Creating 1 in the world of aircraft. The very first aircraft in the world

Long before the day the Wright brothers' plane set off on its maiden flight, the "aircraft" built by the Russian inventor Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky (1825-1890) had taken off from the earth's surface. This device, for which the designer received a patent, had all the main features of a modern aircraft. How did it happen that American, and not Russian, inventors became the "godfathers" of aviation?

Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky was born on March 9, 1825 in the family of a hereditary sailor, admiral of the Russian fleet Fyodor Timofeevich Mozhaisky. A.F. Mozhaisky was educated in the Naval Cadet Corps, from which he brilliantly graduated on January 19, 1841.

The idea of creating an aircraft heavier than air appeared to A.F. Mozhaisky as early as 1855, when he began to conduct careful observations of the flights of birds and kites. In 1872, after a series of painstaking studies and experiments, he established the relationship between lift and drag at various angles of attack and thoroughly elucidated the issue of bird flight. The German researcher and glider pilot O. Lilienthal did a similar job 17 years later than A.F. Mozhaisky.

The lifting force is a component of the total pressure force of a liquid or gaseous medium on a body moving in it. This force is always directed perpendicular to the speed of the body, and the greater, the greater this speed.

Testing his conclusions and observations in practice, Mozhaisky made experiments in two directions: on the one hand, he worked on propellers that were supposed to create thrust in the air for the aircraft, on the other, on models of the aircraft themselves.

In 1876 A.F. Mozhaisky, according to the testimony of the engineer Bogoslovsky, “twice took to the air and flew comfortably” on a kite. In addition to experiments with kites, he worked on the creation of flying models of his future aircraft, as a result of which the first flying model of an aircraft was built in September.

This model, which he called the "fly", consisted of a small fuselage boat, to which one rectangular bearing surface was attached - the wing. The thrust of the model was created by three propellers, one of which was located in the bow of the boat, and the other two - in specially made slots in the wing. The screws were driven by a wound clock spring. The steering surfaces (horizontal and vertical) were moved back. For takeoff and landing, the model had four wheels located under the fuselage. The model made steady flights at speeds over 5 m/s with an additional load of about 1 kg.

Russian inventor, Rear Admiral Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky (1825-1890). In 1881 he received a “privilege” (patent) for the “aircraft” (aircraft) he invented, which was built in full size in 1882.

It should be noted that A.F. Mozhaisky, like V.Ya. Danilevsky, in his profession, was far from aviation. He was more attracted to another element - water. But this did not prevent Rear Admiral Mozhaisky from becoming the inventor of the aircraft.

As the Kronstadt Bulletin wrote in those years, A.F. Mozhaisky, a special commission was invited, which included D. I. Mendeleev. They watched with admiration as the small aircraft took off into the sky time after time and circled there until the clock-spring ran out.

After the model flights showed that the path chosen by A.F. Mozhaisky was right, he began the detailed development of a life-size project of his aircraft. However, if the inventor could carry out the previous work with his own limited funds, then the construction of an aircraft in its full size required the expenditure of significant sums of money that he did not have.

In 1877 A.F. Mozhaisky decided to “submit his invention to the court of scientific criticism by proposing to the military the ministry to use its project for military purposes in the upcoming war with Turkey." The inventor turned to the chairman of the Aeronautical Commission of the Ministry of War, Count V. Totleben, with a request to request him the necessary funds "for further research and experiments both on the movement of the designed ... projectile, and to determine the various data necessary for the rational and correct arrangement of all the components of such a projectile ".

On January 20, 1877, by order of the Secretary of War, Count B.C. Milyutin to consider the project of A.F. Mozhaisky, a special commission was formed, which included D.I. Mendeleev. After two meetings, the commission submitted a detailed report on the Mozhaisky project to the Main Engineering Directorate. Thanks to the support of D.I. Mendeleev, it was decided to release the inventor 3,000 rubles (huge money at that time) for further work and oblige him to submit a program of experiments on the apparatus.

February 14, 1877 A.F. Mozhaisky presented his program of experiments on aircraft models to the Main Engineering Directorate. It included the study of propellers, determining the size and shape of the control and bearing surfaces, the specific load on the wing, resolving the issue of controllability and strength of the aircraft.

For preliminary studies by A.F. Mozhaisky spent about 15 years. Spending the same amount of time building an aircraft is an unaffordable luxury. And the inventor did it in less than 5 years - by the beginning of 1882 the plane was ready.

Having received only a part of the promised amount (2192 rubles), the inventor set about implementing his program. He had to work in very difficult conditions. But, despite the difficulties and extreme need, A.F. Mozhaisky soon built a new model of an airplane. This model, according to contemporaries, “flyed completely freely and descended very smoothly; the flight also took place when a dagger was placed on the model, which represents a load of a very significant size. The invention of Mr. Mozhaisky has already been tested by several well-known specialists and has earned their approval ... The invention itself is kept secret.

As a result of new research conducted by A.F. Mozhaisky in early 1878 came to the conclusion that air resistance could be used to create lift. On this occasion, he wrote: "... for the possibility of soaring in the air, there is a certain relationship between gravity, speed and the size of the area or plane, and, undoubtedly, the fact that the greater the speed of movement, the greater the weight the same area can carry." This formulation of one of the most important laws of aerodynamics - the importance of speed for creating lift - was given by A.F. Mozhaisky 11 years before the publication of similar works by G. Marey and O. Lilienthal, who came to the same conclusion only in 1889. As is known, the mathematical justification for the emergence of a lifting force was first given in 1905 by the Russian scientist N.E. Zhukovsky in his work "On Associated Vortices", in which he derived a theorem on the lift force of a wing.

In the spring of 1878 A.F. Mozhaisky decided to move on to building a full-size aircraft. On March 23, 1878, he turned to the Main Engineering Directorate with a memorandum, where he indicated that “the data required to resolve the issue can only be obtained on an apparatus of such dimensions, on which a person could control the power of the machine and the direction of the apparatus,” and asked for the release of funds for the construction of an airplane, the cost of which was determined by him at 18,895 rubles.

The mole of the "air-floating projectile", designed by A.F. Mozhaisky. Like a modern aircraft, it had all the main components - the fuselage, wings, tail, control and power plant.

Having first developed a fuselage type of aircraft, Mozhaisky for more than 30 years outperformed Western European and American designers, who only in 1909 began to build such aircraft. And the idea to use the fuselage-lolla for landing on an ox was first put into practice in 1913 by another Russian designer and inventor D.P. Grigorovich - the creator of the first boat gyroplane.

The designer's proposal was considered by a special commission, which was presented with detailed drawings of the aircraft, substantiated by calculations, and an explanatory note containing a description of the device.

As engines, it was planned to install two steam engines with a total power of 30 hp. One of the machines was supposed to work on the nose pulling screw, and the other - through the transmission on the two rear pushing screws. The device, as conceived by the inventor, could also land on water, for which the fuselage was shaped like a boat.

In addition to the development of the project, A.F. Mozhaisky described in detail the technique for taking off his plane and provided for the installation of air navigation equipment on it: a compass, a speed meter, a barometer-altimeter, two thermometers, three inclinometers and a sight for bombing - the plane, according to his plan, was intended for bombing and reconnaissance purposes.

The expert commission, which this time included foreigners who had little interest in the development of Russian Aviation - General Pauker, General Gerya and Colonel Wahlberg - believed that if the problem of building an aircraft heavier than air was solved, then not in Russia, but in Western Europe. Having considered the explanatory note of A.F. Mozhaisky, the commission issued a decision, striking in its ignorance, which stated that it “does not find any guarantee that the experiments on the projectile of Mr. Mozhaisky, even after various possible changes in it, could lead to useful practical results, if not he arranged a projectile on completely different grounds, with movable wings that can change not only their position relative to the gondola, but also their shape during the flight ... The amount now requested by Mr. Mozhaisky is so significant that the commission does not dare to welcome its appropriations.

Although AF. Mozhaisky came across a frank misunderstanding of the importance of the development of aviation in Russia, he continued to work on his invention. After two years, when working drawings were made and a number of additional experiments were carried out to refine the calculations, A.F. Mozhaisky, in order to protect himself from numerous "dealers" from the ministry, seeking to appropriate someone else's achievement or sell it abroad, decided to patent his invention.

Quite confident in the reality of his invention, having decided to complete the work he had begun, A.F. Mozhaisky turned to the Minister of the Sea S.S. Lesovsky in order to obtain funds for the construction of steam engines, the drawings of which were developed by him. When the money was finally received, the designer gave an order for the manufacture of two steam engines according to the project he had developed. In 1881 the machines were made. One of the machines developed a power of 20hp. with a weight of 48 kg. Another car had a power of 10 hp. with a weight of 29 kg. Steam was supplied to the machines from a boiler weighing 65 kg. The fuel was kerosene.

Having received the cars, A.F. Mozhaisky started assembling the aircraft. For the production of some works, the inventor turned to the Baltic Shipyard for help. But the management of the plant, having learned that the inventor had no money, refused him. Then he again turns to the tsarist government with a request to release 5,000 rubles for the assembly and testing of the aircraft. "Highest command" request A.F. Mozhaisky was rejected. But nevertheless, the construction of the aircraft was brought to the end by him - in the spring of 1882, with the proceeds from the sale of personal belongings and borrowed from relatives and interested parties, he completed the assembly of the aircraft.

According to contemporaries, the finished apparatus of AF. Mozhaisky was a wooden boat. Rectangular wings were attached to the sides of the boat, slightly curved upwards. The boat, wings and tail of the aircraft were covered with a thin silk fabric impregnated with varnish. The device stood on a chassis with wheels. Both of his cars were located at the front of the boat. The aircraft had three four-blade propellers and two rudders - horizontal and vertical. The wingspan of the aircraft was about 24 m with a fuselage length of 15 m. With a flight weight of about 950 kg, the payload of the aircraft was 300 kg, and the estimated flight speed did not exceed 40 km / h with a total machine power of 30 hp.

In the summer of 1882 the plane was ready for testing. For the takeoff run of the aircraft A.F. Mozhaisky built a special runway in the form of an inclined wooden deck.

On July 20, 1882, representatives of the military department and the Russian Technical Society gathered on the military field in Krasnoye Selo (near St. Petersburg). The inventor himself was not allowed to fly, since at that time he was already 57 years old. The test of the aircraft in the air was entrusted to the assistant A.F. Mozhaisky - mechanic I.N. Golubev.

June 4, 1880 A.F. Mozhaisky applied to the Department of Trade and Manufactories with a request to issue him a patent for the “aeronautical projectile” he had invented and received it on November 3, 1881. This was the world's first patent for an aircraft, and it was issued to a Russian inventor - sailor, captain 1st rank A .F. Mozhaisky.

In the 70s. 20th century at the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute of TsAGI) an attempt was made to answer the question: “Could Mozhaisky’s plane fly?”. Modern calculations showed that the aircraft with three engines was capable of flying. Mozhaisky did not have enough time to become the first aviator.

The plane piloted by I.N. Golubev, having gained the necessary speed at the end of the run, took off into the air and, having flown some distance in a straight line, sat down. During landing, the wing of the aircraft was damaged. Despite this, A.F. Mozhaisky was pleased with the results of the test, since for the first time the possibility of human flight on an apparatus heavier than air was practically proven. It seemed that universal recognition and support from the government was now ensured. However, in reality, everything turned out differently.

“Can the gliding of the Mozhaisky aircraft after acceleration along an inclined path be considered the first flight of a heavier-than-air apparatus?” — the members of the commission doubted. The conclusion of the commission of the military ministry soon followed - for the flight of the "aircraft projectile" A.F. Mozhaisky, the power of the engines installed on it was not enough.

The inventor agreed with the conclusions of the commission. He himself understood this shortcoming of his aircraft and had already ordered another steam engine from the factory. Unfortunately, Alexander Fedorovich did not have time to install it on the improved design of his apparatus. In 1890, at the age of 65, he died.

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An aircraft is usually called an aircraft, which is designed to fly in the Earth's atmosphere due to a power plant that transfers thrust to the device. The structure of the unit includes fixed parts, such as wings and the fuselage itself. The main difference from a balloon and an airship is the use of aerodynamics, rather than aerostatics, which creates lift during the flight.

For the first time the term "aircraft" was used in 1857 by Captain N.M. Sokovnin. He used this word for a controlled balloon. Also in 1863, journalist A.V. Ewald used the word "aircraft" in his article Aeronautics. The article was the first proposal for the creation of such an aircraft with the name "airplane".

Story

Who Invented the Airplane?

The first historical references to aircraft were in ancient Indian literature. It describes hypothetical flying machines - vimanas. In the folklore of almost all peoples, there is a mention of aircraft, such as a flying carpet or a stupa in which Baba Yaga flew.

The first tester who proposed a full-fledged concept of an aircraft unit with a separate engine and a fixed wing was the Englishman George Cayley. His writings date back to the end of the 18th century.

Proceedings of J. Cayley in the aviation field

Cayley's developments began in 1796, when he began to actively study the flight of birds. In 1799, a silver disk was made, on which an aircraft invented by him was applied, and on the reverse side of the disk a diagram of forces was applied, which allows flight. The device printed on the disk was very similar to a boat, but still it had the main details of an aircraft. Because of this, we can say that J. Cayley can be considered a man who thought through all the main details of the aircraft.

Since 1804, the researcher has been conducting a series of experiments related to aerodynamic properties. Due to this, he created a new rotary installation for surface studies. Using this setup, it was possible to measure the lifting force of objects depending on the angles of attack. It should be noted that the data were quite accurate. As a result, after the experiments, he created the first glider that could fly up to 27 meters, while the wing area was almost 1 sq. m.

By 1808, another glider was created with a large wing area and a curved airfoil. The unit was tested on a leash and in free flight. Due to the received data, Cayley published the first articles about aviation in history. The articles deal with the possibility of creating a tiltrotor with disk-shaped bearing surfaces and a polyplane. These disks are divided into 4 segments that rotate, due to this, a lifting force is created.

Another creation of this constructor was recorded in an article in Mechanics Magazine. It dealt with a controlled parachute, which is equipped with horizontal planes.

Yet Caylee's greatest achievement is the creation of full-size aircraft. The first machine was built in 1809. The machine was equipped with fixed wings and had a cutout for the landing of the pilot. The rise should be carried out with the help of flapping wings, but in the end the unit did not fly. The second apparatus was made in 1894 according to the same principle as its predecessor. The main difference was the presence of a wheeled chassis and a fuselage in the form of a boat. The pilot himself, or rather his muscles, acted as the power plant. As a result, the tests carried out showed that when accelerating from a slope, it was possible to lift off the ground, but only with a small load. It was not possible to raise an adult.

The designer was engaged in the design of other aircraft, such as airships, but things did not go beyond development.

Who Invented the Airplane?

This invention can be attributed to the English designer William Henson, who in 1849 received a patent for the development of an aircraft project.

Henson's aircraft was also referred to as the "steam air carriage". The wing of the unit had spars, ribs and racks in its structure, all this was further developed in aircraft construction. The wing skin was double-sided, since the ribs had different curvature of the contours. To facilitate the design, longitudinal beams were used, this made the wing hollow and lighter.

The wing was attached to the top of the fuselage. An engine was installed in the hull itself, which drove two pusher-type propellers. Also, the fuselage had a place for passengers and crew.

The tail unit was attached to the rear of the hull. It had moving parts, namely the rudders, as for the keel, it was motionless. The design of the device did not have ailerons, due to which a roll could occur, but the designer solved this problem by changing the speed of the propellers. All this creation had a three-axle chassis with a front wheel.

Developments of Nikolai Afanasyevich Teleshov

As for the Russian Empire, the first aircraft was proposed by the designer N.A. Teleshov back in 1864. The designer's project was called the "aeronautics system", which, according to the original plan, should be able to carry 120 passengers on board. This aircraft was designed as an all-metal monoplane with a wing located on the upper part of the hull. The rectangular section of the inner fuselage was supposed to have two passenger decks.

ON THE. Teleshov - aircraft (project)

It should be noted that the proposed wing had a low elongation with large geometric parameters of the fuselage itself. The wings had a slightly curved profile and pointed ends. The double plating made it possible to increase their strength while reducing the overall weight. Due to the truss structure and the system of braces, the wings had to withstand large overloads.

The apparatus was controlled by a system of rudders and elevators. The entire structure was supposed to be lifted into the air by a steam engine, which rotated one pusher-type propeller. It should be noted that the power plant itself was located in the middle part of the hull, and a large shaft connected it to the screw. To shift the center of gravity in flight, the machine must be equipped with additional cargo, which had to be moved from the bow to the tail or vice versa. The aircraft did not have its own landing gear system, so the takeoff was carried out using a trolley landing gear. Of course, all this was never translated into reality.

Development of the aircraft by Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky

Naval officer A.F. Mozhaisky at the end of the 19th century actively began work on the creation of an aircraft, which was later made in full size. Unfortunately, detailed test data could not be saved. Nevertheless, some sources claim that a full-fledged flight never took place. The maximum achievement was a short-term separation of the device with the pilot. A steam engine with insufficient power was used as a power plant.

These are far from all the world's developments of aircraft that used steam engines as power plants. Nevertheless, the main problem of failures was the insufficient base of developments in the field of aerodynamics and the design of devices for flight.

Who created the plane?

The first aircraft in the world that was able to take off and fly. Designed by the Wright brothers.

The first successful experience in constructing an aircraft that could take off belongs to the Wright brothers. Wilbur and Orville Wright dubbed their brainchild "Flyer-1". The first flight of this aircraft took place on December 17, 1903. After taking off from the Earth, the car stayed in the air for 59 seconds, during which it was possible to fly 260 meters. The designers did not stop there, the modified model in 1904 was able to fly in a circle for the first time. A year later, in 1905, a long-range flight of 39 kilometers along a closed trajectory was performed.

First plane

The aircraft was equipped with a gasoline engine and a propeller made of wood, all this was mounted on a wooden frame made of spruce. The wingspan in the apparatus was equal to 12 meters, and the mass was 283 kilograms. It should be noted that the power plant itself, which produced 9 kW, weighed 77 kilograms. The brothers spent about a thousand dollars to build the entire car. The Wright aircraft did not have a full-fledged landing gear; for launch, they used a launch catapult with a wooden direction flight.

Beginning of aircraft industry in Russia

It should be noted that the creation of aircraft lagged behind world developments a little, since they made a big bet on the creation of airships, which they planned to use for military purposes. They also preferred the creation of helicopters. A striking example is the "Airmobile" designer V.V. Tatarinov, who in 1909 was allocated 50 thousand rubles for the construction. In addition, there were many donations and all kinds of help from sponsors. As a result, a huge amount of money was spent on the project, and the result is zero. After the failure of this design, almost no designer could receive subsidies for the development of their own projects, among which there were many promising ones.

Nevertheless, after the success of the Wright brothers, the Russian government decided to acquire its own aircraft. At the same time, they did not buy the Flyer-1 aircraft. It was decided to create the device on its own, only there was one problem - the designers of Russia had never seen an aircraft and were unfamiliar with the features of its creation. Because of this, many failures and accidents were noted even during the run-up of the units.

The first successful flying machine that was able to fly several tens of meters without an accident was Kudashev's plane. Professor of the Polytechnic Institute of Kyiv Alexander Kudashev in June 1910 was able to fly on an apparatus of his own design.

Developments by Igor Sikorsky

The most famous development of I. Sikorsky, of course, is the Ilya Muromets aircraft, which was made on the basis of the Russian Knight apparatus. It should be noted that the machine is fundamentally new and significantly different from the first device. Everything was changed, except for the general design scheme. A group of the best designers of the country, headed by Igor Sikorsky, worked on the creation.

"Muromets" was equipped with four engines of the "Argus" type with a capacity of 100 horsepower. This allowed the device to have a very large lifting force. Since 1915, some models were equipped with an R-BV3 engine, it had 6 cylinders and was equipped with a water cooling radiator. This aircraft can truly be considered the world's first aircraft for passenger transportation, since it had a cabin separate from the cockpit, sleeping rooms and even a toilet with a bath. Also on board the device had electric lighting and heating from the engine. The beginning of the First World War served as a great impetus to the development of the aircraft industry.

The first aircraft "Ilya Muromets" was manufactured in the fall of 1913. Even during the tests of the machine, several world records were set. The first record in terms of carrying capacity was recorded on 12/12/1913, when it was possible to make a flight with 1.1 tons of payload on board. Exactly one month later, a record was set with 16 people and one dog on board the unit, while the total mass reached 1.2 tons. The aircraft was controlled by the designer Sikorsky himself.

In 1914, a seaplane with more powerful engines was manufactured on the basis of Muromets, it was the largest seaplane in the world until the beginning of 1917.

This machine belongs to the first flight in terms of range, when a flight from St. Petersburg to Kyiv was made with only one landing. During the flight, the maximum flight altitude of 2 kilometers was also reached, while there were 10 people on board. All this took place on 06/05/1914. The flight route was completed in 6.5 hours.

All these achievements and developments have served to further develop the aviation industry both in Russia and around the world.

Leonardo da Vinci thought about flying in the sky with the help of a special device in the 16th century, but the first flight was officially registered at the beginning of the last century. There is still fierce debate about who we owe the possibility of air travel to, but the fact remains that the first flight was officially registered in 1903. The very first airplane in the world was invented by the Wright brothers.

Aviation history

The first attempts to build an aircraft capable of lifting a person into the air began at the end of the 18th century. The history of the invention of the aircraft dates back to England, when Sir George Cayley took up this issue seriously and published several scientific papers in which he detailed the principle of construction and operation of the prototype of a modern aircraft.

The inventor began his work with birdwatching. The scientist devoted a long time to measuring the flight speed of birds and the wing span. These data subsequently became the basis of several publications that marked the beginning of the development of aviation.

In his first sketches, Cayley envisioned the aircraft as a boat with a tail at one end and a pair of oars at the bow. The structure was supposed to be driven by oars, which would transfer rotation to a cruciform shank at the end of the vessel. In this way, Cayley unmistakably depicted the main elements of the aircraft. It was the work of this scientist that laid the foundation for the development of aviation and became the impetus for the development of the concept of the aircraft.

The pioneer of aviation in its modern sense was another English inventor - William Henson. It was he who received an order to develop a project for an aircraft in 1842.

The "steam air crew" proposed by Henson described all the main elements of a propeller-driven aircraft. As a device that moves the entire structure, the inventor proposed to use a propeller. Many of the ideas proposed by Henson were subsequently developed and began to be used in early aircraft models.

Russian inventor N.A. Teleshov patented the project for the construction of an "aeronautics system". The concept of the flying machine was also based on a steam engine and a propeller. A few years later, the scientist improved his project and was one of the first to propose the idea of creating a jet aircraft.

A feature of Teleshov's projects was the idea of transporting passengers in a closed fuselage.

Who invented the airplane

Despite the fact that the development of the design of the aircraft was carried out by many scientists in the middle of the 19th century, the invention of the aircraft is attributed to the Wright brothers, whose airplane made a short flight in 1903.

Not everyone agrees that the Wright brothers were the first. Brazilian Alberto Santos-Dumont designed, built and tested the world's first airship prototype in 1901. It was then that it was proved that controlled flights are indeed possible.

According to another version, the championship in the invention of the first working aircraft should be given to the Russian inventor A.F. Mozhaisky, whose name will forever remain in the history of aviation. Thus, disputes about who invented and who created the aircraft are still ongoing.

Interesting! Despite the fact that officially the invention of the aircraft is awarded to the Wright brothers, all Brazilians are sure that Santos-Dumont invented the world's first aircraft. In Russia, it is believed that the first prototype of a modern aircraft was built by Mozhaisky.

The work of the Wright brothers

The Wright brothers were not the first inventors of the airplane. Moreover, the first uncontrolled human flight also does not belong to them. Nevertheless, the Wright brothers were able to prove the most important thing - that a person is able to fly an aircraft.

It was Wilbur and Orville Wright who first carried out controlled flight on an aircraft, thanks to which the idea of the possibility of carrying out passenger transportation by air was further developed.

At a time when all scientists were puzzling over the possibility of installing more powerful engines to lift the aircraft into the air, the brothers focused on questions of the ability to control the aircraft. The result was a series of wind tunnel experiments that provided the basis for the development of airplane wings and propellers.

The first powered glider built by the brothers was named Flyer 1. It was made of spruce, as this material is lightweight and durable. The device was driven by a gasoline engine.

Interesting! The engine for the Flyer-1 was made by mechanic Charlie Taylor, a design feature was light weight. To do this, the mechanic used duralumin, also called duralumin.

The first successful flight was made on December 17, 1903. The plane climbed a few meters and flew about 40 meters in 12 seconds. Then there were repeated tests, as a result of which the duration and altitude of the flight increased.

Santos Dumont and 14bis

Alberto Santos-Dumont is known as the inventor of hot air balloons, he is also sometimes credited as the creator of the world's first controlled aircraft. He also owns the invention of airships, which were controlled by an engine.

In 1906, his plane called "14-bis" took off and flew over 60 meters. The height to which the inventor raised his aircraft was about 2.5 meters. A month later, Alberto Santos-Dumont flew 220 meters on the same plane, setting the first longest flight record as a result.

A feature of the "14-bis" was that the design was able to take off on its own. The Wright brothers failed to achieve this, and their plane took off with outside help. It was this nuance that became fundamental in the debate about who should be considered the inventor of the first aircraft.

After the "14-bis" the inventor seriously engaged in the development of a monoplane, as a result, the world saw the "Demoiselle".

Alberto Santos-Dumont never rested on his laurels and kept his inventions a secret. The inventor willingly shared the designs of his aircraft with thematic publications.

Aircraft Mozhaisky

The scientist presented the project of his aircraft for consideration back in 1876. Mozhaisky faced a misunderstanding of the officials of the Military Ministry, as a result, he was not allocated funds to continue his research.

Despite this, the scientist continued to develop, investing his own funds, which is why the construction of the prototype of the Mozhaisky aircraft dragged on for many years.

Mozhaisky's plane was built in 1882. The first tests of the aircraft ended in disaster, but witnesses claim that the aircraft still rose some distance from the ground before it crashed.

Since there is no documentary evidence of the flight, it is impossible to consider Mozhaisky the first person to fly an airplane. However, the development of the scientist served as the basis for the development of aviation.

So who was the first

Despite numerous disputes about the year in which the aircraft was invented, the first officially registered flight belongs to the Wright brothers, which is why the Americans are considered the "fathers" of the first aircraft.

It is inappropriate to compare the contribution to the development of aviation by the Wright brothers, Santos-Dumont and Mozhaisky. Despite the fact that Mozhaisky's first aircraft was built 20 years before the first controlled flight, the inventor used a different construction principle, so it is impossible to compare his aircraft with the Wright brothers' Flyer.

Santos-Dumont was not the first to fly, but the inventor used a fundamentally new approach to the construction of an aircraft, thanks to which his device took to the air on its own.

In addition to the first controlled flight, the Wright brothers made a significant contribution to the development of aviation, the first to propose a fundamentally new approach to the construction of the propeller and wings of the aircraft.

It makes no sense to argue which of these scientists became the first, because they all made a huge contribution to the development of aviation. It was their work and research that became the basis for the invention of the prototype of the modern airliner.

The first military aircraft

Prototypes of the Flyer by the Wright brothers and the Santos-Dumont aircraft were used for military purposes.

If the brothers initially pursued the goal of inventing technology that would give an advantage to the American army, then the Brazilian Santos-Dumont was against the use of aviation for military purposes. Despite this, his work served as the starting point for the creation of a number of aircraft, which were then used during the war. Interestingly, Mozhaisky initially also pursued the construction of an aircraft that would be used for military purposes.

The first jet aircraft appeared at the height of World War II.

The first passenger aircraft

The first passenger aircraft appeared thanks to I.I. Sikorsky. The prototype of the modern airliner took off in 1914 with 12 passengers on board. In the same year, the Ilya Muromets airliner set a world record by making its first long-distance flight. He flew the distance from St. Petersburg to Kyiv, making one landing for refueling.

The airliner also participated in the transport of bombs during the First World War. The war forced Russian aviation to freeze in development for some time.

In 1925, the first K-1 aircraft appeared, then the world saw Tupolev passenger airliners and aircraft developed by KhAI. Since that time, more and more attention has been paid to passenger aircraft, they are acquiring greater passenger capacity and the ability to fly over long distances.

History of the development of jet aircraft

The first idea of a jet aircraft was proposed by the Russian inventor Teleshov. An attempt to replace the propeller with a piston engine was made in 1910 by a designer from Romania, A. Coanda.

These attempts were unsuccessful, and the first successful test of a jet aircraft took place in 1939. The tests were carried out by the German company Heinkel, however, several mistakes were made during the design of the model:

wrong choice of engine design;
high fuel consumption;
frequent need for refueling.

However, the first jet prototype was able to achieve a high rate of climb - more than 60 meters in one second of flight.

Due to design errors made, the jet aircraft could not move more than 50 kilometers from the airfield, due to the need for frequent refueling. Due to a number of shortcomings, the first successful model never got into mass production.

The first production aircraft was the Me-262 in 1944. This model has become an improved version of the previous Heinkel model.

Then the development of jet aircraft was picked up by Japan and Great Britain.

Video

Thus, jet aircraft appeared in the midst of the Second World War. They have serious combat victories on their account, however, the losses among them are also very high. First of all, this is due to the fact that the pilots simply did not have time to complete a full-fledged training in managing a fundamentally new aircraft. From the moment of the first successful flight to the advent of jet aircraft, only 30 years passed, during which there was a big breakthrough in aviation.

Man has always dreamed of flying, but at the same time he understood that he would not be able to do it like a bird, therefore an aircraft was needed. And so a few smart and courageous inventors in the 19th century approached their goal. History has preserved several names of such experimenters who tried to build the world's first aircraft. Most countries recognized the primacy in the invention of the aircraft for the Wright brothers. How it was, we will describe in this article, as well as talk about other scientists who invented the first aircraft.

Aircraft Mozhaisky

The Wright brothers Wilber and Orville named their first airplane Flyer 1. They designed it with an internal combustion engine of their own design and carried out its test, its first flight in 1903. That car had some small achievements, the plane just rose one and a half meters and flew 37 meters, but it was proved that flights are possible.

The experiment was a success (it happened on December 17, 1903) despite the fact that there was a strong wind, the apparatus slid along the guide rail and was controlled in acceleration by a primitive catapult.

The Wright brothers strengthened their faith in building an airplane and continued to work, calculate and refine their car. In October 1905, another test of the aircraft was carried out, which was given the name "Flyer-3". This plane flew as much as 39.5 km in 40 minutes. The airplane was flown by Wilber. It was his last and longest flight. The brothers had eyewitnesses to their flight, including among their friends and local farmers.

Local journalists missed this historical moment, and now no one can say for sure in what year the first aircraft was built. There are also few photographs, although the Wright brothers did make some of them. The most important thing that they realized after the last flight is that they have built an aircraft that is completely controllable in flight and can land.

Glider 1900. There are no photos with the pilot

It was the idea of controlling an aircraft, put into practice, that made possible the further development of aircraft construction. Therefore, the Rhine brothers are given primacy in this invention.

However, it would be unfair not to mention other contenders for the invention of the world's first aircraft.

Orville in Kitty Hawk with a 1901 glider, nose up; he didn't have a tail

Alberto Santos-Dumont

The dispute about the primacy of the invention is between Alberto and the Wright brothers. In Brazil, it is he who is considered the inventor of the aircraft.

Alberto Santos-Dumont - the inventor of balloons, airships, he was engaged in the possibility of controlling these devices. Having taken up devices heavier than air and understanding their future, in 1905 he completed work on one of his projects. In October 1906, he tested his experimental aircraft, called the 14-bis. The device flew at a height of 2-3 meters, a distance of 60 meters, there were many witnesses. He took to the air in calm, calm weather with the help of only his engine.

Santos-Dumont did not stop there, and his next project was the Demoiselle monoplane. The device had a length of 8 meters, a wingspan of 5 meters, weighed 110 kg, easily overcame 200 meters at a speed of 100 km / h. The inventor constantly refined and improved his apparatus, periodically making flights on it. The last of his achievements were flights of 8 and 18 km in aircraft with two-cylinder engines.

Santos-Dumont made no secret of his inventions either, providing blueprints for young aspiring aviators in the Mechanics magazine. The experimenter rightly believed that aviation had a great future.

Now you know approximately at what time the first aircraft was built, but one cannot fail to mention the Russian inventor, who also worked on the invention of the aircraft and did it two decades earlier than the Wright brothers

A.F. Mozhaisky - the inventor of the first aircraft

Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky proposed his ideas for building an aircraft, but in Russia he encountered bureaucracy, callousness, illiteracy and misunderstanding of officials. Due to extreme need, he could not complete the construction of his apparatus, but the authorities not only did not allocate money, but in every possible way prevented the construction of the apparatus. Alexander Fedorovich nevertheless managed to get part of the money allocated, partially covering the expenses from his savings and the sale of personal belongings. Mozhaisky even received a patent for the invention in 1881.

He completed the apparatus, and the flight took place, it was July 20, 1882. The result was modest: the plane accelerated along the wooden deck, took off and landed quite a bit after flying. The plane was controlled by his assistant, mechanic I.N. Golubev. The experiment was positive and proved that flights are possible. The apparatus was not perfect, and Mozhaisky understood this. He knew in which direction to work, but three years later the experimenter died. The authorities, however, tried to classify the invention of the Russian scientist and did everything to make it forgotten. The plane also did not survive, it was transported to the Mozhaisky estate, then, in 1896, it burned down.

Takeoff of the Mozhaisky plane (from a drawing by the famous pilot K. Artseulov)

The Russians rightly consider A.F. Mozhaisky as an aviation pioneer. The invaluable experience and achievements of the inventor were used by Russian designers in the construction of the aircraft "Russian Knight", "Ilya Muromets", "Svyatogor" in 1913-1915.

As you can see, it is impossible to specifically answer the question of who invented the first airplane. If you look, then aviation was born and developed thanks to the enthusiasm of many fanatics. All of them have the right to recognition. Finally, watch the 14-bis flight video of Alberto Santos-Dumont. Of course, this is not a real plane, but a copy of it.

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