Mozhaysky on a 1963 Soviet postal stamp.
Artist's conception of Mozhaysky's aircraft in flight.
Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaysky (also transliterated as Mozhayski, Mozhayskii and Mozhayskiy; Russian: Алекса́ндр Фёдорович Можа́йский) (March 21 [O.S. March 9] 1825, Rochensalm (current Kotka), southern Finland – 1 April [O.S. March 20] 1890, Saint Petersburg), was a Russian naval officer, aviation pioneer, researcher and designer of heavier-than-air craft."[1][2] In 1884, Mozhaysky's monoplane made a failed attempt to fly (only a spring of ca. 100 ft).
His design relied upon a ramp rather than engine power to generate sufficient speed for lift. The wing design of his craft lacked the curvature necessary to generate lift. While it is possible that Mozhaysky's wings slowed his monoplane's descent after launch from the ramp, the wings were unlikely ever to have provided sufficient lift for sustained flight unless used at angles of attack that would have been impractical, given the engines available to Mozhaysky. He also experimented with different angles of attack.
In 1909 a Russian newspaper claimed Mozhaysky's hop was the first powered flight. This claim was later repeated many times by the Soviet Union. In 1971-1981 TsAGI researched the topic and disproved the claim. Mozhaysky's original aircraft was found incapable of generating lift because of low engine capacity. It was also shown that with a more powerful engine, which Mozhaysky had planned shortly before his death, the aircraft might have been able to fly.[3][4]
Nevertheless, Mozhaysky's aviation achievements, particularly with regard to flight controls and propulsion, were considerable given the limits of the technology available to him,[4] and have only recently received serious attention. Asteroid 2850 Mozhaiskij is named in his honour.
Alexander Mozhayskiy
See also[]
- Early flying machines
- Samuel Pierpont Langley, a U.S. scientist notable for his early powered aircraft flight attempts
- Clément Ader, a French inventor who designed a series of early steam-powered aircraft
- Mozhaysky's airplane
References[]
- ↑ "САМОЛЕТЫ ХIХ ВЕКА (Airplanes of the 19th Century)" (in Russian). WestEastToronto.com website. 03-07-2007. http://www.westeasttoronto.com/scgi-bin/news_reader/read_article.pl?articleID=1780. Retrieved 03-08-2008.
- ↑ Сергей Иванов (Sergei Ivanov) (December 2006). "Сделано в России. Наша дорога в небо (Made in Russia: Our Way To Heaven)" (in Russian). Mecánica Popular. http://www.popmech.ru/part/print.php?rubricid=13&articleid=1378. Retrieved 03-08-2008.
- ↑ История конструкций самолётов в СССР до 1938 г. Шавров В. Б. −3-е изд, исправл. -М. : Машиностроение, 1985 г.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Неизвестное об известных. Событие века — полёт человека
External links[]
- Flying Machines - Alexander Fyodorovich Mozhaysky
- schoolnet Alexander Mozhayskiy
- The Pioneers : An Anthology : Alexander Fyodorovich Mozhayskiy
- Aleksandr Fyodorovich Mozhaiski (English). flyingmachines.org. Accessed on 03-08-2008.
- History of Aviation. Alexander Mozhaiski (English). spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk. Accessed on 03-08-2008.
- The Pioneers: Aleksandr Fyodorovich Mozhaisky (English). IETC. Accessed on 03-08-2008.
- К.С. СТРОИТЕЛЕВ (KS Stroitelev). Русский моряк А.Ф. Можайский - изобретатель первого в мире самолета (Russian Sailor A.F. Mozhaiski - Advances In Aircraft Of The War, (Russian). flot.com. Retrieved on 03-08-2008.
- "Можайский, Александр Федорович (Mozhaiski, Aleksandr Fedorovich" (Russian). airwar.ru (11/10/2007). Retrieved on 03-08-2008.
- Андрей Ковтун (Andrei Kobtun) (2004). "Кто первый? (Who was first?)" (Russian). "Rodina". Accessed on 03-08-2008.
- Виктор ГОНЧАРЕНКО (Viktor Goncharenko). "Как люди научились летать. Самолет А.Ф. Можайского (Since people learned to fly. AFMozhaiski Plane)" (Russian). МОО "Наука и техника." Accessed on 03-08-2008.
- Андрей ВЕЙМАРН (Andrei Veimarn) (03/07/2006). "Летучка с адскими снадобьями" (Russian). politjournal.ru. Accessed on 03-08-2008.
The original article can be found at Alexander Mozhaysky and the edit history here.