CODY’S BAA 1—GREAT BRITAIN’S FIRST TO FLY PART 1
THE FIRST RECOGNIZED POWERED, heavier-than-air, controlled, sustained flight in the United Kingdom was accomplished by Samuel F. Cody’s British Army Aeroplane No. 1 on October 16, 1908. As with many … Continue reading
GMAX REVISITED—THREE AND 108 YEARS LATER
GMAX SOFTWARE is an example of CAD, computer-aided design. Indeed, it’s a simplified sibling of Autodesk 3ds Max, a professional 3D computer graphics program. Autodesk calls 3ds Max its “3D … Continue reading
AL MOONEY’S 1938 CULVER DART MODEL G
AL MOONEY’S AIRCRAFT included, among others, the Alexander Eaglerock and Bullet, the Bellanca Irish Swoop racer and its Airbus cargo plane, the Monocoupe Dart Model G and its Monocoach sibliing, … Continue reading
VOUGHT XF5U
THE XF5U “Flying Flapjack” was one of the might-have-beens of aviation history. Its designer, Charles H. Zimmerman, was a talented aerodynamicist and member of NACA, the National Advisory Committee for … Continue reading
A QUEST FOR LATERAL CONTROL: THE GOUPY II
EARLIEST AIRCRAFT were on a quest for control, especially laterally, from side to side, in roll. Wing warping was one choice; ailerons were another. Major court cases ensued (for the … Continue reading
A “SPRUCE GOOSE” FANTASY
HOWARD HUGHES disliked the term “Spruce Goose” for what he preferred to call the Hughes Flying Boat. And indeed, spruce was only one of the woods used in the Hercules … Continue reading
MILLIKEN M-1 TAKES TO THE (VIRTUAL) AIR
BILL MILLIKEN built and flew his own airplane. Maybe that’s not so remarkable, but he was a college student at the time and the year was 1933. And this is … Continue reading
