IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING AERIAL LOCOMOTION
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Harte, of 42, Argyll Road, Kensington,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING AERIAL
LOCOMOTION."
Sealed the 5th July 1870, and dated the 21st May 1870.

page_text: མང་པཔ་
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal, fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say :---
My Invention relates to the support and propulsion of bodies in and
through the air, and to apparatus for applying motive power for this
purpose. For this purpose I employ a machine moved either by mus-
cular or steam power, consisting of wings which do not move relatively
to the other parts of the machine when it is in motion, a screw propeller
of the construction herein-after explained, and a weight or beak which
has a motion or motions that serve to adjust it so as to maintain the
balance of the machine when in motion. The weight or beak is placed
in front of and the screw behind the fixed wings when these are in
the position they assume in flight. These three component parts of my
machine are solidly fastened to a frame which supports them, and on
and from which they act, and which frame or body of the machine
contains or gives support to the motive power. The wings of my
machine form a plane which passes through the air in the direction of
its lesser diameter. The beak or balancing weight by its momentum
ensures the passage through the air of the front part of my machine,
first, the body or frame of the machine by its momentum ensures the
passage through the air of my machine, with the under surface of the
wings opposed to the action of the air it encounters in its flight. The
screw which moves the machine has its axis at a slight angle with the
plane of the wings of the machine, and is composed of two fans, which
have more of their superficies on one side of their axes than on the other.
These fans are free to take a rotatory motion on their own axes, but are
held in the position requisite for the rate of flight desired by springs
strong enough to prevent them from rotating on their axes when the
pressure on their surface is only that caused by the application to the
'screw of the rotary force necessary to produce the uniform and ordinary
velocity of the machine through the air, but which springs are not
strong enough to resist a stronger application of force to the axes of the
screw, and consequently allow the fans to turn on their axes when such
additional force is applied, so as to become the sections of a screw having
a closer thread. When, no permanent or uniform rate of flight is con-
templated the springs are so arranged that the fans will remain com-

page_text: forward by degrees so as to act with greater leverage on the front of the
machine until the angle required to establish equilibrium be obtained.
The weight of the balancing beak and the size of the wings and the
extent of the surface of the fans will in the case of each machine of
course depend upon the weight to be carried and the quantity of the
motive power. In order to alight the machine is made to describe
circles in the air, which have the effect of stopping or checking its
velocity. When near the ground the machine is made to travel for a
short way with the under surface of the wings.exposed very much to the
pressure of the air through which the machine moves, until finally all
forward motion is overcome when close to the ground, and the machine
alights on its wheels. This presenting of the under surface of the wings
to the opposing air may be accomplished by lowering or drawing in. the
beak or balancing weight, or by changing the direction in which the
screw exerts its pressure, for which purpose the front end of the axis of
the screw may be made to move up and down the front of the frame by
means of an endless screw or some other suitable simple mechanical
contrivance. With regard to the beak or balancing weight the wheels
on which a small machine runs may, when not in use, be employed for
the purpose of the beak or balancing weight by being constructed upon
a separate framework, and made to turn upon the pivot upon which the
balancing weight turns when such weight is a ball or rod of heavy
material. In a large machine moved by steam power the machinery
may be so arranged as to supply the place of a balancing weight.
It will thus be seen that the principle of my Invention is the analysis
of the action of a bird in flying into its component parts, the most
important of which are support and propulsion. The former I secure by
the wings of my machine, which are so arranged as to rest upon and
when propelled with sufficient velocity to move upwards upon the
inclined plane of air which is in contact with their under surfaces. The
latter I secure by means of my screw propeller with its self-adjusting
movement herein-before described, which as it turns exerts an upward
and backward pressure upon the air, and therefore a downward and
forward pressure upon the machine. This pressure forces the machine
forward with a velocity continually increasing until its momentum
forces the wings and with them the whole machine to quit the ground
and pass up the inclined plane of air above mentioned. The whole
machine being thus regarded as an inclined plane the motive power

page_text: which is applied at the rear, which is also the lowest part of the inclined
plane, will have a tendency to turn the forward part up until it will fall
over backwards. This tendency I counteract by means of the beak or
balancing weight. The motion of the fans of the screw propeller being
rotatory tends to give a rotation to the whole machine in the opposite
direction. This I counteract by means of the flaps of, the wings, each of
which acts upon the principle of a ship's rudder, and their combined
action is such that when one flap is turned up and the other down they
simply counteract this tendency of the machine to rotate and keep it
steady. When both flaps are depressed the machine will descend, when
both are equally raised it will ascend, and when both are raised but
unequally the machine will make a curve towards the side on which the
flap is most raised.
!

page_text: w, w, wheels on which the machine rests; j, the junction of the
wings; t, t, the treadles to turn the screw; k, k, the cranks on which the
treadles act; h, the hinge of the flap of the wing; 1, the lever to turn h,
the hinge; x, rack and pinion to fold wings; n, n, the fans of the screw;
9, 9, 9, the wings; y, the flap of the wing; o, o, socket in which the fans
turn; z, z, stalks or axles of the fans; d, d, bars for the attachment of
the springs to hold the fans in their position; c, c, catch to prevent z, the
peduncle of fan from turning too much in o, the socket; e, box, in;
which the front of the screw plays; q, screw to move e, the box, up and
down in the frame.
In witness whercof, I, the said Richard Harte, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.