Langley Aerodrome Number 5, 1896. Creator: Smithsonian Institution
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Langley Aerodrome Number 5, 1896. Creator: Smithsonian Institution
Model of the unpiloted, tandem-wing experimental aircraft built and tested by Samuel P. Langley. One one-horsepower, one-cylinder steam engine turning two pusher propellers via geared transmission system. Silk covering. Natural fabric finish; no sealant or paint of any kind. Samuel Pierpont Langley became the third Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in 1887. In 1891, he began experiments with large, tandem-winged models powered by small steam and gasoline engines he called aerodromes. After several failures with designs that were too fragile and under-powered to sustain themselves, Langley had his first genuine success on May 6, 1896, with his Aerodrome Number 5. It made the worlds first successful flight of an unpiloted, engine-driven, heavier-than-air craft of substantial size. It was launched from a spring-actuated catapult mounted on top of a houseboat on the Potomac River near Quantico, Virginia. Two flights were made on May 6, one of 1, 005 m (3, 300 ft) and a second of 700 m (2, 300 ft), at a speed of approximately 40 kph (25 mph). On both occasions, the Aerodrome Number 5 landed in the water, as planned, because, in order to save weight, it was not equipped with landing gear
Media ID 23877177
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