UNITED STATES
PATENT OFFICE,
LOUIS PIERRE
MOUILLARD, OF CAIRO, EGYPT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO
OCTAVE CHANUTE,
OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.
MEANS FOR AERAL FLIGHT.
SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 582,757, dated May
18, 1897.
Application filed September 24, 1892, Serial
No, 446,786, (No model.)
To
all whom it may concern:
Be it known that I, LOUIS PIERRE MOUILLARD,
a citizen of the
Republic of France, residing
at Cairo, Egypt,
have invented certain
new and useful
Improvements in Means for
Aerial Flight;
and I do declare the following
to be a full,
clear, and exact description of
the invention,
such as will enable others
skilled in the
art to which it appertains to
make and use the
same, reference being had
to the
accompanying drawings, and to the
letters and
figures of reference marked there
on, which form a
part of this specification.
My invention relates to a machine for
navigating
the air by the
force of the wind, and
has for its
object the imitation of the soaring
of large birds,
which I have been watching
for thirty years
in tropical latitudes. I know
from abundant
personal observation that
such birds can,
without a single flap of their
wings, float up
into the air on a sufficient
wind, sail about
at pleasure, circle and rise
to great
altitudes, glide down in any direction,
and come back to
their original starting
point upon fixed
rigid wings, solely by the
skilful use of the
power of the wind. This
I propose to imitate.
It is
well known that if a plane surface, or
one slightly concave, be exposed to the wind
at an acute angle the resulting wind-pressure
will affect it in
two directions. One is a vertical
reaction, which
lifts it up, and the other
reaction either
drifts it back or drives it for
ward, according
as the surface be inclined,
either above or
below the horizon. It is also
known that as the
angle which the current
of air makes with
the surface is changed
there is a
corresponding change in the position
of the center of pressure on the surface.
In order to
utilize these forces derived from
the wind, three
essential requisites may be
observed: first,
equilibrium must be maintained
under all
conditions of angle of incidence
and speed of
translation; second, the
angle of
incidence with the wind must be
changed in order
that the apparatus may rise
or descend;
third, the apparatus must be
susceptible of
direction horizontally, so that
it may go to the
right or left, or, in other
words, be
steered.
My invention consists in certain novel features
of construction
and combination of
parts for the
purpose of complying with these
essential
requisites and of imitating in a
simple way the
principal maneuvers performed
by soaring birds.
It comprises an
aero plane or
planes or concave surfaces provided
with devices for
firmly attaching it or
them to the body
of the aviator and arranged
to permit
movement of the plane or planes
in a horizontal direction
only with reference
to the body of
the aviator. The apparatus
is thus
essentially different from those in
which a flapping
or vertical motion is in
parted to the
wings. I rely entirely upon
the wind-pressure
to sustain my apparatus
and not upon any
downward thrust upon the
air, either by
flapping wings or revolving
propeller-wheels.
The horizontal movements of my aeroplane
or planes or
concave surfaces are solely for
the purpose of
changing the relative position
of the load or center of gravity in order to
cause the
apparatus to rise or descend. When
the planes are
thrust forward, the load is relatively
farther back and
the aerodrome rises.
When the planes
are pulled back to the rear,
the load is farther
to the front and the apparatus
glides downward.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying
drawings, forming
a part of this specification,
in which similar
letters of reference indicate
the same parts in
all the figures.
Figure 1 is a plan of the apparatus. Fig.
2 is a front
elevation showing the operator in
position. Fig. 3
is the cuirass or corset
which attaches
the wings to the body of the
operator. Fig. 4
is a vertical section of the
breastplate of
the cuirass or corset. Fig. 5
is a horizontal
section thereof. Fig. 6 is a
front elevation
of the spring-clamp. Figs. 7
and 8 are plan
and front views of the spring.
Fig. 9 is a
section of a main beam. Fig. 10
is a transverse
section of a Wing, showing the
horizontal
steering devices. Figs. 11 and 12
show the various
positions taken by the wings.
Fig. 13 shows the
various positions of the stop-cords.
Figs. 14 and 15
show the arrangement for closing
the tail
portions.
The apparatus comprises, first, a cuirass or
corset composed
of a rigid breastplate A, provided
with strong
straps B or a close-fitting
garment, or both,
for firmly fastening it to
the body of the
aviator. The breastplate is
specially made to
fit each operator, being preferably
composed of wood.
It provides the
operator with an
artificial sternum, an organ
largely developed
in the bird, but practically
lacking in man.
The wings, which constitute the aerial plane
of the apparatus,
are hinged to the breast
plate, each on a
vertical axis, so as to be capable
of movement
forward and backward only.
It is preferred
to hinge them upon the
hooks CD, which
are rigidly attached to the
breastplate, one
above the other. The wings
consist,
essentially, of a light but strong frame
work covered with
silk or some other suitable
material. The
main beams E of the wings
may be of bamboo
or of metal tubing, but I
prefer to
construct them as hollow-plate girders
of aluminium. To
their inner ends are
riveted the
curved metallic arms, having eyes
f f',
which fit on the hooks CD, respectively.
The tips of the
wings are normally thrown
forward in
advance of the axis on which they
are hinged by
means of a strong spring. This
may be of any
suitable construction and may
be attached in
any suitable manner, but it is
preferred to use
a flat steel spring G, the middle
of which is
firmly clamped between a
plate H and the
breastplate by a thumb-screw
h, giving the requisite pressure. The spring
may have lugs g
to fit against the edges of
the plates and prevent
endwise movement of
the spring. The
ends of the spring are fastened
to the beams E,
as by slips g’. The
spring does not
have a great range of movement,
and can therefore
be made very strong.
Normally it
curves forward in order to throw
the wings into
the position shown in Fig. 11,
which is their
disposition when at rest. Fastened
rigidly to the
main beams E are crossbars
I, preferably
pieces of bamboo. Under
the frame of the
wings is tightly stretched a
light met of silk
twist J' with meshes about
two inches
square. Under this is spread a
covering of silk
or other fabric J, which is attached
to the net at a
sufficient, number of
points to fasten
it thoroughly.
I do not, however, wish to confine myself
to any particular
mode of constructing the
framework. It may
be built of any suitable
material and in
any suitable manner. I may
even duplicate
the planes, placing one above
the other and
connecting them by braces or
trusses to secure
vertical stiffness.
The wings are
preferably long and narrow,
and they are
preferably provided at their inner
rear ends with
rearwardly-projecting triangular
portions K, which
together constitute a tail.
This, however, is
not intended for steering,
but merely to permit
the effective surface of
the aeroplane to
be varied by closing one
tailpiece over
the other. In order to accomplish
this without
danger of rubbing or fouling,
one wing is set
higher than the other, but
in approximately a parallel plane therewith.
A difference of
four inches between the planes
is sufficient.
To positively effect
the closing of the tail,
the wings may be
pulled back by hand, but it
is preferred to
arrange also some means by
which the
movement can be given by the
feet of the
operator. The arrangement illustrated
is as follows: At
the points 11 on the
wings are
fastened two cords L L. To the
middle of each
cord is attached a cord L',
which runs
through an eye 1’ near the front
of the wing and
thence to a stirrup 12. A
pull on the cord
L' carries the middle of the
cord L toward the
eye 1’ and causes the wings
to swing back one
over the other, as shown
in Fig. 15, the
cords lying in the space between
the wings. Other
modes of accomplishing
this will be
readily devised, and I do not
intend to confine
myself to the one shown
and described.
To limit the movement of the Wings, stop
cords M are attached to the Wings.
In order to provide for the horizontal
steering
of the apparatus-that
is, the guiding it to
the right or
left-I substitute for the ordinary
rudder a novel
and more effective arrangement.
A portion J' of
the fabric at the rear
of each wing is
free from the frame at its
outer edge and at
the sides. It is stiffened
with suitable
blades or slats N, of flexible material,
and normally
rests up against the netting.
Cords O are
attached to the rear edge
of the portion J'
and pass forward to rings
P, where they
unite and run to the handles
Q near the inner
ends of the wings. A pull
upon one of these
handles causes the portion
J' to curve
downward, as shown in Fig. 10,
and thus catch
the air, increasing the resistance
upon that side of
the apparatus and
causing it to
turn in that direction. Any
other equivalent device for creating at will
an additional
resistance to the air on either
side of the
apparatus may be employed, and
I do not limit
myself to the one shown and
described.
The forward movement of the wings is usually
produced by the
arms of the aviator, but
in case of
emergency the feet may be used,
operating upon
the rods R, fastened to the
main beams and
provided with stirrups r and
foot-rests r'.
A strap S is fastened to the beams E to
afford
a seat for the
aviator.
Upon preparing to start the aviator stands
upright, carrying
the apparatus by the broad
shoulder-straps
of the cuirass. The aero
plane can glide
upon the air in two ways
only-viz., by a
fall from a height sufficient
to procure a
speed which shall cause the air
to support the
apparatus or by a skilful utilization
of the force of
the wind, which must
blow at least ten
miles an hour to enable the
aeroplane to
operate. This wind-pressure
and the force of
gravity provide for translation
in any direction,
and this constitutes the great
economy
of soaring flight.
The
life of the aviator depends upon the
spring, which
should be of sufficient strength
to hold the two
wings with their front edges
On a straight
line at a speed of twenty-two
miles an hour. At
a higher speed the in
creased pressure
upon the Wings, produced by
the forward
motion through the air, throws
them backward,
and the center of gravity
thus being moved relatively forward the
Wings tend to
assume a more horizontal position
and thus compensate for the otherwise
increased
vertical reaction of the air-pressure.
Should the speed
diminish, the spring pulls
the Wings
forward, opening the tail portion
and tilting the
wings upward, so that they
present a greater
angle to the air and thus
increase the
lifting power of the pressure.
A well-proportioned spring will produce,
automatically,
most of the changes in the
horizontal angle
which the wings make with
each other in
order to maintain the vertical
equilibrium and
level flight of the apparatus
under varying
speeds. It is necessary, how
ever, to
frequently regulate the position of
the wings with
the hands or feet. When the
tips of the Wings
are pulled back, a forward
movement or a
downward plunge results. To
Counteract too
Violent, a movement of this
Sort, the Wings must be thrown forward.
Should
the spring break, the wings must be
pulled forward
vigorously to prevent a sudden
headlong plunge,
and the aviator should
therefore be strong enough to operate the
wings in case the
spring fails. It is therefore
possible to
dispense with the spring and depend
entirely upon the
strength of the operator
to hold the wings
in their proper position;
but this is not
recommended.
From the foregoing statements it will be
seen that
vertical steering or equilibrium depends
upon the forward
and backward movement
of the wings,
whereby the center of gravity
is carried,
respectively, backward and for
ward. The
horizontal steering is effected by
the
downwardly-movable rear portion J' of
the fabric in the
manner already described.
When both sides
are pulled down together,
they serve as an
effective brake to check the
speed. The amount
of surface of the wings
should be varied
in proportion to the weight
to be carried and
in accordance with the speed
of the wind by
which it is proposed to sail.
The apparatus
here shown is designed to furnish,
when the wings
are fully open, a surface
of about one
square foot to the pound of
total weight, (including
both aviator and apparatus,)
this being about
in the proportion
of most soaring
birds. The apparatus is intended
to sail with
winds varying between
ten and twenty-five miles per hour.
The weight of the apparatus will vary, of
course, with the substance
used in its construction,
but the one shown
and described
should not exceed
fifty-five pounds, and may
possibly be
reduced below that figure.
This apparatus is intended as elementary
rather than to indicate
the best that may be accomplished.
The surfaces and
proportions
may be departed
from, but the description
and illustration
are regarded as closely set
ting forth a new
type of aerodrome.
Having described my invention, what I
claim, and desire
to secure by Letters Patent,
is
1. A
soaring-machine consisting of an aeroplane
composed of two
wings, each hinged
upon a vertical
axis and capable of forward
and backward
movement only, substantially
as described.
2. A soaring -
machine consisting of two
wings, each
hinged upon a vertical axis,
an automatic
regulating device controlling.
the angular
position of the wings with the
variation in
speed, substantially as described.
3. A
soaring-machine consisting of two
wings, each
hinged upon a vertical axis, and
a mechanical
device attached to said wings
for throwing
forward the tips of the wings,
substantially as
described.
4. A
soaring-machine consisting of two
wings, each
hinged upon a vertical axis, and
a spring attached
to said Wings, substantially
as described.
5. A
soaring-machine consisting of two
wings, each
hinged upon a vertical axis, and
a spring normally
holding the tips of the
wings in advance
of said axis, substantially
as described.
6. A soaring-machine
consisting of two
wings, each
hinged upon a vertical axis but
in different
approximately parallel planes, so
that one can
close partly over the other,
substantially as
described.
7. A
soaring-machine consisting of two
wings, each
hinged upon a vertical axis, and
each having a
tail portion adapted to close
one over the
other, substantially as described.
8. A
soaring-machine consisting of two
wings, each
hinged upon a vertical axis, and
adapted to close
one over the other, and a
mechanical device
attached to said wings for
positively
closing them at will, substantially
as described.
9. A
soaring-machine consisting of two
wings, each
hinged upon a vertical axis, and
a cord attached
to each Wing and running
through an eye in
the other Wing, for closing
said wings
together substantially as de
scribed.
10. A
soaring-machine consisting of two
wings, each
hinged upon a vertical axis, and
provided with
stop-cords to limit their angular
movement,
substantially as described.
11. A soaring-machine
consisting of two
wings, each
hinged upon a vertical axis, and
having a portion
movable out of the plane of
the wing, substantially as described.
12. A
soaring-machine having wings adapted
to move in
horizontal planes, a portion of
the fabric
covering each wing being stiffened
by flexible slats
and having its rear edge free
from the frame of
the wing, and cords attached
to said rear edge
for pulling it down
ward, substantially as described.
13. A
soaring-machine consisting of two
wings, each
composed of a framework, a net
spread under the
framework, and a covering
of fabric
fastened below the net, substantially
as described.
14. A
soaring-machine consisting of an artificial
sternum adapted
to be fastened to the
body of the
aviator and two wings, hinged to
said sternum on
an upright axis, substantially
as described.
15. A cuirass or
corset for an aviator consisting
of a rigid
breastplate provided with
means for firmly
attaching it to the body, and
having
attachments for receiving and supporting
an aeroplane,
substantially as described.
16. A cuirass or
corset for an aviator, consisting
of a rigid
breastplate provided with
means for firmly
attaching it to the body, and
having hooks upon
which a pair of wings may
be hinged on a
vertical axis, substantially as
described.
17. The
combination with the cuirass having
a rigid
breastplate A, of the hooks C, D,
one above the
other, and a clamp, as H, adapted
to hold a spring,
as G, substantially as described.
18. The combination
with the rigid breastplate
A carrying the
hooks C, D of the wings,
each having arms
F provided with eyes ff'
to fit on the
hooks, substantially as described.
19. The
combination with the rigid breast
plate A having the
hooks C, D and the clamp
H, of the wings
each having arms F hinged
upon the hooks,
and the flat steel spring G
held at its
middle by the clamp, and having
its ends attached
to the wings, substantially
as described.
In testimony
whereof I affix my signature
in presence of
two witnesses.
LOUIS PERRE MOUILIARI).
Witnesses:
S. NURIPOY,
C. P. LUGOLD.