Samuel Pierpont Langley (August 22nd 1834, Roxbury - February 27th 1906, $aiken) is a Physicien, inventor and American Astronome, although these robbery attempts controlled remained unfruitful one also counts it among the pioneers of the Aviation.

Career

Langley studies with the Boston Latin School, after having been graduate it works as attending the Harvard College Observatory then obtains the pulpit of Mathématiques to the naval Académie of Annapolis. In 1867 he becomes professor of Astronomie to the Université of Pittsburgh and the third secretary of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in 1887.

In 1881 it invents the Bolomètre and in 1886 Langley receives the Médaille Henry Draper for his work on solar physics. Its publication with Frank Washington Very of the infra-red observations of the Observatoire Allegheny will be used by Svante Arrhenius to carry out the first calculations of the Greenhouse effect.

Aviation

Langley takes seat in the race with the first flight controlled of heavier than the air. Its models fly but its two robbery attempts controlled, although less ambitious than those of the Frères Wright, are failures.

Langley starts to try out with model propelled by rubber band and of the Planeur S. It is not certain that Langley succeeded in reaching times of flights of Alphonse Pénaud with these models but it persisted. It builds an arm rotary, similar to the Soufflerie of the Wright brothers for the tests. The American ministry for the war provides him 50.000 $ to develop a controlled machine and to continue its work with models larger propelled by a Steam engine and has Internal combustion engine. its tests show a stability and a sufficient Portance. It works out a structure supported by spacers, engages a pilot of sailplane, offers a financial support to the Wright brothers, whom they refuse, and engages Charles Mr. Manly as engineer and test pilot.

While the vehicle in the real face is designed and built, the engine is sub-contracted with a manufacturer. When it fails to build a machine answering the required specifications, Manly finishes the design of it. this engine provides definitely more power compared to its weight than that of the Wright brothers, although it is not a work of Langley it is it principal contribution of the project to aviation.

The machine has a double pair of wings supported by spacers, it has a control of the Tangage and lace but not of control of the Roulis. Compared to the approach of Wright which designs a light plane and handy which can fly by strong wind, Langley avoids the accidents while flying to the top of water on the Potomac. This requires a catapults and the plane does not have a landing gear, the plane must be crushed in water after the flight of demonstration. The project is abandoned after two unfruitful tests on October 7th and December 8th 1903, Manly is recovered unscathed twice.

The plane of Langley is modified by Glenn Curtiss in 1914, as starts from an attempt to invalidate the patent of Wright but justice confirms its validity. Although Langley successfully tries out its small-scale models it appears that it does not have a means of circumventing the central problem of Wright, to control a plane whose weight is too heavy to be directed by the body of the pilot. Also even if its plane had stolen Manly would have been in danger and the credit of little decreased the Wright brothers.

One finds the name of Langley on several occasions, for example:

References

  • has off Heritage Wings, An Illustrated History off Naval Aviation , Richard C. Knott, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 1997
  • Aviation, The Pioneer Years , published by Ben Mackworth-Praed, Studio Editions, Ltd., London, 1990

External bonds

  • of the failure to the posterity
  • biography
  • more complete biography

December 12th 1895 -->

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