Sunday Things - early flight edition
posted in Links by Cargo Cult on Sunday March 10 2013
Go read about aviation history on Wikipedia. A few brief highlights:
Ader Avion III - primitive, steam-powered, ineffective - but looking like an escapee from an alternate, steampunk universe. Clément Ader's earlier Éole did make a brief, low powered flight in October 1890, albeit in a completely uncontrollled manner.
Horatio Frederick Phillips - forget the monoplanes, biplanes, triplanes and other near-wingless attempts at flight. Mr. Phillips' multiplanes eventually made decent powered flights in 1907, long after simpler designs proved adequate...
Zeppelins! - from experimental beasts to explosive monsters via dropping bombs on Birmingham, these things grew to be huge.
R101 - the Germans certainly weren't alone in developing airships. Part of a British government programme "to develop civil airships capable of service on long-distance routes within the British Empire", this home-grown hydrogen-filled leviathan crashed and burned on its first flight to India... The enormous airship sheds at Cardington still stand - you've probably (not) seen them in the recent Batman films, being ideal cover for film sets.
Bonus Random Pavarotti Disease corner:
- Rex the Runt - Vince is my god. All three series and more uploaded to Youtube by Aardman themselves. Plasticine heaven!
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2. Airships!
Posted by Ben at 8:46AM, Monday March 11 2013
See also: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/luxury-airship-rv
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1. Tuesday!
Posted by phuzz at 4:26AM, Monday March 11 2013
Shut it Vince!