Alexander Mozhayskiy
Encyclopedia
Alexander Fedorovich Mozhayskiy ' onMouseout='HidePop("10822")' href="/topics/Kotka">Kotka
), southern Finland
– , Saint Petersburg
), was a Russia
n naval officer
, aviation
pioneer, researcher and designer of heavier-than-air craft
. Mozhayskiy was developing concepts for heavier-than-air flight. During 1884, Mozhayskiy's monoplane
made a failed attempt at a lift-off.
His feat is generally distinguished from that of the Wright brothers on the basis that his design relied upon a ramp rather than engine power to generate lift airspeed
. Additionally Mozhayskiy's wing design lacked the curvature
necessary to generate lift. While it is possible that Mozhayskiy's wings slowed his monoplane
's descent, they were unlikely to have ever provided sufficient lift for sustained flight unless used at angles of attack that would have been unsustainable given the engines available to Mozhayskiy. He also experimented with different angles of attack.
Although Soviet propagandists later exaggerated Mozhayskiy's place in aviation history by claiming his hop as the first powered flight
, Mozhayskiy's aviation achievements, particularly with regard to flight control
and propulsion
, were considerable given the limits of the technology available to him and have only recently received serious attention.
Asteroid 2850 Mozhaiskij
is named in his honour.
Kotka
Kotka is a town and municipality of Finland. Its former name is Rochensalm.Kotka is located on the coast of the Gulf of Finland at the mouth of Kymi River and it is part of the Kymenlaakso region in southern Finland. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water....
), southern Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
– , Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
), was a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n naval officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
, aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
pioneer, researcher and designer of heavier-than-air craft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
. Mozhayskiy was developing concepts for heavier-than-air flight. During 1884, Mozhayskiy's monoplane
Mozhayskiy's airplane
The Mozhayskiy's airplane was a powered experimental aircraft designed and built by Alexander Mozhaiskiy....
made a failed attempt at a lift-off.
His feat is generally distinguished from that of the Wright brothers on the basis that his design relied upon a ramp rather than engine power to generate lift airspeed
Airspeed
Airspeed is the speed of an aircraft relative to the air. Among the common conventions for qualifying airspeed are: indicated airspeed , calibrated airspeed , true airspeed , equivalent airspeed and density airspeed....
. Additionally Mozhayskiy's wing design lacked the curvature
Airfoil
An airfoil or aerofoil is the shape of a wing or blade or sail as seen in cross-section....
necessary to generate lift. While it is possible that Mozhayskiy's wings slowed his monoplane
Monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
's descent, they were unlikely to have ever provided sufficient lift for sustained flight unless used at angles of attack that would have been unsustainable given the engines available to Mozhayskiy. He also experimented with different angles of attack.
Although Soviet propagandists later exaggerated Mozhayskiy's place in aviation history by claiming his hop as the first powered flight
First flying machine
There are conflicting views as to what was the first flying machine.Much of the debate surrounding records of early flying machines depends on the exact definition of what constitutes a "flying machine", "flight", and even "first"....
, Mozhayskiy's aviation achievements, particularly with regard to flight control
Flight controls
Aircraft flight control surfaces allow a pilot to adjust and control the aircraft's flight attitude.Development of an effective set of flight controls was a critical advance in the development of aircraft...
and propulsion
Air propulsion
Air propulsion is the generation of thrust during flight by an aircraft or a creature such as a bird, bat or insect.-Aircraft:An aircraft propulsion system must serve two purposes. First, the thrust from the propulsion system must balance the drag of the airplane when the airplane is cruising...
, were considerable given the limits of the technology available to him and have only recently received serious attention.
Asteroid 2850 Mozhaiskij
2850 Mozhaiskij
2850 Mozhaiskij is a main-belt asteroid discovered on October 2, 1978 by L. Zhuravleva at Nauchnyj.- External links :*...
is named in his honour.
See also
- Clément AderClément AderClément Ader was a French inventor and engineer born in Muret, Haute Garonne, and is remembered primarily for his pioneering work in aviation.- The inventor :...
, a French inventor who designed a series of early steam-powered aircraft.