Pilcher Hawk

Pilcher Hawk

▪ monoplane glider
 monoplane glider designed, built, and first flown by the English aviator Percy Sinclair Pilcher (Pilcher, Percy Sinclair) in 1896.

      Pilcher completed work on four gliders between 1895 and 1899: Bat (1895), Beetle (1895), Gull (1896), and Hawk (1896). Each was a monoplane with bird-form wings and a stabilizing tail, reminiscent of the gliders produced by Prussian aviator Otto Lilienthal (Lilienthal, Otto). Unlike Lilienthal, however, Pilcher was usually towed into the air by horses operating through a pulley.

      The Hawk was Pilcher's fourth and final machine. The construction was principally of bamboo. It was the only Pilcher aircraft to include a wheeled undercarriage. The wings and tail could be folded for easy transportation and storage. Patent drawings of the aircraft indicate that Pilcher planned to add an “oil, spirit, or other” sort of power plant to the Hawk. But that was not to be. While he was being rapidly towed aloft by two horses on Sept. 30, 1899, the boom supporting the aircraft's tail broke, plunging Pilcher to his death. See also flight, history of.

Tom D. Crouch
 

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Pilcher, Percy Sinclair — ▪ British engineer born January 1866 died Oct. 2, 1899, Leicestershire, Eng.  British aviation pioneer and glider experimenter.       Trained as a naval cadet, Pilcher served for six years as a midshipman before beginning an apprenticeship with a …   Universalium

  • Percy Sinclair Pilcher — (* 16. Januar 1866 in Bath; † 2. Oktober 1899 in London) war ein englischer Erfinder und ein Pionier der Luftfahrt, der es hätte schaffen können, noch vor den Gebrüdern Wright, den ersten motorisierten Flug zu absolvieren. Pilcher war der Sohn… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Percy Pilcher — Percy Sinclair Pilcher (16 January 1866 mdash; 2 October, 1899) was a British inventor and pioneer aviator who was his country s foremost experimenter in unpowered flight at the end of the 19th Century. He was planning a flight with a motor… …   Wikipedia

  • Percy Pilcher — Percy Sinclair Pilcher (* 16. Januar 1866 in Bath; † 2. Oktober 1899 in London) war ein englischer Erfinder und ein Pionier der Luftfahrt, der es hätte schaffen können, noch vor den Gebrüdern Wright, den ersten motorisierten Flug zu absolvieren.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Percy Pilcher — Photo de Percy Sinclair Pilcher. Percy Pilcher sur son planeur Hawk. Royaume Uni, 1897. Shown might be Miss Doro …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Pioneer aircraft — ▪ Table Pioneer aircraft airplane maiden flight wingspan length weight Ader Éole 1890 14 metres (45 feet 10 inches) 6.5 metres (21 feet 4 inches) 296 kg (653 pounds) Lilienthal standard glider 1894 7.9 metres (26 feet) 4.19 metres (13 feet 1… …   Universalium

  • Historia de la aviación — Ícaro y Dédalo. La historia de la aviación se remonta al día en el que el hombre prehistórico …   Wikipedia Español

  • 1890s — Millennium: 2nd millennium Centuries: 18th century – 19th century – 20th century Decades: 1860s 1870s 1880s – 1890s – 1900s 1910s 1920s …   Wikipedia

  • Aviation history — deals with the development of mechanical flight, from the earliest attempts in kite powered and gliding flight, to powered heavier than air flight, and beyond. Humanity s desire to fly possibly first found expression in China, where people flying …   Wikipedia

  • Peter Alexander Ustinov — Peter Ustinov (1992) Sir Peter Alexander Baron von Ustinov CBE (* 16. April 1921 in Swiss Cottage, Camden, London; † 28. März 2004 in Genolier, Kanton Waadt, Schweiz) war einer der int …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”