Sam Leonard Walkden
Sam Leonard Walkden, British, was an Engineer, located at 43, Collingwood Avenue, Muswell Hill, London, N.[1]. Based on our investigations into his patents, it seems that his work largely revolved around work in the automatic stability of the airplane, achieved by way of control of lift surfaces and so forth, often aided by way of “fans” activated by wind resistance. A few fairly intricate patent families explicate this body of work. We are still gathering material. His work perhaps culminates most perfectly in Patent GB-1915-9370. Among other points, this last-mentioned patent takes his pre-existing work, having largely to do with the automatic stability of the airplane achieved by way of aerodynamics and design, by way of his “fans” and so forth affecting the incidence of surfaces, and adds the gyroscope. His work could be seen as an elegant example of an inventor’s addressing concerns related to one “subsystem” (that of stability achieved automatically), and tackling these concerns from multiple angles, and integrating all related particulars into the overall conception and design of the aircraft.
Regarding his earlier life, we know that Walkden received a “2nd Year Prize” in “Practical Physics” at King’s College, London.[2] At some point he was admitted as a student into Great Britain’s Institution of Civil Engineers.[3] See Patent US-1910-1152063 within Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, Volume 217, page 1523. More is turning up on him. We are consolidating the data.
References
Patents whose inventor or applicant is Sam Leonard Walkden or S. L. Walkden
- Patent GB-1909-8531 (English title: Improvements in Aeroplanes and the like, that is, having to do with automatic stability, Filing date: 1909-04-08)
- Patent GB-1909-14031 (English title: Improvements in Aeroplanes and the like, that is, having to do with automatic stability, Supplementary to patent: Patent GB-1909-8531, Filing date: 1909-06-15)
- Patent GB-1909-18138 (English title: Improvements in Aeroplanes and the like, that is, having to do with automatic stability, Supplementary to patent: Patent GB-1909-8531, Filing date: 1909-08-06)
- Patent GB-1910-6051 (English title: Improvements in Aeroplanes and the like, specifically wind-driven fans aiding in stability, Supplementary to patent: Patent GB-1909-8531, Filing date: 1910-03-10)
- Patent US-1910-1152063 (English title: Aeroplane and the like, that is, the automatic stability thereof achieved by way of variable wing surfaces and wind-resistance-actuated "fans", Supplementary to patent: Patent GB-1909-8531 • Patent GB-1910-6051, Filing date: 1910-03-28)
- Patent CA-1910-160815 (English title: Aeroplane (with the overall design well-considered though with automatic stability being a particular focus), Supplementary to patent: Patent GB-1910-6051 • Patent GB-1909-8531, Filing date: 1910-03-29)
- Patent DE-1910-258464 (English title: Device for the automatic stabilization of aircraft, Supplementary to patent: Patent GB-1909-8531, Filing date: 1910-03-30)
- Patent FR-1910-414994 (English title: Improvements in aeroplanes, gliders, etc., Supplementary to patent: Patent GB-1909-8531, Filing date: 1910-03-30)
- Patent HU-1910-61414 (English title: Glider, Supplementary to patent: Patent GB-1909-8531, Filing date: 1910-04-09)
- Patent GB-1913-3848 (English title: Improvements in (the automatic stability of) Aeroplanes and the like (achieved via wind resistance), Supplementary to patent: Patent GB-1909-8531 • Patent GB-1910-6051, Filing date: 1913-02-14)
- Patent FR-1914-473227 (English title: Improvements (in automatic stability via wind-resistance-actionated fans) brought to airplanes and other flying machines, Supplementary to patent: Patent GB-1913-3848, Filing date: 1914-02-11)
Publications by or about Sam Leonard Walkden or S. L. Walkden
- Walkden, 1910, Propellers as stabilizers in flyers (Simple title: Propellers as stabilizers in flyers, Journal: Flight)
- Walkden, 1911, Aeroplanes and gusts (Simple title: Aeroplanes and gusts, Journal: Flight)
- Walkden, 1911, Propellers as disturbers of stability (Simple title: Propellers as disturbers of stability, Journal: Aeronautics)
- Walkden, 1911, Soaring flight (Simple title: Soaring flight, Journal: Aeronautics (UK))
- Walkden, 1912, Aeroplanes in Gusts (Simple title: Aeroplanes in Gusts)
- Walkden, 1912, A note on steering and warping (Simple title: A note on steering and warping, Journal: Aeronautics (UK))
- Walkden, 1912, Longitudinal stability in gusts (Simple title: Longitudinal stability in gusts, Journal: Aeronautics (UK))
- Walkden, 1913, Aeroplanes in Gusts, 2nd edition (Simple title: Aeroplanes in Gusts: Soaring Flight and the Stability of Aeroplanes. Second edition)
- Walkden, 1914, How to understand aeroplanes (Simple title: How to understand aeroplanes)
| Names | Sam Leonard Walkden; S. L. Walkden |
|---|---|
| Countries | CA, DE, FR, GB, HU, US |
| Locations | 43, Collingwood Avenue, Muswell Hill, London, N. |
| Occupations | Engineer |
| Tech areas | Airplane, Gliders, Equilibrium, Stability, Sustentation, Rudder, Lift, Aerodynamics, Control, Propellers, Design, Wings, Gyroscope, Wing warping, Automatic stability, Incidence |
| Accreditations | |
| Affiliations | King's College, London, Institution of Civil Engineers (Great Britain) |
| Family name | |
| Birth date | |
| Death date | |
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