John Joseph Montgomery
John Joseph Montgomery (b. 15 February 1858, d. 31 October 1911) was an aero inventor, a physicist, engineer, and professor at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California, who is best known for his invention of controlled heavier-than-air flying machines.[1]
Montgomery saw an exhibition of the Avitor, an aircraft constructed by Frederick Marriott, in 1869 at Sam Francisco. Montgomery's sister later said he constructed a 8-inch model of the Avitor with tiny wheels. His father, Zachariah Montgomery, was a politician who became U.S. Attorney General in 1885. He received a B.Sc. in 1879, and an M.S. in physics, from Saint Ignatius College in San Francisco.[2]
After graduation he began working on aircraft at the family ranch near San Diego. After several failures he produced a working glider in 1884 and continued to make different varieties. He believed he had discovered the secret to flight—but chose to keep it secret. Later accounts of his work, including his own, and those of Victor Lougheed, are a bit unreliable. In 1917 Montgomery's heirs sued the Wright brothers.[3]
Montgomery attended the Aeronautical Navigation Conference at 1893 World's Fair and lectured on the currents of air immediately surrounding the leading edge of an airfoil.[4]
He was elected vice president of the Santa Clara Valley Aero Club in 1911.[5]
Patents whose inventor or applicant is John Montgomery or John J. Montgomery or John Joseph Montgomery
- Patent US-1905-831173 (English title: Aeroplane, Filing date: 1905-04-26)
Publications by or about John Montgomery or John J. Montgomery or John Joseph Montgomery
- Montgomery, 1894, Discussion on the various papers on soaring flight (Simple title: Discussion on the various papers on soaring flight, Journal: Proceedings of the Conference on Aerial Navigation, Chicago, 1893)
- Publication 8745, 1905, The Montgomery aeroplane (Simple title: The Montgomery aeroplane, Journal: Scient. Amer.)
- Dienstbach, 1905, Ein Flug von 20 Minuten mit dem Gleitapparat von Montgomery (Simple title: A 20 minute flight with the Montgomery glider, Journal: Ill. Aër. Mitt.)
- Montgomery, 1908, Principles involved in the formation of wing surfaces and the phenomenon of soaring (1) (Simple title: Principles involved in the formation of wing surfaces and the phenomenon of soaring, Journal: Aeronautics)
- Montgomery, 1908, Principles involved in the formation of wing surfaces and the phenomenon of soaring (2) (Simple title: Principles involved in the formation of wing surfaces and the phenomenon of soaring, Journal: Aeronautics)
- Montgomery, 1908, Principles involved in the formation of wing surfaces and the phenomenon of soaring (3) (Simple title: Principles involved in the formation of wing surfaces and the phenomenon of soaring, Journal: Aeronautics)
- Montgomery, 1909, Some early gliding experiments in America (Simple title: Some early gliding experiments in America, Journal: Aeronautics)
- Montgomery, 1909, Principles involved in the formation of wing surfaces and the phenomenon of soaring. (Discussion by Dr. A. F. Zahm.) (Simple title: Principles involved in the formation of wing surfaces and the phenomenon of soaring. (Discussion by Dr. A. F. Zahm.), Journal: Aeronautics)
- Sorenson, 1909, Gliding from a hot air balloon (Simple title: Gliding from a hot air balloon, Journal: Aeronautics)
- Lougheed, 1910, Vehicles of the Air (Simple title: Vehicles of the Air)
- Publication B2p0921e09, 1911, The Montgomery glider (Simple title: The Montgomery glider, Journal: Aircraft)
- Publication B2p0921e07, 1911, Death of Professor John J. Montgomery (Simple title: Death of Professor John J. Montgomery, Journal: Aeronautics)
- Publication B2p0921e12, 1911, Pioneer inventor is martyr (Simple title: Pioneer inventor is martyr, Journal: Aero)
- Publication B2p0921e08, 1911, John J. Montgomery falls to death in glider. Noted authority meets Lilienthal's fate (Simple title: John J. Montgomery falls to death in glider. Noted authority meets Lilienthal's fate, Journal: Fly)
- Berriman, 1913, Aviation (Simple title: Aviation)
- Publication B2p0921e11, 1915, Our tutors in the art of flying (Simple title: Our tutors in the art of flying, Journal: Aeronautics)
- Harwood and Fogel, 2012 (Simple title: Quest for Flight: John J. Montgomery and the Dawn of Aviation in the West)
Letters sent by John Montgomery or John J. Montgomery or John Joseph Montgomery
- John Montgomery to James Montgomery c
- John Montgomery to Jane Montgomery d
- John Montgomery to Jane Montgomery k
- John Montgomery to Margaret Montgomery b
- John Montgomery to Octave Chanute f
- John Montgomery to Thomas S. Baldwin r
Letters received by John Montgomery or John J. Montgomery or John Joseph Montgomery
- Octave Chanute to John Montgomery e
- Octave Chanute to John Montgomery g
- Octave Chanute to John Montgomery h
- Octave Chanute to John Montgomery i
- Octave Chanute to John Montgomery j
- Octave Chanute to John Montgomery l
- Octave Chanute to John Montgomery m
- Octave Chanute to John Montgomery n
- Thomas S. Baldwin to John Montgomery o
- Thomas S. Baldwin to John Montgomery p
- Thomas S. Baldwin to John Montgomery q
John Montgomery (or John J. Montgomery or John Joseph Montgomery) participated in these events:
- Aeronautical Navigation Conference at 1893 World's Fair (Start date: 1893-08-01, Locations: Chicago (World's Fair), Country: US, Tech focus: LTA • Balloon • Propeller • Propulsion • Airplane • Stability • Parachute • Glider)
References
- ↑ John Joseph Montgomery on English Wikipedia
- ↑ Crouch, 1981, pp. 88–89.
- ↑ Crouch, 1981, pp. 89–95.
- ↑ Berriman, 1913, Aviation, p. 211.
- ↑ Craig S. Harwood; Gary B. Fogel. 2012. Quest for Flight: John J. Montgomery and the Dawn of Aviation in the West. University of Oklahoma Press: Norman, OK
Major sources:
- Craig S Harwood; Gary B. Fogel. 2012. Quest for Flight: John J. Montgomery and the Dawn of Aviation in the West. University of Oklahoma Press: Norman. This book is a nice and very substantial biography of John J. Montgomery and has a lot of information about his letters and patents. Our wiki page about the book is here: Harwood and Fogel, 2012.
- w:John Joseph Montgomery
| Names | John Joseph Montgomery |
|---|---|
| Birth date | 1858-02-15 |
| Death date | 1911-10-31 |
| Countries | US |
| Locations | Santa Clara, California; San Diego, California |
| Occupations | professor, engineer, physicist |
| Tech areas | HTA |
| Affiliations | Santa Clara University, Santa Clara Valley Aero Club |
| Wikidata id |
