114-555: The Rutan Model 61 Long-EZ is a tandem 2-seater homebuilt aircraft designed by Burt Rutan 's Rutan Aircraft Factory . The Long-EZ has a canard layout, a swept wing with wingtip rudders, and a pusher engine and propeller. The tricycle landing gear has fixed main wheels with streamlined spats and a retractable nosewheel. Its predecessor was the VariEze , plans for which were first available to homebuilders in 1976. The prototype Long-EZ, N79RA, first flew on June 12, 1979. The Long-EZ
228-400: A "student of little diligence, or rather, not at all studious for 'theories', but of admirable practical and mechanical talent and, since then, revealing himself in everything, of inventive genius", but who was later described by Agnor as someone focused on aviation from when "...'explosion engines' began to succeed." In 1897, independent and heir to an immense fortune which he invested in
342-620: A completed airframe, was the Baby Ace in the late 1920s. Homebuilt aircraft gained in popularity in the U.S. in 1924 with the start of the National Air Races , held in Dayton , Ohio . These races required aircraft with useful loads of 150 lb (68 kg) and engines of 80 cubic inches or less and as a consequence of the class limitations most were amateur-built. The years after Charles Lindbergh 's transatlantic flight brought
456-571: A crash in the Bay of Monaco on 14 February 1902. The crash was due to the balloon being "imperfectly filled when leaving the garage." After the accident he began to perform a check list before each take-off, but No. 6 was badly damaged. Santos-Dumont started to dedicate himself to the construction of new airship models, two years after he left Paris, each one with a specific purpose: the No. 7, with 1,257 cubic metres and 45 hp engine, designed to be
570-563: A defence tool against submarines. In July 1902, after the creation of the Aeroclub of the US, Santos-Dumont announced a series of flights in American territory. These did not take place, confusing the media and American public opinion. He left New York in late 1902, without having made any flights, and the American public did not consider his inventions to be practical. At the beginning of
684-578: A flight from the Aero-Club de France airfield in Saint-Cloud to the Eiffel Tower and back in 30 minutes. It used the extended envelope of No. 4, from which a triangular gondola made of pine was suspended. Other innovations included the use of piano wire to suspend the gondola, reducing drag, and the use of water ballast tanks. It was powered by a 12 hp, 4-cylinder air-cooled engine driving
798-491: A flight when he cut his fingers on the guide-rope; around that time French aeronauts started a smear campaign against Santos-Dumont. On 8 May, trying for the prize again, he crashed his aircraft into the Hotel Trocadero; the balloon exploded and was completely destroyed, but he escaped unscathed and publicly tested the engine to show its reliability. The accident was caused by one of the automatic valves having
912-575: A flight with an electric motor in a closed circuit in a project abandoned by the French Army, and by the Brazilian Júlio César Ribeiro de Sousa [ pt ] , without success. Public demonstrations, such as those performed by Santos-Dumont, were important in the sceptical academic environment. Due to the weight of electric motors, Santos-Dumont chose the internal combustion engine. In initial tests, he hoisted
1026-453: A four-place kit with cabin pressurization and a turboprop engine , cruising at 24,000 feet (7,300 m) and 370 knots (425 mph, 685 km/h). Although aircraft such as this are considered "home-built" for legal reasons, they are typically built in the factory with the assistance of the buyer. This allows the company which sells the kit to avoid the long and expensive process of certification, because they remain owner-built according to
1140-425: A great love for mechanical things, and like all those who have or think they have a vocation, I cultivated mine with care and passion. I always played at imagining and building little mechanical devices, which entertained me and earned me high regard in the family. My greatest joy was taking care of my father's mechanical installations. That was my department, which made me very proud. At the age of seven Santos-Dumont
1254-700: A hero and met the President of Brazil , Rodrigues Alves , at the Catete Palace . When asked why he did not fly in Brazil, Santos-Dumont justified himself that it was because he could not "...count on the help of his mechanics, and much less on a hydrogen production plant like he had in France." He returned to Paris on 12 October. In 1904 he was nominated as a Knight of the Legion of Honour of France, and published
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#17327810318391368-732: A high tensile strength (usually fiberglass or carbon fiber , or occasionally Kevlar ) combined with a structural plastic (usually epoxy , although vinylester is used in some aircraft). The fabric is saturated with the structural plastic in a liquid form; when the plastic cures and hardens, the part will hold its shape while possessing the strength characteristics of the fabric. The two primary types of composite planes are moulded composite, where major structures like wing skins and fuselage halves are prepared and cured in moulds, and mouldless, where shapes are carved out of foam and then covered with fiberglass or carbon fiber. The advantages of this type of construction include smooth surfaces (without
1482-417: A larger market for our airplanes. Emerging markets such as China and India could also boost demand for our products, but entire infrastructures will need to be formed before small players like us could benefit. Homebuilt aircraft can be constructed out of any material that is light and strong enough for flight. Several common construction methods are detailed below. This is the oldest construction, seen in
1596-436: A model glider, No. 11, inspired by a self-stabilising prototype made 100 years earlier by English scientist George Cayley , considered to be the first aeroplane in history: the model, 1.5 metres long by 1.2 metres wide, had fixed wings, a cruciform tail and a movable weight to adjust the centre of gravity. Santos-Dumont's glider differed from Cayley's in size, wing profile, and the fact that it had no movable weight. The project
1710-463: A negligible rain trim, and rain adds only 2 knots to the stall speed. The aircraft is designed for fuel-efficient long-range flight , with a range of just over 2,000 miles (3,200 km). It can fly for over ten hours and up to 1,600 miles (2,600 km) on 52 gallons (200 liters) of fuel. Equipped with a rear-seat fuel tank, a Long-EZ flew for 4,800 miles (7,700 kilometers) in December 1979, still
1824-468: A peak of interest between 1929 and 1933. During this period many aircraft designers, builders and pilots were self-taught and the high accident rate brought public condemnation and increasing regulation to amateur building. The resulting federal standards on design, engineering, stress analysis, use of aircraft-quality hardware and testing of aircraft brought an end to amateur building except in some specialized areas, such as racing. In 1946 Goodyear restarted
1938-538: A plumbing system to connect my installation to the illuminating gas pipelines. Santos-Dumont had a large hangar built at the Saint-Cloud site, large enough to hold No. 3 when completely filled, as well as the equipment to make the hydrogen gas. This hangar, completed on 15 June 1900, was 30 metres long, 7 metres wide, and 11 metres high. It was no longer intended to house No. 3, which had been abandoned, but No. 4, completed on 1 August 1900. With No. 3 he broke
2052-669: A positive influence on the professionalism of its industry members and on the builders/pilots of its products. With concern over fuel prices, we might see a trend toward lower-powered aircraft intended more for pure sport flying rather than the trend toward cross-country aircraft, which has been the norm over the past 30 years. I would expect that toward the end of that period, there might be some design ventures into electric-powered aircraft, but only if battery technology improves significantly. We might see more motorglider-type homebuilts, tied both to high fuel prices and emerging electric-propulsion technology. What we do at Van's could mirror some of
2166-638: A propeller, On 13 April the Santos-Dumont Prize was created. It was similar to the Deutsch Prize, but had no time limit. On 13 July 1901, After some experimental outings, Santos-Dumont competed with No. 5 in the Deutsch Award for the first time. It completed the required course, but exceeded the time limit for the race by ten minutes. At that time, he met Princess Imperial Isabel , after an accident. On 29 July he aborted
2280-555: A prototype helicopter. The model, weighing 17 kilograms and with a 3 hp engine, repeatedly soared to the roof of the air club's porch, raising clouds of dust. It had been demonstrated that heavier, larger aircraft could be lifted by their own means. The second experiment was made on 8 June on the Seine: Gabriel Voisin went up in the hydroplane Archdeacon, towed by a speedboat piloted by Alphonse Tellier [ fr ] , La Rapière. The device barely rose out of
2394-685: A racing airship, was tested in Neuilly (France) in May 1904. The following month the aircraft was sabotaged in an exhibition organised in St. Louis , United States, when a person who was never identified made four 1-metre cuts in the balloon which, because it was folded, resulted in forty-eight cuts in the envelope, when it was in New York Customs. On this trip, he also met the Wright brothers . No. 8
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#17327810318392508-503: A rudder, leading to the first 3-axis surface-controlled aeroplane in 1903. However, because their 12 horsepower engine could only provide two-thirds of the thrust required for takeoff on a rail of practical size, their takeoffs were aided by headwinds near Kitty Hawk and a catapult in Ohio, and without any official observers. Lilienthal's death due to a stall led the Wright brothers to place
2622-524: A slightly wider cabin. The canard uses the same GU25-5(11)8 airfoil as the VariEze. Plans were offered from 1980 to 1985. There were about 700 FAA-registered Long-EZs in the United States in 2005, which had grown to 833 in 2021. In January 1985 it was announced that plans for a new canard were being offered, to eliminate "rain trim change" that had been experienced by Long-EZ pilots. This trim change
2736-529: A weakened spring, which allowed the escape of gas. After offering his own 21 cubic metre balloon which was under construction – and being politely refused – Henri Deutsch said, "I'm afraid the experiments will not be conclusive. Mr Santos-Dumont's balloon will always be at the mercy of the wind, and is therefore not the kind of aircraft we dream of." Santos-Dumont crashed his No. 6 at the Longchamps racetrack on 19 September 1901. On 19 October 1901, with
2850-632: Is a national hero in Brazil, where it is popularly held that he preceded the Wright brothers in demonstrating a practical aeroplane . Numerous roads, plazas, schools, monuments, and airports there are dedicated to him, and his name is inscribed on the Tancredo Neves Pantheon of the Fatherland and Freedom . He was a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters from 1931 until his suicide in 1932. Alberto Santos-Dumont
2964-494: Is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits. In the United States , Brazil , Australia , New Zealand and South Africa , homebuilt aircraft may be licensed Experimental under FAA or similar local regulations. With some limitations, the builder(s) of the aircraft must have done it for their own education and recreation rather than for profit. In
3078-579: Is not as good as certified general aviation aircraft. In the United States, in 2003, amateur-built aircraft experienced a rate of 21.6 accidents per 100,000 flight hours; the overall general aviation accident rate for that year was 6.75 per 100,000 flight hours. The accident rate for homebuilt aircraft in the U.S. has long been a concern to the Federal Aviation Administration . At Sun 'n Fun 2010, FAA administrator Randy Babbitt said that homebuilts "account for 10 percent of
3192-638: Is toward wood-composite aircraft. The basic load carrying material is still wood, but it is combined with foam (for instance, to increase buckling resistance of load carrying plywood skins) and other synthetic materials like fiberglass and carbon fiber (to locally increase the modulus of load carrying structures such as spar caps). Examples of wood-composite designs include: Planes built from metal use similar techniques to more conventional factory-built aircraft. They can be more challenging to build, requiring metal-cutting, metal-shaping, and riveting if building from plans. "Quick-build" kits are available which have
3306-507: Is usually a nose-down trim change experienced when flying into rain requiring a small aft force on the stick to maintain altitude, which is easily trimmed out, using the bungee trim system. The new canard was designed with the Roncz R1145MS airfoil, which produces considerably more lift than the original GU25-5(11)8 airfoil. This enabled the new canard to be designed with less span, reducing wetted area and thus drag. The new canard has
3420-530: The Brazil and the Amérique . Brazil first flew on 4 July 1898, and was the smallest aircraft built at the time – inflated with hydrogen, it covered 113 metres in a silk envelope of 6 metres in diameter, weighing 27.5 kg without the crewman and made more than 200 flights. According to biographer Gondin da Fonseca [ pt ] , he was influenced to create his first balloon after racing at
3534-717: The Bagatelle Gamefield in Paris, taking off unassisted by an external launch system. On 12 November in front of a crowd, he flew 220 metres at a height of six metres. These were the first heavier-than-air flights certified by the Aeroclub of France , the first such flights officially witnessed by an aeronautics recordkeeping body, and the first of their kind recognised by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale . Santos-Dumont
Rutan Long-EZ - Misplaced Pages Continue
3648-596: The Deutsch prize [ pt ] in 1901, when he flew around the Eiffel Tower in his airship No. 6 , becoming one of the most famous people in the world in the early 20th century. Santos-Dumont then progressed to powered heavier-than-air machines and on 23 October 1906 flew about 60 metres at a height of two to three metres with the fixed-wing 14-bis (also dubbed the Oiseau de proie —"bird of prey") at
3762-641: The Paris Sport of 15 July 1901 described the Brazilian as "a true sportsman in every sense of the word. " Santos-Dumont was already famous at that time and already a hero in his country. Santos' diploma was passed to the Brazilian ambassador in Belgium, who then passed it on to the aviator, according to the 21 June 1905 edition of the Correio Paulistano [ pt ] . Santos-Dumont
3876-763: The Sun N' Fun Fly-In, which occurs in the early spring in Lakeland, Florida , and the Northwest EAA Fly-In in Arlington, Washington . These events are called fly-ins as many people fly their homebuilts and other aircraft into the airport hosting the show, often camping there for the duration. Both events last a week. Takeoffs and landings at these shows typically number in the thousands. Alberto Santos-Dumont Alberto Santos-Dumont , self-stylised as Alberto Santos=Dumont , (20 July 1873 – 23 July 1932)
3990-430: The canard design to the homebuilding world and pioneered the use of composite construction. Metal construction in kitplanes was taken to a new level by Richard VanGrunsven in his RV series . As the sophistication of the kits improved, components such as autopilots and more advanced navigation instruments became common. Litigation during the 1970s and 1980s caused stagnation in the small aircraft market, forcing
4104-637: The 114th anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille . As he passed the President of the Republic , he fired 21 revolver shots into the air. The military considered the balloon to be a practical instrument for wartime. Santos-Dumont placed himself and his flotilla of three aircraft at the disposal of the government in the event of war, provided it was not against the nations of the Americas and that, "in
4218-479: The 20th century, Santos-Dumont was the only person in the world capable of controlled flight. After his time in the US, he learned of the fatal accident of Augusto Severo and the suicide of his mother; he returned to England, where he had left No. 6 being prepared for an exhibition at the Crystal Palace , as well as planning to fly into London. The fabric of the airship was punctured, as confirmed by
4332-430: The 622-cubic-metre No. 6 balloon powered by a 20 hp engine, he executed the test in 29 minutes and 30 seconds, but it took about a minute to land, which caused the committee to initially deny the award. This became a matter of controversy , as the public and Deutsch believed that the aviator had won. After some time and the aviator protesting this decision, it was reversed. He became internationally recognised as
4446-660: The Aero Club of the US; when justifying not charging for demonstration flights in St Louis, Santos-Dumont said: "I am an amateur". After the meeting with Edison, Santos-Dumont told the American press that he did not intend to patent his aircraft. He was received at the White House in Washington, DC, by President Theodore Roosevelt and talked to U.S. Navy and Army officials about the possibility of using airships as
4560-492: The Boulevard de La Condamine by the sea. On testing the guide wire over the sea, he found that it stabilised the aircraft in low-level flight. Santos-Dumont also demonstrated that overall the aircraft behaved well over water, reaching up to 42 km/h (26 mph). Its success made clear the potential military use of the aircraft, especially for anti-submarine warfare, but its flights in the principality were interrupted by
4674-504: The Deutsch Prize, Santos-Dumont received letters from several countries, congratulating him; magazines published lavish, richly illustrated editions to reproduce his image and perpetuate the achievement; an Alexander Graham Bell interview in the New York Herald explored the reasons for Santos-Dumont's success, envy of other inventors, and the experiments that preceded him; tributes were paid in France, Brazil, England, where
Rutan Long-EZ - Misplaced Pages Continue
4788-684: The Eiffel Tower for the first time. From the monument he went to the Parc des Princes then to the Bagatelle Gamefield in the Bois de Boulogne (near the Hippodrome of Longchamp ). He landed at the exact spot where No. 1 had crashed, this time under control. From that day on, I no longer had the slightest doubt about the success of my invention. I recognized that I would, for life, be dedicated to aircraft construction. I needed to have my workshop, my aeronautical garage, my hydrogen-generating apparatus, and
4902-482: The Eiffel Tower, round the monument, and return to the place of ascent in no more than thirty minutes, without stops, a total of 11 kilometres, under the eyes of a commission from the Aeroclub de France convened at least one day in advance. This required a minimum average speed of 22 km/h. The award encouraged Alberto Santos-Dumont to try faster flights with No. 4. The aircraft was 420 cubic metres in volume, 29 metres long, and 5.6 metres in diameter. Underneath
5016-563: The English Aero Club offered a banquet, and several other countries. The president of Brazil, Campos Sales sent him prize money of 100 million réis following the proposal of Augusto Severo , as well as a gold medal with his effigy and an allusion to Camões : "Through skies never sailed before"; The Brazilian people were apathetic, and in January 1902, Albert I, Prince of Monaco invited him to continue his experiments in
5130-530: The French Aeroclub's Award required the flight to be into the wind – and the use of an engine was not mandatory. This allowed human-powered gliders and ornithopters to compete. It was required for all prizes that the race took place in France and under the supervision of an aeronautical commission convened no later than the evening of the previous day. Very little of what was required was new. Inventors in other countries had already met or exceeded some of
5244-487: The GA fleet, but 27 percent of accidents. It's not the builders [getting into accidents], but the second owners. We need better transition training." In the US, flight instruction , including primary flight training, can be received in the owner's homebuilt aircraft from any instructor willing to provide such training. A study released in 2012 by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board concluded that homebuilt aircraft in
5358-568: The International Congress of Aeronauts, he proved the effectiveness of an aerial propeller driven by an oil engine by flying repeatedly against the wind, even with a broken rudder, impressing the scientists present. The general impression was that he would win the Deutsch Prize, and upon going to Nice after falling ill, he began designing No. 5. No. 5 was built to compete for the Henry Deutsch de la Meurthe award for
5472-671: The Italian Count Eugenio Brunetta d'Usseaux , Baron Pierre de Coubertin awarded Santos-Dumont the Olympic Diploma No. 3 for "...representing the Olympic ideal..." according to Coubertin, who was also received by Theodore Roosevelt , Fridtjof Nansen and William-Hippolyte Grenfell . De Coubertin considered aviation a sport; Santos-Dumont was described as a sportsman in FAI Bulletins and
5586-629: The National Air Races, including a class for aircraft powered by 200 cubic inch and smaller engines. The midget racer class spread nationally in the U.S. and this led to calls for acceptable standards to allow recreational use of amateur-built aircraft. By the mid-1950s both the U.S. and Canada once again allowed amateur-built aircraft to specified standards and limitations. Homebuilt aircraft are generally small, one to four-seat sportsplanes which employ simple methods of construction. Fabric-covered wood or metal frames and plywood are common in
5700-422: The No. 12, but gave up on it on 1 June because it was impossible to create a light, powerful engine. Between June 12 and August 25, 1905, he tested the No. 14 airship, which flew in two versions (14-a and 14-b): the first was 41 metres long, 3.4 in diameter and 186 cubic metres, with a 14 hp engine, and the second was 20 metres long, 6 in diameter and with a 16 hp engine. On 13 June 1905, represented by
5814-563: The Ouro Preto Mining Engineering School and returned to France where he took part in motor racing and cycling. He also began technical and scientific studies with a professor of Spanish origin named Garcia. In 1894 Santos-Dumont travelled to the United States, visiting New York, Chicago, and Boston. Around this time he went on to study at Merchant Venturers' Technical College , but never graduated. Agenor Barbosa described Santos-Dumont in this period as
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#17327810318395928-647: The Paris-Amsterdam race on his tricycle, where he crossed 110 kilometers in two hours, abandoning after an accident. The second balloon, Amérique , held 500m³ of hydrogen and was 10 metres in diameter, and was capable of carrying passengers. With the second balloon he faced everything from storms to accidents. In his first experiments he was awarded a prize by the French Aeroclub for his study of atmospheric currents; he reached high altitudes and stayed airborne for more than 22 hours. Santos-Dumont advocated for government investment in aviation development and
6042-599: The Principality. He offered him a new hangar on the beach at La Condamine, and everything else Albert thought necessary for his comfort and safety, which was accepted; his success also inspired the creation of several biographies and influenced fictional characters, such as Tom Swift ; That April, Santos-Dumont travelled to the United States, where he visited Thomas Edison 's laboratories in New York. They discussed patents. The American asked Santos-Dumont to create
6156-516: The School of Engineering from Minas, without finishing the course. He was not considered an outstanding student, studying only what interested him, and extending his studies independently in his father's library. By this time he already displayed the refined manners that would later become part of his image in France, and an introverted personality. He saw his first human flight in São Paulo at
6270-426: The U.S. have an accident rate 3–4 times higher than the rest of the general aviation fleet. Almost 10% of accidents involving homebuilt aircraft occurred on the craft's first flight. A further 9% of accidents occurred on their first flight after being sold, due to the new owner's unfamiliarity with the craft. The study also identified that powerplant failures and loss of control in-flight accidents were much higher than
6384-513: The U.S., the primary builder can also apply for a repairman's certificate for that airframe. The repairman's certificate allows the holder to perform and sign off on most of the maintenance, repairs, and inspections themselves. Alberto Santos-Dumont was the first to offer for free construction plans, publishing drawings of his Demoiselle in the June 1910 edition of Popular Mechanics. The first aircraft to be offered for sale as plans, rather than
6498-405: The US. Poberezny's Mechanix Illustrated articles gained worldwide acclaim and the concept of aircraft homebuilding took off. Until the late 1950s, builders had mainly kept to wood-and-cloth and steel tube-and-cloth design. Without the regulatory restrictions faced by production aircraft manufacturers, homebuilders introduced innovative designs and construction techniques. Burt Rutan introduced
6612-418: The above thinking. Unfortunately, I don't see the growth potential that there was in the 1980s and 1990s. There seems to be a shrinking pilot base from which to draw people to build kits. Plus, with demographic changes, there is possibly a diminishing interest in, or ability to undertake, aircraft building as a pastime. Hopefully, EAA and AOPA initiatives to interest more people in learning to fly will help create
6726-540: The age of 15, in 1888, when the aeronaut Stanley Spencer ascended in a spherical balloon and parachuted down. After a family trip to Paris in 1891, he became interested in mechanics, especially the internal combustion engine . From then on, he never stopped searching for alternatives, receiving from the City Council of Ribeirão Preto, according to Law no. 100 , of 4 November 1903, a million réis subsidy to continue his researches that, three years later, resulted in
6840-907: The aircraft structure, but increasingly, fiberglass and other composites as well as full aluminum construction techniques are being used, techniques first pioneered by Hugo Junkers as far back as the late World War I era. Engines are most often the same as, or similar to, the engines used in certified aircraft (such as Lycoming , Continental , Rotax , and Jabiru ). A minority of homebuilts use converted automobile engines, with Volkswagen air-cooled flat-4s , Subaru -based liquid-cooled engines, Mazda Wankel and Chevrolet Corvair six-cylinder engines being most common. The use of automotive engines helps to reduce costs, but many builders prefer dedicated aircraft engines , which are perceived to have better performance and reliability. Other engines that have been used include chainsaw and motorcycle engines. A combination of cost and litigation , especially in
6954-425: The aircraft took off and flew. The air pump for the internal balloon, which kept the envelope rigid, did not work properly, and the airship, at a height of 400 metres, began to flex and descend rapidly. In an interview, Santos-Dumont told how he escaped death: The descent was at a speed of 4 to 5 m/sec. It would have been fatal if I hadn't had the presence of mind to tell the passersby, spontaneously suspended from
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#17327810318397068-482: The airship to flex and crash. "At a height of five or six metres, over Longchamp, the apparatus suddenly bent and the crash began. Of my entire career, this is the most abominable memory I have in store." No. 1 was inflated again in the Aclimation Garden in Paris on 18 September 1898, but was damaged before it could fly, due to a misjudgement by the ground crew holding the ropes. Repaired two days later,
7182-430: The balloonist Stanley Spencer . The initial view was that the balloon had been cut with a knife, with Santos-Dumont stating that "...whole sections were cut and removed" and that he had previously experienced similar. In Monaco, after accepting Prince Albert's invitation, Santos-Dumont guided the construction of a 55 metre long, 10 metre wide and 15 metre high hangar, with doors he designed which weighed 10 tons, on
7296-463: The combined action of the contraction of the hydrogen and the force of the wind. In September 1899 Santos-Dumont started the construction of a new elongated airship, the No. 3, inflated with lighting gas , 20 metres long and 7.5 metres in diameter, with a capacity of 500 cubic metres. The basket was the same one used in the two other aircraft. At 3:30 pm on 13 November Santos-Dumont took off in No. 3 from Vaugirard Aerostation Park and went around
7410-550: The competitors is judged to have fulfilled the program, the prize will be awarded to him by the President of the Club himself, to whom I will immediately put the amount indicated above. If at the end of five years, beginning on April 15 of the current year, 1900, no one has won it, I consider my commitment null and void. The challenge became known as the Deutsch Prize. The regulations stipulated that an aircraft must be able to fly to
7524-410: The creation of his aeroplane. A newspaper of the time stated that Santos-Dumont would only accept if "...that amount was intended for an aircraft contest prize." Santos-Dumont would remember with nostalgia the times spent on his father's farm, where he enjoyed the greatest freedom: I lived a free life there, which was indispensable to form my temperament and taste for adventure. Since childhood I had
7638-490: The cutting, shaping, and hole-drilling mostly done, requiring only finishing and assembly. Such kits are also available for the other types of aircraft construction, especially composite. There are three main types of metal construction: sheet aluminum , tube aluminum, and welded steel tube. The tube structures are covered in aircraft fabric , much like wooden aircraft. Examples of metal-based amateur aircraft include: Composite material structures are made of cloth with
7752-428: The dangling cable like a real human cluster, to pull the cable in the opposite direction to the wind. Thanks to this manoeuvre, the speed of the fall decreased, thus avoiding the greater violence of the shock. I thus varied my amusement: I went up in a balloon and came down in a kite. In 1899, Santos-Dumont built a new aircraft, No. 2, with the same length and similar shape, but a larger diameter of 3.8 metres, increasing
7866-495: The day he won the Deutsch prize, recalling his childhood: "This letter brings back to me the happiest days of my life, when I exercised myself in making light aeroplanes with bits of straw, moved by screw propellers driven by springs of twisted rubber, or ephemeral silk-paper balloons." (Santos-Dumont) Every year, on 24 June he would fill whole fleets of tiny silk balloons over the bonfires of St. John , to watch them climbing into
7980-762: The design are supplied by Aircraft Spruce & Specialty . In 1997 Dick Rutan and Mike Melvill flew in convoy around the world in two Rutan Long-EZ aircraft that they had built. This "around the world in 80 nights" flight was called The Spirit of EAA Friendship World Tour, and some legs of it lasted for over 14 hours. Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1982–83 General characteristics Performance As of February 2023, 114 Long-Ez aircraft have been lost in accidents, with 44 fatalities. Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Homebuilt aircraft Homebuilt aircraft , also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes , are constructed by persons for whom this
8094-518: The desire to conquer the air. The submarines, balloons, ocean liners, and vehicles that the novelist envisioned in his works made a deep impression on the boy's mind. Years later, as an adult, he still remembered the adventures lived in imagination: With Captain Nemo and his shipwrecked guests I explored the depths of the sea in that first of all submarines, the Nautilus. With Phileas Fogg I went round
8208-456: The development of his projects, applied in the stock market, allowing him to work without being accountable to any investor. At 24 years of age, Santos-Dumont left for France, where he hired professional aeronauts to teach him ballooning after reading the book Andrée – Au Pôle Nord en ballon . On 23 March 1898, he made his first ascent in a Lachambre & Machuron balloon at a cost of 400 francs, later saying that: "I will never forget
8322-599: The drag of rivets), the ability to construct compound curves, and the ability to place fiberglass or carbon fiber in optimal positions, orientations, and quantities. Drawbacks include the need to work with chemical products as well as low strength in directions perpendicular to fiber. Composites provide superb strength to their weight. Material stiffness dependent upon direction (as opposed to equal in all directions, as with metals) allows for advanced "elastic tailoring" of composite parts. Examples of amateur craft made of composite materials include: The safety record of homebuilts
8436-484: The elevator in front, which helped prevent stalls but made stable flight difficult until the Wrights modified the design; the 3-axis surface control (pitch, yaw and roll) pioneered by the Wrights was also adopted by other inventors including Santos-Dumont and remains the standard airplane control configuration. Having already accumulated technical knowledge, mainly concerning engines, in early 1905, Santos-Dumont built
8550-404: The family moved to the small town of Cabangu , in the municipality of João Aires, for Henrique Dumont to work on the construction of the D. Pedro II railroad . The construction work finished when Alberto was 6, and the family moved to São Paulo. Here he began to show signs of his aeronautical interest; according to his parents, at the age of one he used to puncture rubber balloons to see what
8664-554: The first aircraft and hence the best known. For that reason, amateur-built aircraft associations will have more specialists for this type of craft than other kinds. The most commonly used woods are Sitka spruce and Douglas fir , which offer excellent strength-to-weight ratios. Wooden structural members are joined with adhesive, usually epoxy . Unlike the wood construction techniques used in other applications, virtually all wooden joints in aircraft are simple butt joints , with plywood gussets . Joints are designed to be stronger than
8778-419: The first homebuilt aircraft. In 1928, Henri Mignet published plans for his HM-8 Pou-du-Ciel , as did Pietenpol for his Air Camper . Pietenpol later constructed a factory, and in 1933 began creating and selling partially constructed aircraft kits. In 1936, an association of amateur aviation enthusiasts was created in France. Many types of amateur aircraft began to make an appearance, and in 1938 legislation
8892-411: The genuine pleasure of my first balloon ascent". That year, even before he was known as a balloonist, he began to be quoted by the media due to his involvement in motor racing. On 30 May 1898 he made his first night ascent, and the following month he started working as a captain, taking groups of passengers aloft in a hired balloon. By 1900 he had created nine balloons, of which two became famous:
9006-575: The importance of public opinion, something previously noted by Júlio César Ribeiro de Sousa [ pt ] . Airships , powered aerostats, were first demonstrated and patented by the Brazilian priest Bartolomeu de Gusmão in 1709, and were flown by the Montgolfier Brothers in 1783, but until the late 19th century had yet to be mastered, having been attempted by Henri Giffard , Charles Renard and Arthur Constantin Krebs in
9120-436: The impossible event of war between France and Brazil," he considered himself obliged to support his motherland. The French military encouraged several industries to develop the technology proposed by Santos-Dumont. The first woman to fly an aircraft was Aida de Acosta , on 29 June 1903, in No. 9. The 11 August 1905 issue of La Vie au Grand Air describes the organisation of the second Coupe des Femmes Aéronautes and in
9234-401: The members. After the structure has been completed, the aircraft is covered in aircraft fabric (usually aircraft-grade polyester ). The advantage of this type of construction is that it does not require complex tools and equipment, instead employing commonplace items such as saw, planer, file, sandpaper, and clamps. Examples of amateur-built wood and fabric designs include: A recent trend
9348-408: The mid-1950s when EAA founder Paul Poberezny wrote a series of articles for the magazine Mechanix Illustrated where he explained how a person could buy a set of plans and build their own aircraft at home. In 1955, Poberezny co-founded, with Robert D. Blacker, EAA's first youth outreach program, Project Schoolflight , which brought "homebuilding" into high school industrial arts classes throughout
9462-424: The mid-1980s era, discouraged general aviation manufacturers from introducing new designs and led to homebuilts outselling factory built aircraft by five to one. The history of amateur-built aircraft can be traced to the beginning of aviation. Even if the Wright brothers , Clément Ader , and their successors had commercial objectives in mind, the first aircraft were constructed by passionate enthusiasts whose goal
9576-612: The record for aircraft weighing less than 1000 kg. The pilot sits in a semi-reclined seat and controls the Long-EZ with a side-stick controller on the right-hand console. It has an airbrake on the underside, and the wing-tip rudders can be deflected outwards to act as auxiliary airbrakes. In 1996 Burt Rutan awarded TERF Inc. the job of publishing the plans for the Long-EZ and other of his aircraft under The Rutan Aircraft Factory CD ROM Encyclopedia to further assist new builders and maintenance for existing builders. Some components for
9690-492: The record of 23 hours in the air. He tried to fly almost every day, demonstrating the reliability and usefulness of his aircraft. On 24 March 1900, the millionaire oil magnate Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe sent the President of the Aéro-Club de France , which had been founded two years earlier, a letter in which he promised 100,000 francs to anyone who could invent an efficient flying machine: Desirous of contributing to
9804-466: The regulations. One of the terms applied to this concept is commonly referred to as "The 51% Rule", which requires that builders perform the majority of the fabrication and assembly to be issued a Certificate of Airworthiness as an Amateur Built aircraft. A small number of jet kitplanes have been built since the 1970s, including the tiny Bede Aircraft BD-5J . Van's Aircraft and Aircraft Kit Industry Association (AKIA) President Dick VanGrunsven
9918-699: The required goals including 2-axis (pitch and roll) control of gliders. In Germany, Otto Lilienthal had made thousands of glider flights in the early 1890s, often reaching distances far greater than the 25 metres stipulated by the Archdeacon Prize. In the United States, German immigrant Gustave Whitehead had allegedly pioneered powered glide, though claims and eye witness accounts remain controversial. The Wright brothers had simultaneously been making progress in developing surface-control gliders, at first using Lilienthal's foil concepts, then relying on their own wind tunnel data, and finally adding yaw control via
10032-716: The same rates for certified aircraft. Most nations' aviation regulations require amateur-built aircraft to be physically marked as such (for example in the U.K. "Occupant Warning – This aircraft ... is amateur built." must be displayed ), and extra flight testing is usually required before passengers (who are not pilots themselves) can be carried. The largest airshow in the world is the Experimental Aircraft Association 's annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin , which takes place in late July and early August. Other annual events are
10146-570: The second half of 1906, the magazine Le Sport Universel Illustré reported that three years after the start of the Grand Prix of the Aéro-Club de France, seven countries were already participating in the competition. No. 10, a 2,010 cubic metre airship with a 60 hp engine, was large enough to carry several people and serve as public transport. It made a few flights in October 1903, but
10260-638: The second, instituted by the French aeroclub, would award 1,500 francs ($ 300) to anyone who flew 100 metres; and the third, sponsored by Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe and Ernest Archdeacon, would award 1,500 francs to anyone who flew 1,000 metres. With the exception of the Deutsch-Archdeacon Award, which prohibited the competing aircraft from using a balloon for launch, the other awards left the question of takeoff open. The flight could take place on flat or uneven terrain, in calm weather or wind –
10374-476: The sky. In 1891, when he was 18, Santos-Dumont visited Europe. In England he spent a few months practising his English, and in France he climbed Mont Blanc . This adventure, at an altitude of almost 5,000 metres, gave him a taste for heights. The following year, his father had a serious accident, and released Alberto from parental care on 12 February 1892, advising him to focus on learning mechanics, chemistry, and electricity. With that, Alberto left
10488-550: The solution of the problem of air travel, I undertake to place at the disposal of the Air Club a sum of 100,000 francs, constituting a prize, under the title of the Air Club Prize, to the aeronaut who, leaving the park of Saint Cloud, Longchamps, or any other point situated at an equal distance from the Eiffel Tower, reaches this monument in half an hour, and, surrounding it, returns to the point of departure. (...) If one of
10602-479: The surviving companies to retain older, proven designs. In recent years, the less restrictive regulations for homebuilts allowed a number of manufacturers to develop new and innovative designs; many can outperform certified production aircraft in their class. An example of high-end homebuilt design is Lancair , which has developed a number of high-performance kits. The most powerful is the Lancair Propjet ,
10716-469: The tricycle he had used in the Paris-Amsterdam race up a tree to check for vibration, which did not occur. He modified the engine by putting the two cylinders on top of each other, creating a lightweight 3.5 horsepower unit, which was the first internal combustion engine successfully used in aeronautics. An article presented in CENDOC , Rio de Janeiro 2021 , claims that the aeronautical movement in France
10830-427: The volume to 200 cubic metres. To address the unreliability of the air pump which had almost killed him, he added a small aluminium fan to maintain pressure and rigidity. The first test was scheduled for 11 May 1899. At the time of the flight, rain made the balloon heavy. The demonstration consisted of simple manoeuvres with the aircraft attached by a rope, but ended in the adjacent trees. The airship had folded under
10944-540: The water and the project was abandoned due to poor stability. Watching tests like this, Santos-Dumont realised that the Antoinette engine from the tugboat could be used in an aeroplane, giving the concept of the 14-bis. He began to study the two solutions for heavier-than-air flight. On 3 January 1906, he entered the Deutsch-Archdeacon Prize, and before that he had begun building a helicopter,
11058-722: The work Dans L'Air , whose translation into Portuguese, Os Meus Balões (My Balloons), was published in Brazil in 1938. In October 1904, three aviation prizes were founded in France: the Archdeacon Prize [ pt ] , the French Aeroclub Prize [ pt ] , and the Deutsch-Archdeacon Prize [ pt ] . The first, promoted by millionaire Ernest Archdeacon , would award 3,500 francs to anyone who flew 25 metres;
11172-415: The world in eighty days. In "Screw Island" and "The Steam House" my boyish faith leaped out to welcome the ultimate triumphs of an automobilism that in those days had not as yet a name. With Hector Servadoc I navigated the air. Technology fascinated him. He began building kites and small aeroplanes powered by a propeller driven by twisted rubber springs, as he says in a commentary on the letter he received
11286-481: The world's greatest aviator and the inventor of the airship. The prize was then 100,000 francs plus interest, that Santos-Dumont distributed among his staff and the unemployed and workers in Paris who for some reason had "pawned their tools of labor" with help from the City Hall of Paris . A month before the event, by announcing this intention, he had obtained "unrestricted support from public opinion". The money
11400-519: Was a 9.4-metre bamboo keel, in the middle of which were the saddle and pedals of an ordinary bicycle. Astride the saddle, the pilot had under his feet the starting pedals of a 7 hp engine, which powered a front propeller with two 4-metre long silk blades. Next to the pilot were ropes with which he could control the carburettor and valve settings, the rudder, ballast, and displacement weights. Santos-Dumont made almost daily flights in No. 4 from Saint Cloud during August. On 19 September, before members of
11514-423: Was a Brazilian aeronaut , sportsman, inventor, and one of the few people to have contributed significantly to the early development of both lighter-than-air and heavier-than-air aircraft. The heir of a wealthy family of coffee producers, he dedicated himself to aeronautical study and experimentation in Paris, where he spent most of his adult life. He designed, built, and flew the first powered airships and won
11628-424: Was a copy of No. 6 ordered by Edward Boyce, vice president of the Aeroclub of America, having made a single flight in New York; No. 9, with 261 cubic metres and 3 hp, was a travel airship, in which Santos-Dumont made several flights throughout 1903, including the first night flight of an airship on 24 June, and the last of these came on 14 July, when it took part in a military parade in commemoration of
11742-472: Was a scaled-up redesign of the VariEze predecessor, allowing for the use of readily available Lycoming aircraft engines instead of the Volkswagen-derived engines or hard-to-find small Continentals for which the VariEze was designed. Changes from the VariEze included a larger main wing with modified Eppler 1230 airfoil and less sweep, larger strakes containing more fuel and baggage storage, and
11856-507: Was abandoned due to poor stability. An article by Georges Blanchet published in April 1904 diverges from the description of the No. 11 as a model aeroplane by presenting it as a dirigible balloon capable of carrying five people and a 34-metre-long envelope, being purchased by an American. The first experiment, conducted on 13 May at the Aeroclub de France, was made by the Dufaux brothers with
11970-440: Was already driving the farm's trains, and at twelve he could operate a locomotive on his own, but the speed achievable on land was not enough for him. By observing coffee machines he deduced that oscillatory machines wore out more, while those with circular motion were more efficient. By reading the works of Jules Verne , with whose fictional heroes he was later compared and who he would meet in adulthood, Santos-Dumont got
12084-687: Was also needed. He also wrote: "...the flying-machine will be achieved only by the way of evolution, by making the air-ship pass through a series of transformations analogous to the metamorphoses by which the chrysalis becomes the winged butterfly." The first airship designed by Santos-Dumont, the No. 1, was 25 metres long with a volume of 186 cubic metres, made its first takeoff attempt in February 1898, after being inflated in Henri Lachambre 's workshops in Vaugirard. Snowy conditions caused
12198-825: Was amended to provide for a Certificat de navigabilité restreint d'aéronef ( CNRA , " restricted operating certificate for aircraft "). 1946 saw the birth of the Ultralight Aircraft Association which in 1952 became the Popular Flying Association in the United Kingdom , followed in 1953 by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in the United States and the Sport Aircraft Association in Australia . The term "homebuilding" became popular in
12312-467: Was asked about the future of the kit aircraft industry in a wide-ranging interview in KitPlanes magazine in December 2012: I don't expect to see dramatic changes in the industry within the next five years. Ten years; who knows – it’s too dependent on fuel prices, FAA policy, etc. Overall, I think our industry will continue to mature, particularly as AKIA is successful in growing and having
12426-1076: Was inside. He was baptised in Valença at the Matriz de Santa Teresa [ pt ] on 20 February 1877, by Teodoro Teotônio da Silva Carolina . In 1879, the Dumonts sold their farm in Valença, Rio de Janeiro , and settled in Sítio do Cascavel, in Ribeirão Preto , where they bought the Arindeúva Farm, of José Bento Junqueira, producing 1200 bushels . Until he was 10, he was taught by his older sister, Virginia. From 10 to 12 years old he studied at Colégio Culto à Ciência . He then attended Colégio Kopke in São Paulo, Colégio Morton, and Colégio Menezes Vieira in Rio de Janeiro, and later at
12540-451: Was never completely finished; No. 11 was an unmanned monoplane. No. 12 was a helicopter never completed due to the technological limitations of the time and finally, No. 13, a luxurious double hot air and hydrogen balloon. On his first return to Rio de Janeiro in 1903, a group of climbers put up a banner on Sugarloaf Mountain , beside Guanabara Bay, greeting the aviator on his return by ship from Europe. On 7 September 1903, he returned as
12654-555: Was released on 4 November after a vote in which nine members of the Aeroclub opposed and fifteen supported. This delay served to put public opinion further in Santos-Dumont's favour. The same afternoon, he sent a letter of resignation to the Aeroclub. Mauricio Pazini Brandão, in The Santos-Dumont legacy to aeronautics , says that this event should be considered as the certification of the airship. After winning
12768-515: Was sparked by Santos-Dumont's experiments and Santos-Dumont said he believed his experiences led to the founding of the Aéro-Club de France . A detail raised by Santos-Dumont refers to the definition of what would be heavier than air: in June 1902 he published an article in the North American Review arguing that his work on airships was about aviation, because hydrogen gas itself was not capable of taking off, and engine power
12882-480: Was the sixth child of Henrique Dumont , an engineer who graduated from the Central School of Arts and Manufactures in Paris, and Francisca de Paula Santos. The couple had eight children, three sons and five daughters: Henrique dos Santos-Dumont, Maria Rosalina Dumont Vilares, Virgínia Dumont Vilares, Luís dos Santos Dumont [ pt ] , Gabriela, Alberto Santos-Dumont, Sofia, and Francisca. In 1873,
12996-594: Was to fly. Aviation took a leap forward with the industrialization that accompanied World War I . In the post-war period, manufacturers needed to find new markets and introduced models designed for tourism. However, these machines were affordable only by the very rich. Many U.S. aircraft designed and registered in the 1920s onward were considered "experimental" by the (then) CAA, the same registration under which modern homebuilts are issued Special Airworthiness Certificates . Many of these were prototypes, but designs such as Bernard Pietenpol 's first 1923 design were some of
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