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Chapter One Early Circular-Winged Aircraft eter of 25ft (7.62m). Swedenborg suggested that the flying machine should be built and tested in model form first, but his outlandish project never progressed any further and the idea had soon been forgotten by almost The elliptical or circular planform is widely perceived as a modern concept, but the first recorded proposal for a flying apparatus with this type of profile was produced by the 18th century Swedish scientist, theologian and philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg (1688- 1772), who completed a detailed study in September 1714. Like many of Leonardo Da Vinci's similarly futuristic ideas, this concept was centuries ahead of its time but had many obvious flaws. Swedenborg intended to use flapping wings for propulsion, with flight con- trol achieved by their manipulation. The design was oval-shaped, but he went on to discuss the possibility of circular and perhaps square planforms. The proposal was carried by Sweden’s first scientific journal, Daedalus Hyperboreus, during 1716. It reported that Swedenborg’s aircraft would be constructed from wood, covered in sailcloth, and flown by one per- son. The oval-shaped apparatus would have dimensions of 32ft by 24ft (9.75m by 7.3m) and the circular version was to have a diam- eter of 25ft (7.62m). Swedenborg suggested steam-powered propellers. His ideas were that the flying machine should be built and years ahead of their time and in 1875 they tested in model form first, but his outlandish won him an award from the French Academy project never progressed any further and the _ of Sciences. By 1876 Pénaud had teamed up idea had soon been forgotten by almost with an engineer called Paul Gauchot and everyone. they designed and patented a full-sized air- 155 years later, a French inventor called _ craft, anticipating the development of a light- Alphonse Pénaud (1850-1880) completed a__ weight steam engine with sufficient power to small model aircraft with a length of 20in provide their machine with a level flight (508mm) and a wingspan of 18in (457mm). It speed of about 60mph (96km/h). Based on was powered by a rubber band that turned a Pénaud’s earlier concept for a seaplane, the rear-mounted 8in (200mm) propeller. two-man elliptical Pénaud-Gauchot aircraft Pénaud called this tiny monoplane the — incorporated many radical innovations such Planaphore. On 18th August 1871 he flew his as a glass-covered cockpit, a retractable tricy- model at the Tuileries Gardens in Paris and — cle undercarriage and a modern control stick. the Planaphore covered a distance of 131ft In 1880 Pénaud approached the airship pio- (40m) in eleven seconds, in the process prov- neer Henri Giffard seeking support for the ing to be very stable in flight. design, but Pénaud met with total rejection The success of this experiment encour- and, as a consequence, he committed sui- aged Pénaud to build a small rubber band- cide. powered helicopter using contra-rotating Towards the end of the 19th century there propellers and he then designed a number of _ were a number of inventors experimenting astonishingly advanced aircraft that included — with circular and elliptical platforms sus- an elliptically shaped seaplane driven by two _ pended beneath balloons, or building gliders ape EO eA *J* ce on Emanuel Swedenborg - the 18th century Swedish * e . “gi . y \ ‘ . scientist, philosopher and mystic, who designed an . o* xX . at oval-shaped flying machine in 1714. ~ wr - W : el . “4 Bill Rose Collection . wae f 7 *s . s . . Swedenborg’s Flying Machine 1714, as originall az Gp achipe. 4 G ‘ \ g ig iginally mr vb ; ; Coe See shown in his notes of 1714. Bill Rose Collection *s° Emanuel Swedenborg - the 18th century Swedish scientist, philosopher and mystic, who designed an oval-shaped flying machine in 1714. Bill Rose Collection ee ll Swedenborg’s Flying Machine 1714, as originally shown in his notes of 1714. Bill Rose Collection Secret Projects: Flying Saucer Aircraft