Lilienthal Glider Lilienthal Glider Lilienthal Glider on display in the Early Flight gallery at the National Mall building. Lilienthal Glider The most significant pre-Wright brothers aeronautical experimenter was the German glider pioneer Otto Lilienthal. Display Status: This object is on display in the Early Flight exhibition at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. SummaryLong Description Collection Item Summary: The most significant pre-Wright brothers aeronautical experimenter was the German glider pioneer Otto Lilienthal. Between 1891 and 1896, he built and flew a series of highly successful full-size gliders. During this period, Lilienthal made close to 2,000 brief flights in 16 different designs based on aerodynamic research he conducted in the 1870s and 1880s. Like the example in the National Air and Space Museum collection, most were monoplanes with stabilizing tail surfaces mounted at the rear. Control was achieved by shifting body weight fore-and-aft and from side-to-side.

Beyond his technical contributions, he sparked aeronautical advancement from a psychological point of view, as well by unquestionably demonstrating that gliding flight was possible. He was a great inspiration to the Wright brothers in particular. They adopted his approach of glider experimentation and used his aerodynamic data as a starting point in their own research. Collection Item Long Description: The most significant pre-Wright brothers aeronautical experimenter was the German glider pioneer, Otto Lilienthal. Lilienthal was trained in the highly regarded German technical education system and earned his living as a professional engineer. He began research in aeronautics with his brother Gustave in the late 1860s, investigating the mechanics and aerodynamics of bird flight. In the 1870s he conducted a series of experiments on wing shapes and gathered air pressure data using a whirling arm and in the natural wind. The research produced the best and most complete body of aerodynamic data of the day. Lilienthal also established definitively the widely held belief that a curved wing section, as opposed to a flat wing surface, was the optimum shape for generating lift.

In 1889 he published his findings in a pathbreaking book called Der Vogelflug als Grundlage der Fliegekunst (Birdflight as the Basis of Aviation). Lilienthal was not satisfied to restrict his work to the exploration of aerodynamic theory. Between 1891 and 1896, he put his research into practice in the form of a series of highly successful full-size glider trials. During this period Lilienthal made close to 2,000 brief flights in 16 different glider designs based on his aerodynamic investigations. Most were monoplanes with stabilizing tail surfaces mounted at the rear. He also tried a few biplane and folding wing designs, but the original monoplane glider, or Normal Segelapparat (standard sailing machine) as he called it, produced the best results. Lilienthal built at least eight gliders of this type. The gliders had split willow frames covered with cotton twill fabric sealed with collodion to make the surface as airtight as possible. Collodion is a viscous solution of nitrated cellulose in a mixture of alcohol and ether that dries to form a tough elastic film.

The wings ranged in area from 9 to 25 m2 (100 to 280 ft2), and could be folded to the rear for easier transport and storage. Control was achieved by shifting body weight, similar to modern hang glider practice. The pilot cradled himself vertically in a harness suspended below an elliptical opening between the wings. Swinging his legs from side to side and fore and aft, the pilot could adjust the center of gravity and thereby maintain equilibrium. Lilienthal did most of his gliding from a man made hill he had constructed near his home at Gross Lichterfelde, and from the hills surrounding the small village of Rhinow, about fifty miles from Berlin. His best efforts with these gliders covered more than 300 m (985 ft) and were 12 to 15 seconds in duration. In the summer of 1896, Lilienthal's aeronautical experiments came to an abrupt and tragic end. On August 9, while soaring in one of his standard monoplane gliders, a strong gust of wind caused the craft to nose up sharply, stall, and crash from an altitude of 15 m (50 ft).

Lilienthal suffered a broken spine and died the following day in a Berlin hospital. As successful as they were, Lilienthal's glider designs had some inherent limitations that he would have had to confront had he lived and continued his work. The principal problem was his means of controlling the craft. Lilienthal's technique of shifting body weight to maintain equilibrium did place him ahead of other experimenters in that he recognized the need for a control system and gave attention to developing one. But, as revealed in his fatal crash, the control response of his method was very limited. Even more significant, shifting body weight as a means of control placed a severe restriction on the size of the aircraft. Because control was achieved by altering the aircraft's center of gravity as a result of repositioning the pilot's body weight, the weight of the aircraft had to be kept comparatively low. This presented a great problem in the design of a powered airplane. Any aircraft capable of lifting an engine and pilot, much less any sort of a payload, would be of a size so large that shifting body weight would be totally ineffectual.

Further, the airfoil of Lilienthal's gliders, although extensively tested and documented during his earlier aerodynamic research, was very inefficient in actual practice. Lilienthal always preferred a perfect arc for the shape of his glider wings with a very deep camber of 1 in 12. His investigations demonstrated that a curved surface was the most efficient shape, but he never abandoned the perfect arc in his gliders to experiment with parabolic airfoils, which later proved to be superior. The deeply cambered perfect arcs of Lilienthal's glider wings resulted in aerodynamic efficiency and stability problems. Despite these unresolved issues, the impact of Lilienthal's aeronautical work upon the next generation of experimenters, the generation that would finally achieve heavier-than-air powered flight, was highly influential. With his pioneering aerodynamic research and his success in the air, Lilienthal had established a new starting point for anyone entering the field. Beyond his technical contributions, he sparked aeronautical advancement from a psychological point of view as well. He demonstrated unquestionably that gliding flight was possible. Granted, he was flying for only seconds at a time, but he was truly flying.

Lilienthal's tentative trips through the air made headlines everywhere. Dramatic photographs showing Lilienthal soaring gracefully over hillsides appeared in newspapers and magazines the world over. The publicity made him quite a sensation in an age when, for most, human flight still seemed a distant possibility at best. This exposure and visible proof that a human being could actually fly contributed as much to spurring other experimenters forward as did Lilienthal's ground breaking aerodynamic research. He was a great inspiration to the Wright brothers in particular. They adopted his approach of glider experimentation and used his aerodynamic data as a starting point in their own research. The Lilienthal glider in the NASM collection was built by the German experimenter in 1894. It was purchased from Lilienthal by the American newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst in the spring of 1896. Hearst sponsored test flights of the glider on a Long Island estate in April and May 1896 in an effort to create publicity and boost the circulation of his newspaper, the New York Journal. Harry Bodine, a New Jersey athlete, made most of the flights, although Journal reporters and other spectators were also allowed to test their skill.

Flights as long as 115 m (375 ft) at altitudes of up to 15 m (50 ft) were made with the glider. Further flight testing, however, ceased after Lilienthal's death in August. The glider was placed in storage until January 1906, when it was displayed at a New York Aero Club show. It then passed into the hands of John Brisben Walker, editor of Cosmopolitan magazine, who presented it to the Smithsonian Institution on February 2, 1906. Minor refurbishing was done in 1906 and 1928, and in 1967 the glider was completely restored. The horizontal tail is not original. The NASM Lilienthal glider is one of six remaining in the world. Data Source Deutsches Museum: Early Days Modernisation Early Days of Flight until 1918 The early history of flight - form its beginnings until 1918 - is the subject of the exhibition in the "Old Aeronautics Hall".Here you find all stories about the early attempts of the pioneers, the heyday of airships and balloons.

Flight in nature In this section, visitors get an idea of the diverse forms of flight seen in nature, as represented by preserved specimens and fossilized impressions of gliding plant seeds, insects, pterodactyls and birds. A video station shows short films on flight in the animal and plant worlds and a film on human-powered flight. They serve as an understandable introduction to the concepts of lift and airflows as well as the fundamental differences between the way flight is achieved in nature and through technology, despite the basic similarity. Rounding off the exhibits in this area is the first successful human-powered aircraft in Germany, Musculair I by Günter Rochelt. Diorama Ascent of the Montgolfiere, 1783 Balloons The first time human beings rose into the air, they did so using a principle that differs fundamentally from flight in nature: the first ‘air travel’ was achieved in 1783 by means of a balloon, an event depicted here in a diorama. To provide the necessary lift, the balloon was filled with hot air. Just a short time later hydrogen became the commonly used gas for lifting balloons.

The balloon flight caused a sensation and, on the eve of the French Revolution, was seen as a symbol of the Enlightenment and of the dawn of a new intellectual and social era. LZ 127 "Graf Zeppelin", 1928 Airships The next step in the development of balloon flight was the airship. The first usable airships made their appearance around 1900 when a suitable propulsion engine became available in the form of the light, fast-running internal combustion engine. In Germany the airships developed by Count Zeppelin became particularly popular. A ‘Zeppelin’ – such as the LZ 127 – had a rigid metal frame shrouded with silver-coloured fabric. The cells containing the buoyant gas were mounted in the interior. The airship’s actual importance stemmed from its use as a mode of transport. In the 1930s scheduled transatlantic air services were established with Zeppelin airships. Nose cap of the Zeppelin LZ 127 airship The LZ 127 "Graf Zeppelin" took off for her maiden flight in 1928.

The "Graf Zeppelin" was the most successful airship of the Zeppelin series and became famous by spectacular flights - among others - across the North Atlantic, around the world and to the Arctic. Five Maybach engines with a power of 390 kW each gave the LZ 127 a speed of 118 km/h. With a length of of more than 230 m, the "Graf Zeppelin" was three times longer than the Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet. The birth of aviation After extensive study of bird flight beginning in the 1860s, Otto Lilienthal carried out successful glider flights beginning in 1891. His work marked the start of scientific research into the problem of flight and the systematic development of aviation technology. In 1874, using systematic air pressure measurements, he grasped the relevance of the curved wing profile. With the addition of aerodynamic controls, the Wright brothers in the USA perfected the aircraft, thus paving the way to the first powered flight, which they successfully completed in 1903. By 1908 the Wright brothers were creating an international sensation with their demonstration flights in Europe.

With these flights the aeroplane completely conquered the public imagination and soon soared past the airship, which was in widespread use at that time. One of the most valuable exhibits in our collection, an original Wright brothers aircraft, dates back to that era. Until the start of the First World War the monoplane was the dominant aircraft type. It is represented in the exhibition by the Blériot XI and the Etrich-Rumpler Taube, as well as the first successful German powered aircraft, developed and built by Hans Grade. Otto Lilienthal in 1888 at the age of 40. Otto Lilienthal The first man to design a suitable gliding device, and to learn to fly, was Otto Lilienthal. He made the first successful flight just outside Berlin in 1891. In the following years he built several more flying machines. Replicas of Lilienthal’s "standard" wing glider and his double-winged glider, with its dummy pilot in typical flying position, are suspended from the ceiling at the end of the old aeronautics hall, near the section "The Early Days of Flight".

Gliding flight of Otto Lilienthal from the" Fliegeberg" in Berlin-Lichterfelde, 1894 Otto Lilienthal built an artificial mountain nearby his living house in Berlin. He called it "Fliegeberg" and he did a lot of gliding flights from there. Powered Flying Machines From the middle of the last century aircraft constructors began to built powered flying machines. But apart from short hops, they all failed and could not achieve motorized flight. This lack of success was due to many factors: The available power units, steam or early petrol engines, were neither light nor powerful enough and many constructors underestimated the power requirements of their flying machines It was mistaken to attempt to built a man-carrying aircraft only on the basis of theoretical studies, without flying experience. Flying experience with gliders, as Lilienthal and the Wrights had acquired, was essential. Lack of knowledge of aerodynamics and flight mechanics meant that the stability and steerability of the flying machines were unsatisfactory.

Eindecker von Du Temple Early Pioneers of Powered Flight Jakob Brodbeck,1865 Felix und Louis du Temple,1874 Alexander Moshaiski,1883 Otto Lilienthal Otto Lilienthal was Herring the first to fly? Otto Lilienthal: First True Aviator The German engineer Otto Lilienthal was the first man to launch himself into the air, fly, and land safely. He also was an important source of inspiration and information for the Wright brothers in the next decade. Otto Lilienthal. Lilienthal was born in Pomerania, Germany in 1848. Even as a teenager, he was interested in flight, and with his brother Gustav, in 1867 built a frail contraption of thin birch veneer. They intended to strap themselves to the pair of 6-1/2-foot (two-meter) wings, run down a hill while flapping their arms, and take off into the air. Their experiment was unsuccessful, but they persevered and built two more winged vehicles. These failed too, but Otto remained committed to the idea of human flight.

He studied at Potsdam and Berlin and received a degree in mechanical engineering from Berlin University in 1870. After an interruption to serve in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, he continued with his aeronautical pursuits. After the war, Gustav became an architect and left Otto to open his own factory in Berlin to manufacture boilers and steam engines. Otto resisted the urge to plunge ahead with building flying machines, even though the pull was strong. He first devoted himself to studying the principles of aerodynamics and analyzed how birds flew before he attempted to apply those principles to a structure. After experimenting with ornithopters, in 1889 he published a book on the flight of birds that outlined his theories and which became one of the classics of aviation. In Der Vogelflug als Grundlage der Fliegekunst (Bird Flight as the Basis of Aviation), he examined in detail the types and structure of bird wings, the method and aerodynamics of bird flight, and the application of the data he gathered especially that dealing with wing area and lift to the problem of human flight. He described how birds propelled themselves by the twisting, or airscrew, action of their outer primary feathers.

Lilienthal tabulated the amount of air resistance offered to a bird's wing with various degrees of camber and determined that the curve was necessary to flight because it offered more resistance than a flat surface. He built his first glider in 1891. Before his death in 1896, he had built eighteen modelsï¿½fifteen monoplanes and three biplanes. He had also taken more than 2,000 glider flights. Lilienthal's "Normal" Glider, 1895. Lilienthal biplane glider in flight, 1895. Shows structure of the glider with the double sailing surface. Lilienthal's first glider, the 1891 Derwitzer Glider, was constructed of rods of peeled willow covered by highly stretched strong cotton fabric. He used a springboard in his garden at first at a height of a little over three feet (one meter), then gradually increasing to 8.2 feet (2.5 meters) to launch himself into the air.

His first flights took him only a few feet but gradually the distance lengthened until he could glide almost 80 feet (24 meters). The glider originally had a wingspan of 25 feet (7.6 meters). During the course of the experiments, he reduced its span to 18 feet (5.5 feet). As in all his gliders, he controlled the glider's direction by shifting his weight a task that required considerable strength. In 1892, he constructed a more sophisticated glider with fabric that covered both sides of the wings. This glider had a wingspan of 31 feet (9.4 meters). He could fly it up to a distance of 270 feet (82.3 meters). Lilienthal's Sturmfugel, 1894. Lilienthal's "Jumping Off" place from the front. Lilienthal realized he needed more flying space. In 1894, he built an artificial hill topped with an earth-covered shed for storing his machines. He would run down his hill and leap into the face of the wind, reportedly gliding more than 150 feet (45.7 meters).

He could also launch himself from the top of the 13-foot (4-meter) shed. Lilienthal's gliding experiments, 1892. From there, he progressed to his Maih-he-Rhinow-Glider. He called this a convertible flight apparatus, and Lilienthal received a patent for its design. It had a bat-like construction and when collapsed, measured 6.6 x 10.5 x 1.6 feet (2 x 3.2 x 0.5 meters). He could change the wing profile by inserting different ribs. Lilienthal needed still more space for his experiments as well as a location with height and strong, steady winds. He began flying in the Rhinower Hills, about six miles northwest of Berlin. Launching himself from the hillside, he glided up to 1,150 feet (350 meters). Lilienthal glides from the top of his hill. Like several others before him, Lilienthal never quite abandoned the idea that flapping wings was the key to motion. In 1893 and again in 1896, he built gliders with flapping wings in the ornithopter fashion.

Each machine had a lightweight carbonic acid engine that produced about two horsepower (1.5 kilowatts). The engine was supposed to make the wing tips flap up and down and move the aircraft forward. Neither model was successful. Otto Lilienthal's 1893 glider. From 1894 until his death in 1896, Lilienthal constructed his ï¿½standardï¿½ glider. These monoplanes were highly successful, and he sold or gave several of them to clients. They had cambered wings with radiating ribs that could be folded for transport and a fixed rear fin and tailplane that freely hinged upward. With these machines, Lilienthal could glide from 300 feet (91.4 meters) to more than 750 feet (228.6 meters). His design incorporated a prellbugel, or rebound bow. This was a flexible willow hoop fitted in front of the pilot that would reduce the impact in case of a crash. The apparatus saved Lilienthal's life during one flight when the glider stalled and nose-dived toward the earth from more than 60 feet (18.3 meters) above ground.

Lilienthal's "jumping off" place. Lilienthal continued testing and enhancing his standard glider. In 1895, he tested unsuccessfully a leading-edge flap device that was intended to counteract air pressure on the cambered upper surfaces of the wings as well as steering air-brakes and a form of wing-warping. At the time of his death, he was developing a body-harness elevator control to supplement his body movements. He became a skilled pilot and could ride the wind and handle his craft skilfully. During this time, he also was visited by several aerodynamic experts, including Samuel Langley, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and N.J. Shukowsky, an aerodynamics expert from Moscow. However, Lilienthal's gliders had one major fault. They had no means of control other than the motions of the pilot who had to contort himself and exercise considerable strength to affect the direction and stability of the glider. To fly the glider, Lilienthal had to crawl under the craft, position his arms in a set of cuffs, grasp a bar near the front edge of the wings, and run down a slope.

Once aloft, his legs dangled below him. His only way to balance the craft was to shift his weight. He moved the lower half of his body in the direction he wished to go, which changed the centre of gravity. By shifting his weight, he reacted to the movement of the glider rather than directing it. Lilienthal shifts his body to move the glider to the right. Shows how Lilienthal changed the centre of gravity and particularly the position of his legs to the left in order to press down the left wing. From "Practical Experiments for the Development of Human Flight." On August 9, 1896, the glider he was piloting stalled and went into a nosedive. It had no prellbugel to protect him, and he died the next day of a broken spine. His last words were Sacrifices must be made. Lilienthal piloting his 1896 glider. Lilienthal soars through the air. Although his designs had flaws, Lilienthal had an immense influence on aviation. His writings were translated and distributed worldwide, and the photographs that documented his flights visually proved that a human could launch himself into the air and stay aloft.

He demonstrated the importance of identifying the principles that governed an experiment before proceeding, and his meticulous documentation of his research provided guidance for those that came after him. Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames. Lilienthal, Otto Encyclopedia > People > Science and Technology > Aviation: Biographies Otto Lilienthal Lilienthal, Otto (ôˈtō lēˈlyəntäl) [ key ], 1848–96, German aeronautical engineer, a pioneer in his experiments with gliders . He made major developments in the glider based on his observations of birds and wrote a number of books on aviation. His brother, Gustav Lilienthal, 1849–1933, was associated with Otto in his flying experiments and continued them after his brother's death. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. See more Encyclopedia articles on: Aviation: Biographies Advertisement Advertisement Otto-Lilienthal-Museum Anklam (5. Soester Niflungen-Tagung 2000, June, 2.

to 4.) To fly like a bird The idea of human flight and the history of aviation By Bernd Lukasch Numerous authors wrote histories of aviation especially since the birth of the aeroplane. They are all quite similar. Most differentiate on principles of physics between two basic branches: "lighter than air", for example the hot air balloon or the airship, and "heavier than air" including the aeroplane and the helicopter. The balloon was born in France in 1783 when the first people went up in the hot air balloon of the brothers Montgolfier or the hydrogen balloon of Prof. Charles. The birth of the aeroplane is connected to two remarkable events: the successful gliding flights of the German Otto Lilienthal from 1891 to 1896 and the first flights of the Wright brothers (USA) with their aircraft in 1903. The history of aviation is of course very extensive and so there are numerous amazing pioneer achievements before and after the just described events. The “first” flights are also not undisputed. There are reports about earlier ones, but either their reliability is not certain or they did not influence the development sustainable.

Otto Lilienthal with his "small wing flapping apparatus" in 1894 There are two other reasons why the invention of humans flying takes a special position among the technical pioneer achievements. First, the just described picture of history describes only the technical side of human flight from today's point of view. The kite, the most important forerunner of the aeroplane, is seldom mentioned. With it free flight was not yet possible, (it would be more correct to say flights over certain distances, because the freedom of a balloon ride is similarly limited) but manned takeoffs were certainly possible a several centuries earlier. The wish to travel in the air was not the original idea or impulse of human flight, but to conquer the sky, to leave the surface of the earth and so the earthly vale of tears. Second, the technological history of the aeroplane is connected to a cultural history of the idea of human flight in a way only a few other inventions are. Independent from the technological history the cultural history can be followed up to ancient times and it does certainly not end with the realisation of the aeroplane. In 1999 a song in the charts was called “I dream I can fly”.

And the Nobel prize winner for literature Elias Canetti writes “Our dreams like the one to fly are fulfilled and died one after the other. Can you have a new dream?”. Naturally questions arise about the background of unconfirmed records which describe flying apparatuses. What was the dove of the Greek mathematician Archytas of Tarant (around 400 BC)? Were the flights of the locksmith Besnier and the “message of the flying ship from Portugal at the 24th of June [1709] happily arrived with its inventor in Vienna” really only hoaxes? How did the astonishing technical details get into the flight descriptions of Ikarus, Daedalus or Wieland the Smith? "la Paserola (the great bird)", 1709, supposedly successfully done project of the Brazilian Portuguese clergyman Bartholomeo Lourenco de Gusmao. A flying apparatus with features of an aeroplane and of an airship made of amber, lodestone and other inventions. Model done according to historic drawings: H.

Serowski, Otto-Lilienthal-Museum Following we are going to look closer at two historic events with special concern of Wieland's flights described in the Thidreks legend: 1. Lilienthal's flights and the technical prerequisites for his flying apparatus, which presumably made the first reproducible and secure gliding flights possible 2. The development of the hang glider in the second half of the 20th century. The hang glider can be considered as the technical minimum form of a flying apparatus. Modelled on Bird flight The oldest known depiction of human flight is dated between 2350 and 2150 BC. The 4cm high clay seal can be seen in the Museum of Ancient Near Eastern Antiquities in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. It reveals a 10 cm wide clay relief showing the shepherd Etana riding an eagle. Aviation in sumerian mythology: Clay relief (Museum of Ancient Near Eastern Antiquities in the SMPK Berlin) Legends, myths and pictures of flying people are not seldom. When did reality mix with these tales? Humans attributed the ability to fly to their deities, mythical figures and demons.

The ability of the higher creatures expressed the dream, wish, the trial and the urge of the humans to fly themselves. It is not a surprise that earlier attempts to fly started work where humans obviously lack bodily prerequisite: The human needs wings. With wings it should be possible to gain the same supremacy in the air as birds and insects. So humans tried over and over again to make their stretched out arms become wings. But what are wings? What is the essential characteristic of the wings of birds that gives them the ability to fly? Lies the secret in the plumage or the bone structure? Or do they even have a special flying organ? Or is the key to be found in the ingenious movements of the wings? They did not know, but the flying of birds seemed to be perfectly natural. There are records testifying to numerous failed attempts or alleged flights. Nevertheless we should not think that the records are complete or representative. Also it is not possible to clearly separate truth from legend. It is rather a kaleidoscope by chance of the old human dream and of the different projects for its fulfilment. Nearly all attempts are done after the same pattern. The alleged inventor thinks that he has finally found the essential detail that gives the ability to fly to the artificial wings.

He climbs a tower or hill. The first flight has to be successful, because there are no safety precautions. Another essential point is that the inventor thinks that he will be able to steer his apparatus straight away. He thinks that no practising is necessary. That seems ridiculous when we consider that an infant needs several month to keep balance under easier and more secure conditions on the surface. None of the inventors considered this problem for the three-dimensional room. To fly meant for them to have working wings, not to learn how to fly. In the 17th century the first knowledge about the atmosphere was gained and in the closing 18th century the first knowledge on the way to the aeroplane. Before these events history of aviation seemed to be an unsuccessful search on always the same level. Clearly outstanding are the ideas of Leonardo da Vinci. Today it is assumed that these are a summary of the knowledge of his time and that they were also not tested in practical experiments. Otto Lilienthal On first glance Lilienthal (1848-1896) was still a birdman, too, a representative of the "Ikarus-Dream". But different to his predecessors he was successful with to his arms attached wings.

Several photographs proof this. But not only the proofed knowledge about his success makes Lilienthal different to his predecessors. Lilienthal`s birdlike flying apparatus is not a new, this time successful attempt to copy bird flight. The study of birds flight was for him rather the experimental starting point for a research program which resulted in the man carrying flying apparatus. He moved his research of bird flight from the pure observations of nature to the laboratory. So he could apply his knowledge to the requirements of human flight. His "physics of wing" is in great parts still valid today. Illustration from Lilienthal's book about bird flight Lilienthal had a clear interest in the physical basis of flight: He wanted to fly. He realised quickly and correctly that the knowledge of his time was absolutely insufficient for his aim. So he put his main aim aside for decades in order to concentrate on an extensive aerodynamic measurement program. After more than 20 years of experiments in physics without a single practical attempt to fly Lilienthal summarised his knowledge in the book “Bird flight as the basis of aviation” in 1889.

Lilienthal describes the technique of flight as a stomping ground for amateurs, “emotion-mechanics” and only a few specialists. His book is for all of them. It is a popular book about physics which guides in a clear line of thought to the from Lilienthal achieved newest state of research. The book is still a standard work for the research of bird flight today. Without an interim or transition the text goes over to a long poem, a message from a stork to man. Lines from the poem serve as inscriptions for Lilienthal memorials at many places. The book is illustrated by Lilienthal with 80 woodcuts and an watercolour painting showing circling storks. Under the heading “Basis of free flight” Lilienthal gives a popular but absolutely exact introduction into mechanics. Lilienthal fully characterised the problem of the wing with the help of the memorable physical phrase “All flight is based upon producing air pressure, all flight energy consists in overcoming air pressure.” Lilienthal filtered out of the physical knowledge of hydrodynamics and aerodynamics of the 19. century the new questions that concern flight and is therefore the creator of the experimental wing aerodynamics.

The discovery of the necessary wing camber is often described as his central achievement. Surely he was the first who clearly inquired into the essence of the artificial wing from the point of physics. The answer is the carved wing. When in 1895 the commemorative speech for the doyen of Berlin physics, Hermann Helmholtz, is held, Lilienthal's measurements are mentioned in connection to the theoretical work of Helmholtz.. "These experiments", Lilienthal writes in the preface of his book, "which covered a period of 23 years, can now be put to a certain end because it was possible to construct a well-rounded line of thought by stringing together the results..." The book ends with "principles on which the artificial flying apparatuses should be made, if the here presented knowledge is true." Lilienthal combined theoretical and technical skills and skills in craft and athletics in a very special way which enabled him to become the first flying human. He worked out the theoretical stock-in-trade for human flight, constructed a suitable flying apparatus and built it mostly by himself. He had the bodily constitution, courage and dexterity in order to test his flying apparatus. He was constructor and testing pilot in one person.

So it was easier for him to improve his construction during the testing period. The diversity of Lilienthal`s skills, the broadness of his interests and his interdisciplinary approach are certainly essential reasons for his success. Later the brothers Wright called Lilienthal the missionary of human flight. When giving lectures he was so convincing that he captivated his audience. Lilienthal is an exclusive expert of flight technique in his time. The list of his publications is long. Numerous were translated. Lilienthal is a member of the technological commission of the Society for Promoting Aviation and for many years member of the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain. He writes numerous reviews of publications concerning flight technique and has an extensive correspondence with flight technicians from all over the world. The brothers Wright started their own research program in the USA after Lilienthal's death. It was based on Lilienthal`s work but went clearly beyond it. The program led from the hang glider to the concept of the aeroplane of our days. Kite and hang glider The author and pilot Saint de Exupery described development as the way from the primitive via the complicated to the simple.

Considering this definition Lilienthal`s artificial wings would be the primitive and the aeroplane of our days the complicated. Saint de Exupery did not live long enough to see „the simple“: the development of the NASA engineer Francis Melvin Rogallo. It was not, as originally planned, used for the returning from space flights. But the idea of a very simple man carrying wing was successful all around the world since the 1970ies. Especially interesting for us are the Flexfoil and the original Rogallo wing. They are the minimum form of a man carrying flying apparatus. They are interesting for us for two reasons: First, they allow free human flight requiring a minimum of material and technology – about 10 m² fabric or foil stretched by 4 struts (Rogallo) or by some lines (Flexfoil). Second, because their origins can be seen in the Asian kites, which were already known several thousand years ago. It is not possible to point out a time when this invention would not have been possible.

Half stiff Rogallo wing with Gemini space capsule during the testing program (1961-66), picture: NASA Both modern types of flying apparatuses, the parafoil and the hang glider go back to Rogallo`s (born 1912) developments. He had already developed these basic types of wings after the war and took out a patent on them in 1951. The only user was a toys factory which produced flexible kites for children. In 1960 Wernher v. Braun noticed Rogallo`s work at the Langley-Research Centre in Hampton, Virginia, and made him head of a research program. Kites that unfold in the air were tested with loads of several metric tonnes for space travel. The military was interested in the Rogallo-wing as goods transport self landing glider kite and motorised hang glider. Later the Gemini-Program placed its trust in the „Flexwings“, which was Rogallo`s original idea of a totally flexible wing. But in the end they carried on using the traditional parachute.

Hang glider and paraglider, both types of wings go back to Rogallo After the development of the space shuttles the work on the flexible wing was discontinued in the course of the Appollo-Program. At the beginning of the 70ies the disappointed Rogallo retired. But only a few years later his idea became successful in sports all over the world. Students in California and water-skiing athletes in Australia studied the now no longer secret papers about flexible wings. They used the idea to be pulled by motor boats through the air as captive manned kites. Above the water it was relatively secure to cut the rope in order to test the kite in free flight. The man carrying hang glider was born. The new flying apparatus developed at first slowly but later terrifically. Spectacular flights shown on funfairs led to an interest of the media and so to a fast spreading. The flight of the mountain Zugspitze of the American Mike Harker on April the 11th in 1973 aroused the interest of the media and promoted the development of the hang glider in Europe. Out of the square canvas on bamboo spars became a modern flying apparatuses of the 4th generation.

The conventional aeroplane was developed once again. The hang glider got a steering mechanism and an engine again. After certain intermediate stages the Ultralight aircraft was developed, which dominates the motor flight sport today. The aeroplane was born for the second time, again based on Lilienthal`s hang glider. When could the first human have flown The two just described developments are fundamental for determining a certain point in history when the first sincere flight of a human could have been possible. Lilienthal`s success is based on his method of careful step by step imitation of bird gliding flight. Imitating bird flight was his first aim on his way to human flight. This secure and learnable program was superior to the ones of his predecessors, but also to the „winged steam engines“ of his time and to the drafts of motorplanes that could not be tested in practise. Lilienthal`s flights are often described as the beginning of human flight modelled on the flying of birds. But Lilienthal was successful because he partly overcame this model.

Lilienthal succeeded through leaving aside the outstanding qualities of the bird wing - the flapping of the wings and the plumage – and concentrating on the hidden but decisive characteristics of the wing which he determined in laboratory experiments. This was only possible on the basis of 18th century physics with its related scientific methods, but is also a remarkable work of Lilienthal`s personality. An earlier not handed down success using the same method is unthinkable. The principle of the hang glider is different. The technical related kite was already used thousands of years ago. But the relation to the kite has another aspect too. It is not just possible to study its flight characteristics and to learn how to steer through experiments on oneself, but it is also possible to simulate the flight unmanned and captured. Lilienthal and the brothers Wright used this technique (Their flying apparatuses were called kites but technically their construction was totally different). The Wrights did their tests at the „Outer Banks“ in front of the coast of North Carolina because of the regular strong winds there. Even today hang gliders start by being lifted by the wind for example at the steep coasts of Hawaii.

They get carried nearly vertical upwards by simply letting go of (comparable to the cutting of the mooring line). Basic hang glider of the Rogallo type A third aspect is the relation between parafoil and parachute. The weight of a hang glider lies very low (or is attached to a long rope). That’s why the hang glider does not have the problem of flight stability. A problem that led to Lilienthal`s death and dominates the basic structure of the aeroplane today (dihedral of wings, trimming, tail unit etc.). A kite that has its weight low under the wings, as it is the case with parachutes and parafoils, is as stabile in the air as the seed of the dandelion. Could it be possible that there is a forgotten early history of free human flight? Is there possibly a forgotten truth about Ikarus, Wieland the Smith or the legend of Alexander? We do not know. But there are good reasons for the following hypothesis: If there really is a forgotten early history of human flight, then the prehistoric flights of human beings were based on the principle of the hang glider, a released kite.

But certainly it could not have been an early anticipation of the development of the aeroplane of the 19th and 20th century. Lilienthal  The "Flying Man" Lilienthal  The "Flying Man" The German engineer Otto Lilienthal was the first man to launch himself into the air, fly, and land safely. He also was an important source of inspiration and information for the Wright brothers in the next decade. Otto Lilienthal. Lilienthal was born in Pomerania, Germany in 1848. Even as a teenager, he was interested in flight, and with his brother Gustav, in 1867 built a frail contraption of thin birch veneer. They intended to strap themselves to the pair of 6-1/2-foot (two-meter) wings, run down a hill while flapping their arms, and take off into the air. Their experiment was unsuccessful, but they persevered and built two more winged vehicles. These failed too, but Otto remained committed to the idea of human flight. He studied at Potsdam and Berlin and received a degree in mechanical engineering from Berlin University in 1870.

After an interruption to serve in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, he continued with his aeronautical pursuits. After the war, Gustav became an architect and left Otto to open his own factory in Berlin to manufacture boilers and steam engines. Otto resisted the urge to plunge ahead with building flying machines, even though the pull was strong. He first devoted himself to studying the principles of aerodynamics and analyzed how birds flew before he attempted to apply those principles to a structure. After experimenting with ornithopters , in 1889 he published a book on the flight of birds that outlined his theories and which became one of the classics of aviation. In Der Vogelflug als Grundlage der Fliegekunst (Bird Flight as the Basis of Aviation), he examined in detail the types and structure of bird wings, the method and aerodynamics of bird flight, and the application of the data he gathered∩┐╜especially that dealing with wing area and lift ∩┐╜to the problem of human flight. He described how birds propelled themselves by the twisting, or airscrew, action of their outer primary feathers.

Lilienthal tabulated the amount of air resistance offered to a bird's wing with various degrees of camber and determined that the curve was necessary to flight because it offered more resistance than a flat surface. He built his first glider in 1891. Before his death in 1896, he had built eighteen modelsfifteen monoplanes and three biplanes. ∩┐╜ He had also taken more than 2,000 glider flights. Lilienthal's "Normal" Glider, 1895. Lilienthal biplane glider in flight, 1895. Shows structure of the glider with the double sailing surface. Lilienthal's first glider, the 1891 Derwitzer Glider, was constructed of rods of peeled willow covered by highly stretched strong cotton fabric. He used a springboard in his garden∩┐╜at first at a height of a little over three feet (one meter), then gradually increasing to 8.2 feet (2.5 meters)∩┐╜to launch himself into the air.

His first flights took him only a few feet but gradually the distance lengthened until he could glide almost 80 feet (24 meters). The glider originally had a wingspan of 25 feet (7.6 meters).∩┐╜ During the course of the experiments, he reduced its span to 18 feet (5.5 feet). As in all his gliders, he controlled the glider's direction by shifting his weight∩┐╜a task that required considerable strength. In 1892, he constructed a more sophisticated glider with fabric that covered both sides of the wings. This glider had a wingspan of 31 feet (9.4 meters). He could fly it up to a distance of 270 feet (82.3 meters).∩┐╜ Lilienthal's "Jumping Off" place from the front. Lilienthal realized he needed more flying space. In 1894, he built an artificial hill topped with an earth-covered shed for storing his machines. He would run down his hill and leap into the face of the wind, reportedly gliding more than 150 feet (45.7 meters).

He could also launch himself from the top of the 13-foot (4-meter) shed.∩┐╜ Lilienthal's gliding experiments, 1892. From there, he progressed to his Maih∩┐╜he-Rhinow-Glider. He called this a ∩┐╜convertible flight apparatus,∩┐╜ and Lilienthal received a patent for its design. It had a bat-like construction and when collapsed, measured 6.6 x 10.5 x 1.6 feet (2 x 3.2 x 0.5 meters). He could change the wing profile by inserting different ribs. Lilienthal needed still more space for his experiments as well as a location with height and strong, steady winds. He began flying in the Rhinower Hills, about six miles northwest of Berlin. Launching himself from the hillside, he glided up to 1,150 feet (350 meters).∩┐╜ Lilienthal glides from the top of his hill. Like several others before him, Lilienthal never quite abandoned the idea that flapping wings was the key to motion.

In 1893 and again in 1896, he built gliders with flapping wings in the ornithopter fashion. Each machine had a lightweight carbonic acid engine that produced about two horsepower (1.5 kilowatts). The engine was supposed to make the wing tips flap up and down and move the aircraft forward. Neither model was successful.∩┐╜ Otto Lilienthal's 1893 glider. From 1894 until his death in 1896, Lilienthal constructed his ∩┐╜standard∩┐╜ glider. These monoplanes were highly successful, and he sold or gave several of them to clients. They had cambered wings with radiating ribs that could be folded for transport and a fixed rear fin and tailplane that freely hinged upward. With these machines, Lilienthal could glide from 300 feet (91.4 meters) to more than 750 feet (228.6 meters). His design incorporated a prellbugel, or rebound bow. This was a flexible willow hoop fitted in front of the pilot that would reduce the impact in case of a crash.

The apparatus saved Lilienthal's life during one flight when the glider stalled and nose-dived toward the earth from more than 60 feet (18.3 meters) above ground. Lilienthal's "jumping off" place. Lilienthal continued testing and enhancing his standard glider. In 1895, he tested unsuccessfully a leading-edge flap device that was intended to counteract air pressure on the cambered upper surfaces of the wings as well as steering air-brakes and a form of wing-warping. At the time of his death, he was developing a body-harness elevator control to supplement his body movements. He became a skilled pilot and could ride the wind and handle his craft skillfully. During this time, he also was visited by several aerodynamic experts, including Samuel Langley, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and N.J. Shukowsky, an aerodynamics expert from Moscow. However, Lilienthal's gliders had one major fault. They had no means of control other than the motions of the pilot who had to contort himself and exercise considerable strength to affect the direction and stability of the glider.

To fly the glider, Lilienthal had to crawl under the craft, position his arms in a set of cuffs, grasp a bar near the front edge of the wings, and run down a slope. Once aloft, his legs dangled below him. His only way to balance the craft was to shift his weight. He moved the lower half of his body in the direction he wished to go, which changed the center of gravity. By shifting his weight, he reacted to the movement of the glider rather than directing it. Lilienthal shifts his body to move the glider to the right. Shows how Lilienthal changed the center of gravity and particularly the position of his legs to the left in order to press down the left wing. From "Practical Experiments for the Development of Human Flight." On August 9, 1896, the glider he was piloting stalled and went into a nosedive.∩┐╜ It had no prellbugel to protect him, and he died the next day of a broken spine. His last words were ∩┐╜Sacrifices must be made.∩┐╜ Lilienthal piloting his 1896 glider.

Lilienthal soars through the air. Although his designs had flaws, Lilienthal had an immense influence on aviation. His writings were translated and distributed worldwide, and the photographs that documented his flights visually proved that a human could launch himself into the air and stay aloft.∩┐╜ He demonstrated the importance of identifying the principles that governed an experiment before proceeding, and his meticulous documentation of his research provided guidance for those that came after him. References: Crouch, Tom P. Dream of Wings:∩┐╜ Americans and the Airplane, 1875-1905. New York: W.W. Norton, 1981; reprint ed., Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1988. Moolman, Valerie and the editors of Time-Life Books. The Road to Kitty Hawk. Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life, 1980. Scott, Phil. The Shoulders of Giants: A History of Human Flight to 1919. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1995. On-Line References: Lilienthal, Otto.

Der Vogelflug als Grundlage der Fliegekunst (Bird Flight as the Basis of Aviation. English edition (translated from the 2nd edition). New York, 1911. The second edition was published in 1910 with an additional chapter by Gustav Lilienthal Lilienthal, Otto. Practical Experiments for the Development of Human Flight. In James Means' The Aeronautical Annual, 1896. Lilienthal, Otto. The Carrying Capacity of Arched Surfaces in Sailing Flight. aviation timeline 1893 World Aviation in 1893 Otto Lilienthal: First True Aviator The German engineer Otto Lilienthal was the first man to launch himself into the air, fly, and land safely. He also was an important source of inspiration and information for the Wright brothers in the next decade. Otto Lilienthal. Lilienthal was born in Pomerania, Germany in 1848. Even as a teenager, he was interested in flight, and with his brother Gustav, in 1867 built a frail contraption of thin birch veneer.

They intended to strap themselves to the pair of 6-1/2-foot (two-meter) wings, run down a hill while flapping their arms, and take off into the air. Their experiment was unsuccessful, but they persevered and built two more winged vehicles. These failed too, but Otto remained committed to the idea of human flight. He studied at Potsdam and Berlin and received a degree in mechanical engineering from Berlin University in 1870. After an interruption to serve in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, he continued with his aeronautical pursuits. After the war, Gustav became an architect and left Otto to open his own factory in Berlin to manufacture boilers and steam engines. Otto resisted the urge to plunge ahead with building flying machines, even though the pull was strong. He first devoted himself to studying the principles of aerodynamics and analyzed how birds flew before he attempted to apply those principles to a structure. After experimenting with ornithopters, in 1889 he published a book on the flight of birds that outlined his theories and which became one of the classics of aviation.

In Der Vogelflug als Grundlage der Fliegekunst (Bird Flight as the Basis of Aviation), he examined in detail the types and structure of bird wings, the method and aerodynamics of bird flight, and the application of the data he gathered especially that dealing with wing area and lift to the problem of human flight. He described how birds propelled themselves by the twisting, or airscrew, action of their outer primary feathers. Lilienthal tabulated the amount of air resistance offered to a bird's wing with various degrees of camber and determined that the curve was necessary to flight because it offered more resistance than a flat surface. He built his first glider in 1891. Before his death in 1896, he had built eighteen modelsï¿½fifteen monoplanes and three biplanes. He had also taken more than 2,000 glider flights. Lilienthal's "Normal" Glider, 1895. Lilienthal biplane glider in flight, 1895. Shows structure of the glider with the double sailing surface.

Lilienthal's first glider, the 1891 Derwitzer Glider, was constructed of rods of peeled willow covered by highly stretched strong cotton fabric. He used a springboard in his garden at first at a height of a little over three feet (one meter), then gradually increasing to 8.2 feet (2.5 meters) to launch himself into the air. His first flights took him only a few feet but gradually the distance lengthened until he could glide almost 80 feet (24 meters). The glider originally had a wingspan of 25 feet (7.6 meters). During the course of the experiments, he reduced its span to 18 feet (5.5 feet). As in all his gliders, he controlled the glider's direction by shifting his weight a task that required considerable strength. In 1892, he constructed a more sophisticated glider with fabric that covered both sides of the wings. This glider had a wingspan of 31 feet (9.4 meters). He could fly it up to a distance of 270 feet (82.3 meters).

Lilienthal's Sturmfugel, 1894. Lilienthal's "Jumping Off" place from the front. Lilienthal realized he needed more flying space. In 1894, he built an artificial hill topped with an earth-covered shed for storing his machines. He would run down his hill and leap into the face of the wind, reportedly gliding more than 150 feet (45.7 meters). He could also launch himself from the top of the 13-foot (4-meter) shed. Lilienthal's gliding experiments, 1892. From there, he progressed to his Maih-he-Rhinow-Glider. He called this a convertible flight apparatus, and Lilienthal received a patent for its design. It had a bat-like construction and when collapsed, measured 6.6 x 10.5 x 1.6 feet (2 x 3.2 x 0.5 meters). He could change the wing profile by inserting different ribs. Lilienthal needed still more space for his experiments as well as a location with height and strong, steady winds.

He began flying in the Rhinower Hills, about six miles northwest of Berlin. Launching himself from the hillside, he glided up to 1,150 feet (350 meters). Lilienthal glides from the top of his hill. Like several others before him, Lilienthal never quite abandoned the idea that flapping wings was the key to motion. In 1893 and again in 1896, he built gliders with flapping wings in the ornithopter fashion. Each machine had a lightweight carbonic acid engine that produced about two horsepower (1.5 kilowatts). The engine was supposed to make the wing tips flap up and down and move the aircraft forward. Neither model was successful. Otto Lilienthal's 1893 glider. From 1894 until his death in 1896, Lilienthal constructed his ï¿½standardï¿½ glider. These monoplanes were highly successful, and he sold or gave several of them to clients. They had cambered wings with radiating ribs that could be folded for transport and a fixed rear fin and tailplane that freely hinged upward.

With these machines, Lilienthal could glide from 300 feet (91.4 meters) to more than 750 feet (228.6 meters). His design incorporated a prellbugel, or rebound bow. This was a flexible willow hoop fitted in front of the pilot that would reduce the impact in case of a crash. The apparatus saved Lilienthal's life during one flight when the glider stalled and nose-dived toward the earth from more than 60 feet (18.3 meters) above ground. Lilienthal's "jumping off" place. Lilienthal continued testing and enhancing his standard glider. In 1895, he tested unsuccessfully a leading-edge flap device that was intended to counteract air pressure on the cambered upper surfaces of the wings as well as steering air-brakes and a form of wing-warping. At the time of his death, he was developing a body-harness elevator control to supplement his body movements. He became a skilled pilot and could ride the wind and handle his craft skilfully.

During this time, he also was visited by several aerodynamic experts, including Samuel Langley, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and N.J. Shukowsky, an aerodynamics expert from Moscow. However, Lilienthal's gliders had one major fault. They had no means of control other than the motions of the pilot who had to contort himself and exercise considerable strength to affect the direction and stability of the glider. To fly the glider, Lilienthal had to crawl under the craft, position his arms in a set of cuffs, grasp a bar near the front edge of the wings, and run down a slope. Once aloft, his legs dangled below him. His only way to balance the craft was to shift his weight. He moved the lower half of his body in the direction he wished to go, which changed the centre of gravity. By shifting his weight, he reacted to the movement of the glider rather than directing it. Lilienthal shifts his body to move the glider to the right. Shows how Lilienthal changed the centre of gravity and particularly the position of his legs to the left in order to press down the left wing.

From "Practical Experiments for the Development of Human Flight." On August 9, 1896, the glider he was piloting stalled and went into a nosedive. It had no prellbugel to protect him, and he died the next day of a broken spine. His last words were Sacrifices must be made. Lilienthal piloting his 1896 glider. Lilienthal soars through the air. Although his designs had flaws, Lilienthal had an immense influence on aviation. His writings were translated and distributed worldwide, and the photographs that documented his flights visually proved that a human could launch himself into the air and stay aloft. He demonstrated the importance of identifying the principles that governed an experiment before proceeding, and his meticulous documentation of his research provided guidance for those that came after him. Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames.

Question: With which form of transport was Otto Lilienthal associated
Answer: Gliders