Monoplane (1874)
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Monoplane was a large plane made of aluminium, built in Brest, France, by Félix du Temple in 1874.
The plane had a wingspan or 13 meters and a weight of only 80 kilograms (without the pilot).
Several trials were made with the plane, and it is generally recognized that it achieved lift off under its own power after a ski-jump run, glided for a short time and returned safely to the ground, making it the first successful powered flight in history, although the flight was only a short distance and a short time.
The plane was displayed at the 1878 World Fair (Exposition Universelle (1878)) in Paris.
The plane used a very compact, high-speed circulation steam engine for which Félix du Temple applied for a patent on April 28th 1876. The engine used very small pipes packed together "to obtain the highest possible contact surface for the smallest possible volume" [1]
- "When he began with the aid of his brother, M. Louis du Temple, to experiment on a large scale, the inadequacy of all motors then known became apparent. They first tried steam at very high pressures, then a hot-air engine, and finally built and patented, in 1876 a very light steam boiler weighing from 39 to 44 lb. to the horse power, which appears to have been the prototype of some of the light boilers which have since been constructed. It consisted in a series of very thin tubes less than 1/8 in. in internal diameter, through which water circulated very rapidly, and was flashed into steam by the surrounding flame." Octave Chanute, Aeroplanes : Part III, August 1892
The engine design was later adopted by the French Navy for the propulsion of the first French torpedo boats:
- "Officers and engineers have now made up their opinion regarding Du Temple's steam engine. Everybody proclaims the superiority of its qualities… orders are pouring in from our commercial harbours and from the French government." Revue Maritime 1888 ("L’opinion est faite aujourd’hui sur la chaudière Du Temple parmi les officiers et les ingénieurs. Tout le monde proclame ses qualités supérieures… les commandes affluent de nos ports de commerce et de la part du gouvernement français".) [2]
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[edit] Notes
- ^ The patent describes "une demande pour une chaudière à vapeur à circulation rapide donnant la plus grande surface de chauffe possible sous le plus petit volume et le moindre poids."
- ^ French document
