Alphonse Pénaud facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alphonse Pénaud
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| Born | 31 May 1850 |
| Died | 22 October 1880 (aged 30) |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Aeronautical inventor and engineer |
Alphonse Pénaud (born May 31, 1850 – died October 22, 1880) was a French inventor and engineer. He was a true pioneer in aviation during the 1800s. Pénaud was the first to use twisted rubber bands to power model airplanes. His 1871 model, called the Planophore, was very important. It was the first flying model that could fly steadily on its own. He also designed a large airplane with many advanced features.
Contents
Alphonse Pénaud's Early Life and Aviation Start
Alphonse Pénaud was born in Paris, France. His family had a strong connection to the navy. His father, Charles Pénaud, was an admiral in the French Navy. Alphonse could not join the Naval School. Instead, he started studying aviation when he was 20 years old.
He joined the Société Aéronautique de France. This was a new group focused on flight. Later, in 1876, he became the vice-president of this society. He also helped publish their journal, L'Aéronaute.
Pénaud's First Flying Models
In 1870, Pénaud created his first successful model helicopters. The idea of a helicopter was not new. It had been shown to scientists back in 1784. But Pénaud did something new and important. He was the first to use twisted rubber bands to power a flying model.
This method of using rubber bands became very popular. Many early flight experimenters used it. This included people like Lawrence Hargrave and A.V. Roe. They used Pénaud's idea for their own experimental models.
The Famous Planophore Model
The next year, Pénaud built the Planophore. This model greatly influenced early aircraft design. It used a twisted rubber motor. This motor spun a propeller at the back of the model. This is called a pusher configuration.
The Planophore also introduced two key ideas for practical flying. First, its wings were curved upwards at the tips. This design is called dihedral. Second, the small wing at the back, called the horizontal stabiliser, was set at a different angle than the main wings. This difference in angle helped the model fly very steadily.
Pénaud developed these ideas on his own. He did not know that Sir George Cayley had also thought about dihedral. But Pénaud was the first to figure out the importance of the angle difference between the main wing and the stabiliser.
The Planophore flew successfully in Paris. It flew at the Tuileries Gardens. Members of the Société Aéronautique watched on August 18, 1871. The model flew about 40 meters (131 feet). It stayed in the air for 11 seconds.
The Planophore was about 51 centimeters (20 inches) long. Its wingspan was 46 centimeters (18 inches). It weighed only 16 grams (0.56 ounces). The rubber band motor made up 5 grams of that weight.
Pénaud's Later Inventions
In the following year, Pénaud made a rubber-driven ornithopter. An ornithopter is a machine that flies by flapping its wings. Both his helicopter and ornithopter models became popular toys.
In 1873, Pénaud started working with an engineer named Paul Gauchot. Together, they designed two full-sized aircraft. The first design was in 1874, and the second in 1876. The 1876 aircraft design was very detailed. It was made to get patents for its new ideas.
This design had many amazing and advanced features. It included elevators that worked with electricity. It had a fully enclosed cabin for the pilot. It also featured retractable undercarriage, which means the landing gear could fold away. Plus, it used two propellers that spun in opposite directions. This helped stop the twisting force from a single propeller.
Pénaud also worked on lighter-than-air experiments. He created clever devices for these. One was a special barometer. It could show how fast an airship was going up or down.
Alphonse Pénaud's Influence on Aviation
- Pénaud's experiments were fully described by Octave Chanute. This was in his important book Progress in Flying Machines.
- The father of the Wright Brothers gave them a Pénaud-type helicopter in 1878. The Wright brothers later said this toy inspired their interest in flight.
- Pénaud is mentioned in the music piece The Airborne Symphony by Marc Blitzstein.
See also
In Spanish: Alphonse Pénaud para niños
