Indiana Glider Trials of 1896
Organized and financed by Octave Chanute; attended by Augustus M. Herring, Paul Butusov, William Avery, and James Ricketts.[1]
Having published Progress in Flying Machines, Chanute wanted to undertake experiments of his own, with a focus on stability, which he believed was the key to the future of aviation, and a weakness of Otto Lilienthal's designs. According to Powell A Moore (1958):[1]
In contrast to Lilienthal, Chanute's objective was to discover better means of control than that of shifting the weight of the pilot and also to obtain some measure of automatic stability. He sought to achieve these ends with the use of adjustable surfaces and parts which could be controlled with a minimum of effort on the part of the pilot. Because of the success of his efforts, Chanute must be given credit for the development of the first reasonably stable flying machine.
Chanute's glider had five sets of wings on each side and two smaller wings in the back.[1]
The first trials took place on the dunes of Miller Beach, in present-day northeastern Gary, Indiana.
News of the trials raised popular awareness of progress in American aeronautics.[2] Chanute had unsuccessfully attempted to keep them secret.[1]
Chanute then returned (by boat) for more tests, to a nearby beach called Dune Park. Here he also tested a three-tier glider and a monoplane of Butusov's. After trials of the glider were unsuccessful the bottom tier was removed, to form a biplane, later known as the "Chanute type" biplane. This design was significant for the Wright Brothers, whom Chanute advised.[1]
He personally spent about $14,000 to construct the aircraft and finance the trip.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Powell A. Moore, "Octave Chanute's Experiments with Gliders in the Indiana Dunes, 1896", Indiana Magazine of History 54(4), December 1958.
- ↑ Wolko, 1981, p. 7. "In 1896, the Chanute-sponsored glider trials held in Indiana were enthusiastically reported by the press to gain national recognition of America's involvement in aeronautical research (Crouch, 1979:15)."
Add
- Crouch, 1979, "Engineers and the Airplane", in Hallion, 1979, The Wright Brothers (Smithsonian).
- Crouch, 1997, "Octave Chanute and the Indiana Glider Trials of 1896"
| Event names | Indiana glider trials |
|---|---|
| Event type | exhibition |
| Country | US |
| Locations | Miller Beach, Indiana |
| Start date | 1896/06/22 |
| Number of days | 13 |
| Tech focus | Glider, Stability, Automatic stability |
| Participants |
