The Journey of Flight.pdf - Valkyrie Cadet

Chapter Chapter 1 1 1 - - Introduction Introduction to to Air Air Air P PPower
P ower
In 1884, 26-year-old John Montgomery, secretly built a 440-pound, man-carrying glider with wings
like a sea gull. To avoid the ridicule of neighbors, he and his brother chose to try their first flight in the
dead of night.
They had to wait until dawn before a breeze came in from the sea. To take off, Montgomery faced
the wing surface of the glider into the 12 mph breeze, with his brother along side carrying a rope that
was attached to the glider. The glider, then carried Montgomery’s 130 pounds aloft 600 feet before
easing to Earth again.
Montgomery made several flights in his glider before it was wrecked in an accident. He built two
other gliders, one with flat wings and one with wings that pivoted to the rear, but neither flew as well
as his first.
From 1886 through 1892, Montgomery made thousands of experiments and studies on the wings of
soaring birds. He gave every moment he could spare, from his job as professor of physics at Santa
Clara College in California, to conduct these experiments.
By 1893, Montgomery had done enough research to design a glider that he thought would be
successful. Yet, he had to wait 9 years before he had the time and money to turn the plans into a real
flying craft.
In 1905, he unveiled his glider to the public. Fifteen thousand people gathered at Santa Clara,
California, to watch Daniel Maloney, known for his parachute jumps from hot air balloons at county
fairs, pilot Montgomery’s craft.
Montgomery left and Maloney standing
beside glider Santa Clara.
Maloney climbed
aboard the glider, which
Montgomery had hitched
to a hot-air balloon. After
the balloon was cut loose,
it rose to 4,000 feet where
Maloney cut the glider
loose. Twenty minutes and
8 air miles later, Maloney
brought the ship down to
a pre-selected spot, 3/4 of
a mile from where the
ascent had started.
During the flight, he
had whipped the craft into
sharp dives and turns and
had reached speeds
estimated at 68 mph. Everyone in attendance was thrilled with
Montgomery’s successful glider.
During the next year, Montgomery exhibited his glider
throughout California, raising funds for additional experiments.
He built five more gliders and trained men to pilot them. These
craft were all extremely maneuverable and capable of all sorts of
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Poster Advertising Arial Exhibition
twists, turns and somersaults. Then on April 18, 1906, his 20 years of labor were demolished in an
earthquake. It was the same earthquake that destroyed San Francisco.
Montgomery was unable to resume his experiments until 1911. On October 31, 1911, his lifelong