THE ORIGINS OF FLIGHT

1. THE ORIGINS OF FLIGHT

2. OVERVIEW • Early Civilizations’ Ideas about Flight • Ancient Attempts to Fly • Early Contributions to Flight

3. EARLY CIVILIZATIONS’ IDEAS ABOUT FLIGHT Flight Legends – Ancient China • Chinese Emperor, Shun, 2,000 B.C.escaped from prison in “work clothes of abird”, flew to freedom • Kei Kung, god of thunder and lightning hadwings of a bat • Ki-Kung-Shi, built flying chariot in 1800 B.C.,could rise and move through the air with novisiblemeans of supportLevitation Kite invented around 1000 B.C. • Silk, bamboo General Han Hsin, 200 B.C. • First to use kites in warfare • Measured distance to enemy 17th Century A.D., carry soldiers up to observe enemy actions in battle

5. EARLY CIVILIZATIONS’ IDEAS ABOUT FLIGHT • Flight Legends – Other • Ancient Countries • A picture of a person flying, carved on a seal, 3500 B.C., Babylonia • Chinese discover gunpowder in 9th century and were using it to make simple rockets by 12th century • Wan Hoo • 47 rockets tied to chair • Ball of smoke and fire!

6. EARLY CIVILIZATIONS’ IDEAS ABOUT FLIGHT • Flight Legends – Other Ancient Countries • Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia, cage pulled by Griffins • King of Persia (Iran) rode a flying throne carried by 4 eagles • Incacivilization founded by 4 brothers; one had wings and could fly like a bird • Egyptians created pictures of creatures with wings on the walls of tombs and Sphinx • Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, others believe in Angels

7. EARLY CIVILIZATIONS’ IDEAS ABOUT FLIGHT • Flight Legends – Greece and Rome • The Greek god Hermes and the Roman god Mercury • Eros, Greek god of love, and Cupid, Roman god of love • Pegasus, winged horse of Greeks

8. EARLY CIVILIZATIONS’ IDEAS ABOUT FLIGHT • Flight Legends – Greece and Rome • Daedalus and his son, Icarus • Escaped prison with wings made from feathers attached with wax • “The Man in the Moon” used flock of geese to fly him to the moon

9. EARLY CIVILIZATIONS’ IDEAS ABOUT FLIGHT • Desire and Ability to Fly • In the seventeenth century, Francesco de Lana proposed an “aerial boat” • Suggested using evacuated hollow spheres to provide lift • Seemed to understand a vehicle lighter than air could fly • Forerunner to balloon? • The first balloons were paper or cloth bags filled with hot air

10. EARLY ATTEMPTS TO FLY

11. EARLY ATTEMPTS TO FLY • First Record of Human Attempts to Fly • Two important traits • People have always wanted to fly • Flight has depended on building machines to carry us through the air • Why?

12. EARLY ATTEMPTS TO FLY • First Record of Human Attempts to Fly • In 852 A.D. Armen Firman jumped from a tower with cloak..it didn’t work! • As early as the 11th century, there are records of people trying to fly by attaching large wings to their bodies and jumping from high places • Attempting to imitate the flights of birds • Made from cloth and wood • Sometimes feathers • Wings of birds support less than 1 pound per square foot of wing area • Some (ducks/geese) have as much as 2 pounds per square foot • How much wing area for a 150 pound man?

13. EARLY ATTEMPTS TO FLY • First Record of Human Attempts to Fly • In 852 A.D. Armen Firman jumped from a tower with cloak..it didn’t work! • As early as the 11th century, there are records of people trying to fly by attaching large wings to their bodies and jumping from high places • Attempting to imitate the flights of birds • Made from cloth and wood • Sometimes feathers • Wings of birds support less than 1 pound per square foot of wing area • Some (ducks/geese) have as much as 2 pounds per square foot • How much wing area for a 150 pound man? • 25x3=75 sq ft 75x2=150 sq ft

14. EARLY ATTEMPTS TO FLY • First Record of Human Attempts to Fly • Took place before the days of science, mostly trial & error • Lack of power made search almost pointless • Most attempts unsuccessful until the invention of motors/engines • Gliders are unpowered airplanes • Flight is act of passing through the air by the use of wings • Parachutes slow the descent of a person or object to Earth

15. EARLY CONTRIBUTIONS TO FLIGHT • Leonardo da Vinci • Lived from 1452 – 1519 • G.A. Borelli

16. EARLY CONTRIBUTIONS TO FLIGHT • Leonardo da Vinci • Lived from 1452 – 1519 • Influenced by birds • Drew gliders with wings like a bat • Left 160 pages of descriptions and sketches, including the first known design of a helicopter and parachute • If he had worked on fixed-wing gliders instead of bird-like machines, he might have moved aviation ahead by 400 years • His papers were not found until 300 years after his death

17. EARLY CONTRIBUTIONS TO FLIGHT • Leonardo da Vinci • Center of Gravity • Center of Pressure • cp = (S[x * p(x)]dx) / (S[p(x)]dx) • Streamlining

18. EARLY CONTRIBUTIONS TO FLIGHT • Leonardo da Vinci • Center of Gravity • Point were an object is balanced • Center of Pressure • Average location of the pressure on the surface of the object • Streamlining • Shaping of an object, such as an aircraft body, wing, boat, car, etc. to reduce the amount of drag or resistance to motion through a fluid (air or water)

19. EARLY CONTRIBUTIONS TO FLIGHT • G. A. Borelli • Came to conclusion about 150 years after da Vinci that it would be impossible for men to fly using his own muscles because of their small power output

20. CONCLUSION • Early Civilizations’ Ideas about Flight • Ancient Attempts to Fly • Early Contributions to Flight