front pair of wings
down to lift himself again, and then he can again throw all the parts into the
same position as before; thus viewed the Invention is complete. The critical
reader may remark that as I have said near the commencement of this
description that on the foot falling through one foot, the four wings conjointly
fall through near forty feet at their extremities (supposing the foot shaft to
make one revolution), with these conditions therefore the leverage must be
nearly forty to one, this is correct thus viewed, but to get twenty-five square
feet of surface in each wing the average leverage is reduced; further, when
starting twenty-four to one I had reference to experience determining the
best proportions of leverage. As far as practice permits long levers in the
wings and short ones for the application of the weight, muscular and engine
motive power are desirable to give strength, reduce weight and bodily action.
The Invention is identically the same when applied to car or basket, and
to fix it there is a common place matter having no novelty beyond what has
already been explained; the car or basket is named, but it may be an
inclined sofa, or easy chair, if such can be made suitable to pass freely through
the air, and not of too much weight, as the weight and muscular power of
the person or persons can with any of these means be employed perhaps
with more ease than in the independent way described.
But the men who
first take to flying will be such as ride saddle horses in preference to the

page_text: carriage. Again to apply engine motive power either as auxiliary or as the
exclusive power all that is required to be done is to apply it to the crank
pin or pins described, and the Invention is as complete with both these
extensions of it as when on the person's dress; and with the long car, basket,
or boat (or by what other name such vehicle to carry persons through the
air may be called) is used the double pairs of wings can be increased in
number to any extent required, and by the power being applied as described
such vebicle will be raised in and carried through the air, as it will only be
to make the parts stronger in proportion as what they have to do is increased,
and omit the foot pullies when no longer required; but by this time flying
will have passed from pupilage to a matured art. Of course the beam can
be dispensed with, as all the levers constituting the wings can be coupled
together and made to balance each other, and the power and motion can
be conveyed from the hollow shaft (to the centre of which the clutch end of
the T lever gives it) to the wings at all angles by a connecting rod to one
such lever or wing, which would convey it to all the others; this in fact was
my first mode of constructing this Invention; but I have found the little
beam renders the Invention more perfect and complete, therefore, as in the
case of the foot shaft and one lever and connecting rod, as before explained,
I give the preference to the construction of the Invention as described.
Suppose in a long vehicle of sufficient length to admit of twenty double pair
of wings, such as described, the first double pair with the engine motive
power applied to the crank pin or pins as above described converts the
power into motions of the kind described in this Specification through this
first beam; now we can convey all these motions with the power to the
remaining nineteen double pairs of wings without the use of the beam to
them by two rods run along the side or sides of the vehicle; thus conveying
the best motions with the power to the remaining nineteen double pair of
wings without repeating the beam, and all are made to work as the first
double pair do to which the engine motive power is applied. To modifica-
tion there is no end, but modifications are often not improvements, but the
reverse, and very rarely deserve to be called Inventions. In the long vehicle
the ends of the levers or wings to which the power is applied may converge
for that purpose in the centre of the bottom of the vehicle, or in the centre
overhead (of course the centre is supposed to be that running in the long
direction of the vehicle), and what has been called the swivel joints or
centres of motion of the wings would have their foundations along the two
sides of the vehicle, and when in action the 40 wings on each side going up
and down with their pull forward may be pictured to the mind as so many

page_text: men rowing a very long boat; and, if one wing gets broken there are 39 on
the same side to preserve the passenger's lives; thus is presented the two
extremes of the use of this Invention for enabling persons to fly in the air.
When all is balanced, as in this Invention, and has motion imparted to it
through a rotating shaft (as it is done), we gain nothing in so rare a fluid
as the atmosphere by further applying the rotatory principle, but sacrifice
the best angles of motion for what at most only saves a little and but a
little in friction.