On this day in aviation history: In 1871 a model makes all the difference. Alphonse Pénaud demonstrated the first inherently stable airplane when he flew his model “Planophore” at a meeting of the Société de Navigation Aérienne at the Tuileries Gardens, Paris, France. The model airplane had a wing span of 18 inches, was 20 inches long, and weighed a little over half an ounce. The model was powered by a twisted rubber band which drove an 8 inch diameter two-blade propeller positioned at the tail in a pusher configuration. The craft gained its stability from several features that later became common in aircraft design. The wings curved upward at the tips, creating a dihedral effect, and a horizontal stabilizer at the rear was mounted with a lower angle of incidence than the wings. Pénaud’s use of the twisted rubber band became a common feature of aircraft design models. At the demonstration, the model flew 131 feet in 11 seconds.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 17:15:01 +0000
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