Model Airplanes

[The “High Flyer”, based on the same idea and structure as the model airplane, has no known origin. Therefore, we decided to research the history of the model airplane, being as though they are similar.]
Although the history of the airplane is extremely well-known, the origin of the model airplane is often overlooked.
Before model airplanes were even imagined, the first actual airplane had to be constructed. The first model airplane was created after the airplane flown at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903. Orville and Wilbur Wright are credited with the invention of the first airplane, could say, “credited with that invention.”
Surprisingly, model airplanes were only constructed several decades after the flight at Kitty Hawk. The fist ones, known as the “twin pushers”, were nowhere near as intricate and as detailed as they are today. The body, or fuselage, of the plane was either oblong or triangular in shape. The first models were based on the design and structure of The Spirit of Louise, the airplane Charles A. Lindberg flew across the Atlantic Ocean. Although the majority of the first model airplanes were based on Lindbergh’s famous plane, the wings (of the same ones), made very crudely, were experimental and followed the structure of those on the Kitty Hawk. They were located about two to four inches above the body.
In order to fly, these planes needed motors. The first ones ran on an engine made by Cox, a popular manufacturer and distributor of ½A engines. Although these engines were small, they were perfect for the model airplanes. Currently these types of engines are still used.
Throughout the history of the model airplane, the design has been altered many times. This is mainly due to design improvements or general appearance.
Our airplane, what we called the “High Flyer”, stemmed from the design of the model airplane. Created as a children’s play toy, it provides entertainment, while being suitable for young kids to play with. Unlike other model airplanes, ours was created four younger children, constructed of plastic so as not to break as easily. Rather than being powered by a motor, the High Flyer takes flight when a person pulls on the string, causing gears inside the casing to move. As the gears move, the plane is dismounted from the base and takes flight. This simple, less complex version of the model airplane was created to mimic the flight of a regular airplane, but also be suitable for a child around five years of age.

Airplanes

Being that there is not much history on the evolution of the model airplane, we researched airplanes in general.

The concept of the airplane surfaced in the early 1800s as a result of the imagination of Sir George Cayley. He designed airplanes with rigid wings to lift it up, as well as propelling devices to provide trust. Cayley laid the foundations of aerodynamics through his works. He exhibited his ideas with models. Eventually, Cayley sent his coachmen on the first gliding flight in history on his third full-size machine.
In the 1840s, an English inventor named William Samuel Henson published his patented design for an Aerial Steam Carriage. His design was an enormous step towards the creation of the modern airplane. The design was a fixed wing monoplane with propellers, and fuselage, and wheeled landing gear, and flight control by means of rear elevator and rudder. The steam-powered models, although, were unsuccessful.
In the late 1900s, a German aeronautical engineer, Otto Litlenthal, completed thousands of successful flights in hang gliders he designed. The gliders he had designed lacked a reliable power source.
Then, on December 17, 1903, as mentioned above, two American aviators, Oroville and Wilbur Wright, made the first successful flight of a manned (heavier than air) flyer. The first flight lasted around 37 meters. They created the design by combing the ideas of others with those of their own. It was the beginning of a new age in technological achievement. The third flyer constructed in 1905 was the world’s first fully practical airplane. The airplane remained in the air for as long as the fuel lasted. However strange it may seem, it was not recognized at the time. The brothers did take their discovery to the American Army, and in World War I, it became even more advanced. European nations began to make improvements on it as well.
Since then, airplanes have advanced quite a lot and are continuing to every day. They are modernized to gain efficiency and speed and will never cease to change.

م. محمد سمير مليجي