# Aircraft-Technological Firsts



## Velius (May 3, 2008)

Hey everyone, I had an idea to post up this thread and see how far it can go. It should go in the "Technical" forum, but I couldn't decide which category to put it under. Anyway...

Aircraft are very complex machines designed with sturdy structures and all kinds of systems operating together to achieve safe flight. Aircraft design and their systems have come a long way since 1903 and I've wondered which aircraft in history was the first to use certain features found on today's aircraft. Examples like first retractable undercarriage, first pressurized cabin, first flying wing concept, first using wing slats, etc. I'm sure ya'll got my point- the technological firsts on aircraft both in their systems and/or their structure. 
Thanks everyone8) 
Velius
I'll start this thread with an easy one- The Junkers J.1- the first all metal monoplane (1915)


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (May 4, 2008)

First Multi Engined Aircraft:

Sikorsky Russky Vityaz (1913)


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## Graeme (May 4, 2008)

Britain's first all-metal (aluminium/duralumin combination) aircraft. No wood or fabric. The Short Silver Streak. First flight, 20 August 1920.


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## Kruska (May 4, 2008)

HE 280 

First twin jet aircraft + ejection seat

View attachment 62450


Or did I jump too far ahead in aviation development features?

Regards
Kruska


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## kool kitty89 (May 4, 2008)

Also the first fighter jet design to be built and the first to fly under jet power.
I think it was also the first to be tested in mock combat.


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## kool kitty89 (May 4, 2008)

Coanda

First jet powered aircraft built. (not turbojet, but in the context of using exhaust form combustion to produce thrust, he built a motorjet using a 50 hp engine to drive a centrifugal compressor at 4,000 rpm producing 220 kp thrust; ~485 lbf)



> Henri Coanda should be known in history as the Farther of the Jet Engine his design (which he made himself) was thirty years before Whittle, yet all the world believes Frank Whittle invented this form of propulsion.
> The Coanda-1910 was amazingly ahead of it's time, with steel construction used in the wings, mobile surfaces placed ahead of the wings leading edges to increase lift, all fuel and lubricants placed in the upper wing and above all the engine. His engine the "Air-Reactive Engine", comprised of a four cylinder, 50 hp, water cooled Clerget piston engine connected to a gearbox, then to a compressor which rotated at 4,000 rpm. In front of the compressor a device much like the iris of a camera (called by Henri Coanda a obturator) controlled the amount of air entering the compressor. The air went from the compressor to "Burning Rooms" (combustion-chambers of a ring like section which were fitted ether side of the fuselage) were the exhaust from the piston engine and fuel were added and ignited, the resulting very hot and expanding exhaust exited through tubes and down the steel-sheeted sides of the aeroplane producing the thrust.


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## kool kitty89 (May 4, 2008)

McDonellXFD-1






First all american Jet aircraft (its J-30 engines were the first indiginoud US design to be built and test run, and the first axial allied engine to enter production)

It was also the first jet aircraft to take-off and land on a US carrier. (and secon in the world to take-off and land on a carrier, the Vampire being the first)


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## Njaco (May 4, 2008)

First retractable Landing gear - J.W. Wartin's Kitten, built in 1917, had retractable gear (but could not actually fly). The Dayton Wright RB-1 of 1920 and the Verville Sperry R-3 of 1922 also had retractable gear.

AIRPOWER.CALLIHAN.CC- Early Flight Aviation Fokker Wright Brothers Boeing Curtiss De Havilland Hawker Hughes Macchi Tamiya


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## kool kitty89 (May 4, 2008)

He 178, the first turbojet powered aircraft.


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## kool kitty89 (May 4, 2008)

Another site Aerospaceweb.org | Ask Us - Historic Milestones in Aerospace


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## kool kitty89 (May 4, 2008)

He118






First turbojet testbed, and first a/c to fly on turbojet power alone.


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## parsifal (May 4, 2008)

First successful AI radar fit, Fairey Battle (or possibly Blen 1F, depending on source), on or about May 1939


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## Kruska (May 5, 2008)

First Rocket propelled aircraft in flight

Opel RAK-1 in September 1929

View attachment 62493


Regards
Kruska


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## Kruska (May 5, 2008)

How about this one: Bell X-14

First Jet with "open canopy" and it is UGLY

View attachment 62509


Regards
Kruska


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## kool kitty89 (May 5, 2008)

On to more mainstream stuf 









Gloster E.28/39 the first allied jet aircraft. Also the first a/c to fly powered by a Whittle engine.






XP-59A Airacomet, the first US jet powered aircraft, the first allied prototype fighter to fly, and the first allied twin jet to fly.


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## Marcel (May 5, 2008)

First purposely built Jet trainer, Fokker S.14:


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## kool kitty89 (May 5, 2008)

Gloster Meteor Mk.I first operational allied Jet, and first jet fighter to enter "regular" service.


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## kool kitty89 (May 5, 2008)

Arado Ar 234, first operational jet bomber, first jet aircraft to perform a recon mission, and first jet aircraft to perform operational duties.


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## kool kitty89 (May 5, 2008)

De Havilland Vampire Mk.I. (originally "Spider Crab")






First single engine jet fighter to be built and to fly.

First jet aircraft to take-off and land on a carrier.





First RAF aircraft (and first allied aircraft) to exceed 500 mph in level flight.


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## Soren (May 5, 2008)

Some small corrections KK,

1.) The Me-262 was the first jet fighter to enter service and military operations
2.) The He-162 was the first single engined Jet fighter to see service and undergo military operations


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## marshall (May 5, 2008)

kool kitty89 said:


> First RAF aircraft (and first allied aircraft) to exceed 500 mph in level flight.




What about the XP-47J, 507mph during tests, wouldn't it be the first allied aircraft?


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## kool kitty89 (May 5, 2008)

The Vampire flew in September 1943, the XP-47J in November. (the XP-47J was the first piston engined plane to exceed 500 mph) Republic XP-47J Thunderbolt

Soren, I said the first single engine fighter design to be built and to fly, it didn't enter service until 2 years after it (spider crab) flew. (I never said it was the first in combat, in fact the 2 YP-80's in Italy were the only single engine Allied jets to perform any operations during the war)


Wasn't the Ar 234 performing recon before the 262 began operations? (other than training)



> the remainder were all Jumo 004 powered, with the V7 prototype destined to make history on *August 2, 1944* as the first jet aircraft ever to fly a reconnaissance mission.





> In April 1944, Erprobungskommando 262 was formed at Lechfeld in Bavaria as a test unit to introduce the 262 into service and train a core of pilots to fly it. Major Walter Nowotny was assigned as commander in July 1944, and the unit redesignated Kommando Nowotny. Essentially a trials and development unit, it holds the distinction of having mounted the world's first jet fighter operations. Trials continued slowly with *initial operational missions against the Allies in August 1944*, allegedly downing 19 Allied aircraft for six Me 262s lost, although these claims have never been verified by cross-checking with USAAF records. The RAF Museum holds no intelligence reports of RAF aircraft engaging in combat with an Me 262 in August 1944, although there is a report of an unarmed encounter between an Me 262 and a Mosquito.[10] Despite orders to stay grounded Nowotny chose to fly a mission against an enemy formation. After an engine failure he was shot down and killed on 8 November 1944 by 1st Lt Edward “Buddy” Haydon of the 357th Fighter Group, USAAF and Capt Ernest “Feeb” Fiebelkorn of the 20th Fighter Group, USAAF. The "Kommando" was then withdrawn for further training and a revision of combat tactics to optimise the 262's strengths.
> 
> By January 1945, Jagdgeschwader 7 (JG 7) had been formed as a pure jet fighter unit, although it would be several weeks before it was operational.




The Me 262 was the first production jet fighter and the first fully combat capable jet fighter. (the Meteor I was not) And the first jet to begin preliminary operations. (non-combat trials and training)

And the Meteor was the first in regular squadron service: 


> No. 616 Squadron RAF was the first to receive operational Meteors, 14 of them. The squadron was based at RAF Culmhead, Somerset and was previously equipped with the Spitfire VII. After a short conversion course at Farnborough for the six leading pilots, the first aircraft were delivered in July [1]. The squadron was soon moved to RAF Manston on the east Kent coast and, within a week, 30 pilots were deemed successfully converted.
> 
> The RAF initially reserved the aircraft to counter the V-1 flying bomb threat with No.616's Meteors seeing action for the *first time on 27 July 1944* with three aircraft active over Kent. After some initial problems, especially with jamming guns, the first two V1 "kills" occurred on 4 August. In total, the Meteor accounted for 14 flying bombs. The anti-V1 missions of 27 July 1944 were the Meteor's (and the Royal Air Force's) first operational jet combat missions.




Also was the Meteor III was the first jet fighter to fly in combat over enemy territory, in early '45? (it could be the 262, but did the Me 262 ever do so? over russia maybe)


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## marshall (May 5, 2008)

kool kitty89 said:


> The Vampire flew in September 1943, the XP-47J in November. (the XP-47J was the first piston engined plane to exceed 500 mph) Republic XP-47J Thunderbolt



Thanks for that, don't know why but I thought that Vampire couldn't flew in 1943.


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## Soren (May 5, 2008)

KK,

A prototype Ar-234 performed one recon operation in August 1944, but the Ar-234B didn't see official service until September 44 (Although prototypes were carrying out operations in June July IIRC). But the Me-262A-1a already entered service in April 44.

As for the Vampire being the first single engined Jet fighter design to fly, well that's indeed true


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## kool kitty89 (May 5, 2008)

Yep just ~6 months after the Meteor, due to the horrible Rover/Power-Jets team-up that cost the British jet program ~2 years. (and ongoing problems with Rover resulted in the Meteor first flying on early 1,500 lbf Halford engines)



> The fifth prototype, DG206, powered by two de Havilland Halford H.1 engines due to problems with the intended Whittle W.2 engines, was the first to become airborne on 5 March 1943 from RAF Cranwell, piloted by Michael Daunt[1] Development then moved to Newmarket Heath and, later, a Gloster-owned site at Moreton Valence. The first Whittle-engined aircraft, DG205/G, flew on 17 June 1943


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## Soren (May 5, 2008)

The Me-262 was the first Jet fighter to enter service, but the Meteor was the first to see action in the way that it intercepted V-1's. The Me-262 however was the first Jet fighter to encounter and combat enemy a/c, and the He-162 was the first single engined jet fighter to do the same.

The Me-262 was also the first Jet-powered nightfighter, a couple of Ar-234's seeing service as such a little later.


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## wingnuts (May 5, 2008)

Marcel said:


> First purposely built Jet trainer, Fokker S.14:



I think the second (?) purpose built 2 seat jet trainer was the Fouga Magister, a lot more successul and still in use by the Israele Defence Forces although rebuilt and much modified as the IAI Zukit, the IDF also used it in the ground attack role.

the fouga magister in israeli service

"You don't get into a Magister.... you put it on!"


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## pbfoot (May 5, 2008)

The first aircraft with variable pitch propellor


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## Soren (May 5, 2008)

And it's invisible as-well ??! Awesome stealth technology, wish we had that today!


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## kool kitty89 (May 5, 2008)

> The first aircraft with variable pitch propellor


 Is what?


And Soren,
(see my quotes 2 posts ago)
And soren the Me 262 started operational traials and training with Erprobungskommando 262 in april of '44, they first saw action in August. (which may or may not have been before the Ar 234 V-7 on Aug 2nd)
In January of '45 Jagdgeschwader 7 (JG 7) had been formed as a pure jet fighter unit. 
However the Meteor entered squadron service with No. 616 Squadron deleviered in July of '44 and converted in a week 30 pilots had been converted.
They first faw action in July 27 '44. (before the Me 262 did in August).


And you could call the first Meteor kill of a V-1 the first jet vs. jet "kill".  Both being jet powered. The first Jet aircraft to shoot down another Jet powered aircraft. (depenting on definition of "aircraft," and a pulse jet is still a jet engine, using combustion gasses to produce thrust)

Of course the Me 262 was the first to shoot down an actual piloted combat aircraft. And the first fully combat capable jet fighter in service. (I'd count the Meteor III with long nacelles and the He 162 as the only other 2 to acheive this; the Vampire was a more capable design than the Meteor but the air ministry stayed focused on the Meteor and DH was concentrating on Mossies, the Firs production Vampire Mk.I flew in April '45 but only a handfull were built before the war's end and didn't enter service until after)



But which was the first jet fighter (not for recon) to venture over enemy territory?


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## Soren (May 5, 2008)

The V-1 is not an aircraft, it's a selfguided ballistic missile.

And yes the Meteor did see action before the Me-262, but the Me-262 entered service first and was also the first to see action against actual enemy a/c, and the He-162 was the first single engined jet to do the same.

As for the first jet to venture over enemy territory, again it's the Me-262 as it flew over occupied France, Belgium, Holland and Soviet Union.


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## Soren (May 5, 2008)

> Is what?



Exactly


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## kool kitty89 (May 5, 2008)

Ok, I thoought the Me 262 was probably the first. (how else would the offensive ground attack units operate)


And Soren I was (mostly) joking on the V-1 "kills" thing, but the V-1 wasn't a ballistic missile, it was a cruise missile (a hell of alot closer to a true "aircraft" than a ballistic missile, and in the simplest definition the V-1 would fit aircraft - Definitions from Dictionary.com) the V-2 was a ballistic missile for sure.


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## Soren (May 5, 2008)

The V-1 was a selfguided missile(Cruise or ballistic), not an aircraft. Some call it a flying bomb as it was litterally a bomb with an engine and small wings on it. Anyhow you got the point..

As for the only jet to reach beyond the once German invaded lands, it's the Ar-234 which flew recon over England.


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## kool kitty89 (May 6, 2008)

I said first jet fighter, I assumed a recon Jet had done this first. (wasn't sure if it was the Ar 234, or a recon Me 262)

Was it the Ar 234 V7?




I know the V-1 isn't an aircraft in terms of a comprehensive definition, another term used for development of such designs was "aerial torpedo." The definition can blured though, like with unmanned "aircraft" which may not be considdered aircraft, but the Manned version of the V-1 "Reichenberg" and the Ohka are certainly both aircraft. (even though the're both "flying bombs" as well) 
(and a ballistic missile is one that follows a ballistic trajectories and don't rely on aerodynamic lift to reach their targets, making them inherantly diffrent from cruise missiles)


Speaking of which...

The first millitary UAV/Cruise missile/ "aerial torpedo"





Hewitt-Sperry Automatic Airplane - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia






And shortly after (developed at almost the same time) Kettering Bug - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia





And of course the V-1, the first example resembling anything close to a modern cruise missile. And the first example with practical usage capabilities.


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## Soren (May 6, 2008)

Has the Wasserfall been mentioned yet? 

The Wasserfall was the first selfguided surface to air missile.


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## steven_wh (May 6, 2008)

Meteor:

First jet with pressurised cockpit

First jet to be flown with four distinct kinds of engines within the space of 2 years.
Axial flow jet - Metro-Vick 1943 (9 axial, 2 turbine, cannular combustor)
Single sided centrifugal jet - 1943 DH Goblin 
Double sided centrifugals - Whittle/RR 1943, 1944
Turboprop - RR 1945

Steven


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## red admiral (May 6, 2008)

> The Wasserfall was the first selfguided surface to air missile.



Its not self-guided as it uses radio transmissions from the ground to control it for which it wasn't first. The UK had beam riding and semi-active homing missiles from 1942/3. Admittedly they didn't work too well, but neither did Wasserfall.


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## Velius (May 6, 2008)

pbfoot said:


> The first aircraft with variable pitch propellor



Now that he mentioned it, what was the first aircraft to use an adjustable pitch prop? Hydromatic?


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## Graeme (May 6, 2008)

Velius said:


> Now that he mentioned it, what was the first aircraft to use an adjustable pitch prop? Hydromatic?



I've got the R.E.8. It was fitted with a 4-blade variable pitch propeller at the Royal Aircraft Factory, Farnborough, in 1916.


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## kool kitty89 (May 6, 2008)

steven_wh said:


> Meteor:
> 
> First jet with pressurised cockpit
> 
> ...



I think the reverse flow Wellands and the straight through Derwents is distinct enough, and '43-45 could be 3 years, but assuming the dates match up that's 5 distinct types.

Let's see, the He 280 was tested with 
-HeS-8's centrifugal compressor, annular combustor, along with a radial inflow turbine. (rather uncommon, except in some modern turboshaft and some plant power generators, maybe some turbochargers, I don't think it was ever used again for jets, or not even turboprops)
-Jumo 004A axial flow with can combustors.
-BMW 003 Axial flow with annular combustor.
-Argus As 014 pulsejets.

But either way that's kind of an odd first, though with all the test bed work the Meteor had done over the years, it has probably been tested with the most engines of any a/c. (and set a record for climb with Sapphire engines) I think it's used, Goblins, Welland, Metrovic F.2, Derwent I, Derwent V, MetroVic F.2/4 Beryl, Nene, Avon, Sapphire, Rolls-Royce Soar mini-jet. Probably others.


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## Kurfürst (May 6, 2008)

red admiral said:


> The UK had beam riding and semi-active homing missiles from 1942/3.



Never heard of that, any details?


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## kool kitty89 (May 6, 2008)

> Meteor:
> 
> First jet with pressurised cockpit



And the Meteor wasn't the first, the He 280 had a pressurized cockpit.

The Meteor was the first allied jet and first operational jet to have one. (the Me 262 was designed for one but never used it)


The He 280 was also the first Jet (and first aircraft) to be equipped with an ejection seat (compressed air), and the first to use one in flight. (when the controls iced up on the As 014 engine test flight)

The He 219 was the first to carry one into combat. (also compressed air)

The He 162 was the first with an ejection seat powered by an explosive/propellant charge.


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## red admiral (May 6, 2008)

Meteor was the first aircraft with thrust vectoring as well, a post-war Nene version having 90° vectoring to look towards reducing take-off runs.



> Never heard of that, any details?



You want British Secret Projects: Hypersonics, Ramjets and Missiles by Tony Buttler and Chris Gibson. Theres a fair amount in there. The most promising projects were Brakemine, a beam-rider fired from a modified 3.7" mounting using 6x3" rockets for propulsion, Ben which was another beam rider/photoelectric missile, but smaller using only 2x3" rockets for propulsion. There were also some nice air-to-air missiles both using a 3" rocket which gave limited range of about 3000yds. Air Spaniel used MCLOS and Artemis used semi-active radar homing.


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## buzzard (May 6, 2008)

What about the Fokker Eindecker? The first tractor fighter with an efficient fixed forward-firing armament. What other plane could claim as much influence on the evolution of the fighter aircraft?

JL


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## Graeme (May 6, 2008)

buzzard said:


> What about the Fokker Eindecker? The first tractor fighter with an efficient fixed forward-firing armament. What other plane could claim as much influence on the evolution of the fighter aircraft?



I guess the key word is "efficient", but the I think the first fixed forward-firing gun (a .315-in Hotchkiss) was installed on a Morane-Sauliner L in early 1915





Morane-Saulnier L - The Aerodrome - Aces and Aircraft of World War I


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## buzzard (May 6, 2008)

Is that Roland Garras' s plane? Ain't he the guy that shot off his own prop, was captured with his AC, and gave Anthony Fokker the impetus to develop the interrupter gear-governed machine gun armament? You know, the Fokker Scourge...

It's nice to be able to shoot down the enemy...but it's even nicer to do it without shooting down yourself 

JL


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## Graeme (May 6, 2008)

buzzard said:


> Ain't he the guy that shot off his own prop, was captured with his AC, and gave Anthony Fokker the impetus to develop the interrupter gear-governed machine gun armament?



Yep. Proof that first doesn't necessarily mean best!


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## Arsenal VG-33 (May 6, 2008)

buzzard said:


> Is that Roland Garras' s plane? Ain't he the guy that shot off his own prop, was captured with his AC, and gave Anthony Fokker the impetus to develop the interrupter gear-governed machine gun armament? You know, the Fokker Scourge...
> 
> It's nice to be able to shoot down the enemy...but it's even nicer to do it without shooting down yourself
> 
> JL



Wrong. Garros was the first to place deflector blades on his aircraft propellor to deflect bullets that would otherwise have struck the prop. He was forced down and captured after his aircraft developed engine problems ( either fuel or oil line problem ) and the Germans studied his aircraft, thus the inspiration for an interuptor system by Fokker. Garros did NOT shoot off his own prop.

Garros eventually escaped and rejoined the fight, and was shot down and killed only weeks before the war's end.


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## buzzard (May 6, 2008)

Graeme said:


> Yep. Proof that first doesn't necessarily mean best!


 Indeed. And yet more proof that Gallic elan is no match for Teutonic efficiency...

JL


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## buzzard (May 6, 2008)

Arsenal VG-33,

I stand corrected.

My version is more fun, tho. 

JL


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## kool kitty89 (May 7, 2008)

But pusher props have advantages too, particularly in that timeframe.

In addition to the unobstrusted nose armament, no oil flying back at the pilot (especially the Rotary engins), and a clear foreward view.

Disadvantages, less lift (no prop wash over wings) and possible more complex layout.

You would have "engine armor" behind you though, but vulnerable for head on passes though. (bailing out was not an option so danger of hitting the prop is not an issue here)

Bonus, pushers look cool. 8)



And the Germans couldn't use te bulltet deflection for the prop due to their steel-jacketed bullets being too hard to deflect, so they came up with their much better solution. Which the allies then copied,,,


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## kool kitty89 (May 11, 2008)

The first Delta wing aircraft to fly:
Lippisch DM-1, an unpowered glider built to test low speed handling for the P.13a


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## kool kitty89 (May 11, 2008)

Convair XF-92A first jet powered delta winged aircraft to fly and the first delta to break the sound barrier. (in a dive)

The Convaie XF92


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## buzzard (May 11, 2008)

Let's jazz things up a bit...

"Oberleutnant Rudolf Schönert of 4/NJG2 decided to experiment with upward firing guns in 1941 and began trying out upward-firing installations amidst scepticism from his superiors and fellow pilots. The first installation was made late in 1942, in a Do 17Z-10 that was also equipped with the early UHF-band version of the Lichtenstein radar. Apparently the tests were not successful, and the idea was dropped[citation needed]. Further experimentation was carried out by the Luftwaffe weapons testing centre at Tarnewitz through 1942, and an angle of between 60 and 75 degrees was found to give best results.

Meantime Schönert was made CO of II./NJG5, and an armourer serving with the gruppe, Obfw. Mahle developed a working arrangement with the unit's Bf-110's and a pair of MG FF/M 20 mm cannon. Schönert used such a modified Bf-110 to shoot down a bomber in May 1943." ~Wik

JL


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## parsifal (May 11, 2008)

buzzard said:


> Let's jazz things up a bit...
> 
> "



Very Good


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## Soren (May 11, 2008)

red admiral said:


> Its not self-guided as it uses radio transmissions from the ground to control it for which it wasn't first. The UK had beam riding and semi-active homing missiles from 1942/3. Admittedly they didn't work too well, but neither did Wasserfall.




The last prototypes were selfguided, red admiral. Using the Rheinland system.

Infact one of the very last guidance system developed in Germany, relying on an infrared photocell, was used to develop the AIM-9 Sidewinder.


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## Graeme (May 11, 2008)

buzzard said:


> "Oberleutnant Rudolf Schönert of 4/NJG2 decided to experiment with upward firing guns in 1941 and began trying out upward-firing installations amidst scepticism from his superiors and fellow pilots.



Pioneered by the British?

No Allowance Sighting

_"In October 1918, the COW gun was installed in the rear cockpit of an Airco D.H.4, fixed and aimed up. The angle of the installation in at least one (A2168) was about 80 degrees. The gun fired through a hole in the upper wing. The idea was to use this weapon against the large German bombers and Zeppelins, and after some reinforcement to prevent blast damage, testing was successfull."_

Bristol Bulldog (1934) with Vickers IIIN gun set at 60 deg. Fired from 1000ft below a target, results showed that 90% of the rounds were accurate.


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## The Basket (May 12, 2008)

buzzard said:


> Indeed. And yet more proof that Gallic elan is no match for Teutonic efficiency...
> 
> JL



Fokker was Dutch.


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## eddie_brunette (May 12, 2008)

October 11, 2003 A team of NASA researchers has developed and demonstrated a ground-breaking small-scale aircraft that flies on laser power. Rather than carrying fuel on-board, the aircraft is powered entirely by an invisible, ground-based laser that tracks the aircraft in flight and delivers energy to a special panel of photovoltaic cells on the plane that in turn drive the propeller.

Similar demonstration flights were made in 2002 using a theatrical searchlight as the power source, but the recent flights are the first known demonstration of an aircraft flying totally powered by a ground-based laser according to NASA's recent press statement: "The craft could keep flying as long as the energy source, in this case the laser beam, is uninterrupted," said Robert Burdine, Marshall's laser project manager for the test. "This is the first time that we know of that a plane has been powered only by the energy of laser light. It really is a groundbreaking development for aviation.

"The laser-power breakthrough could provide a means to keep telecommunications or remote sensing aircraft aloft indefinitely as well as having enormous implications for space travel.

NASA demonstrates laser-powered aircraft first


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## Marcel (May 12, 2008)

The Basket said:


> Fokker was Dutch.



I believe the synchronisation mechanism was actually developed by a German. Fokker only perfected it.


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## kool kitty89 (May 12, 2008)

They give a good account on wiki: Interrupter gear - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

But Fokker's was the first to be used operationally. (though it probably was based on the earlier designs)


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## Vincenzo (May 12, 2008)

fokker is dutch but was a german company


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## kool kitty89 (May 12, 2008)

Yes and post WWI he moved his company to the Netherlands.


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## red admiral (May 17, 2008)

> Infact one of the very last guidance system developed in Germany, relying on an infrared photocell, was used to develop the AIM-9 Sidewinder.



Saying that the tech was used to develop the AIM-9 is very charitable. Both used heat-seaking guidance and thats about it. The German system didn't work very well, and neither did the later US version until the mid/late-60s.


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## Waynos (May 18, 2008)

Avro Type F of 1912, the first aeroplane with a fully enclosed cockpit.


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## Graeme (May 21, 2008)

Waynos said:


> Avro Type F of 1912, the first aeroplane with a fully enclosed cockpit.



An old book credits this 'first' to an enclosed version of the Austrian Etrich Taube, but I can't locate this aircraft on the internet...


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## Njaco (May 21, 2008)

Doesn't look like that thing would even fly!


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## Soren (May 21, 2008)

Aircraft sure looked funny at the time when designers thought they should looke like birds to fly right


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## kool kitty89 (May 21, 2008)

Yep

But I like the way the Rumpler Taube looks though, somthing about it just looks right.

Certainly graceful


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## buzzard (May 21, 2008)

I LOVE those old 'birds'. Like something daVinci would have drawn.

Now if only they had articulated landing gear, so you could set down on a tree branch...


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## Soren (May 21, 2008)

> Now if only they had articulated landing gear, so you could set down on a tree branch...


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## Graeme (May 22, 2008)

Certainly nicer than Bleriot's enclosed cabin (passengers) attempt...


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## Arsenal VG-33 (May 22, 2008)

buzzard said:


> Indeed. And yet more proof that Gallic elan is no match for Teutonic efficiency...
> 
> JL




Then WW 1 should have ended with a German victory in September 1914.
 




Graeme said:


> Certainly nicer than Bleriot's enclosed cabin (passengers) attempt...



I find Bleriot's aircraft design to be fascinating. He was one of the most experimental-mind when it came to strange airplane construction and theories. Once it was established that the airfoil wing, with lateral and horizontal control surfaces, and an engine with sufficient power were required for aircraft flight, some designers really let their imaginations go wild. One such wild design was a cylindrical-winged aircraft on floats which Bleriot had designed. Powered versions failed to fly, but models did. One reason why the years leading up to WW 1 is referred to as the "Era of Pioneer Flight".


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## buzzard (May 22, 2008)

Yet more proof that a wry remark will always baffle the literally-minded... 

C'est la vie...


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## Velius (Jun 14, 2008)

One of my books claims the Bell P-39 Aircobra (1938 ) to be the first aircraft with a tricycle undercarriage.


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## quayhog (Jun 16, 2008)

The P-51 was the first aircraft with a laminar flow wing. 

The Lockheed Model 14 (Super Electra-civilian Hudson-military) was the first aircraft equipped with Fowler flaps. This was an adaptation of a civil aircraft drafted into the military service. With bigger engines it morphed into the PV-1 Ventura which had great success with the U.S. Navy.


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