25 replies to this topic

[MaserGT]

OFF TOPIC WARNING, NSFTNFP (Not Safe For The Nostalgia Forum Purists)

Life magazine photo essay documenting the art and science of early flying machines.

As much as we all love automobiles, this engineering and industrial design obsession was such a fascinating part of the zeitgeist of the fin de siècle era.

"Most machines of the era were ingenious; many were downright beautiful; some were impractical; all, in one way or another, were fantastic."


Marvelous Early Flying Machines

Edited by MaserGT, 14 December 2011 - 18:10.

[Gary Davies]

OFF TOPIC WARNING, NSFTNFP (Not Safe For The Nostalgia Forum Purists)

Life magazine photo essay documenting the art and science of early flying machines.

As much as we all love automobiles, this engineering and industrial design obsession was such a fascinating part of the zeitgeist of the fin de siècle era.

"Most machines of the era were ingenious; many were downright beautiful; some were impractical; all, in one way or another, were fantastic."


Marvelous Early Flying Machines

Thank you, MaserGT. Fascinating pictures, variously hilarious, inspiring and poignant. Number 2 rivetted me. When I walked around that site some years ago on a windy day in December, no one else around, it was one of the most lump-in-the-throat experiences I've ever had.

[kayemod]

OFF TOPIC WARNING, NSFTNFP (Not Safe For The Nostalgia Forum Purists)

I think these are wonderful, and entirely in the spirit of TNF, but no doubt some, well maybe just one or two Nostalgia Forum non-Purists, will be wondering how these fascinating machines would look decked out in computer-applied colour schemes, along the lines of current F1 machinery.

For the record, I'm most emphatically not one of them.

[RStock]

[Option1]

Some truly fantastic pictures, most of which I hadn't seen before. Thanks for posting MaserGT!

Neil

[MCS]

Some incredible images there!

I think I may just watch Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines again some time soon...

Flicking elsewhere through Life there are some really great galleries - I particularly like the Spruce Goose one.

[Lee Nicolle]

Some incredible images there!

I think I may just watch Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines again some time soon...

Flicking elsewhere through Life there are some really great galleries - I particularly like the Spruce Goose one.

Only some of those pics are flying machines. There is no way a lot of those could ever fly!!
And yes it makes me want to go and watch those Magnificent Men too. A comedy that really was a semi docco.

[alansart]

I think I may just watch Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines again some time soon...

It was on Film 4 last week

[Vitesse2]

It was on Film 4 last week

Yep. And - after having watched it several times over the years - it was only then that I realised that the brave British pilot's name might have been a nod to Brooklands.

[Odseybod]

Marvelous Early Flying Machines

Many thanks for posting these - fascinating stuff.

A few years ago, Mrs Odseybod and I were among the merry band of volunteers who help keep the Shuttleworth Collection going. Our special responsibility was to ensure that their 1910 Deperdussin was kept spick and span, and it was a real privilege to get up close and personal with such a piece of 'aviation architecture' on a regular basis. I think every time we visited her with our polish and dusters (about once a month), we noticed some new - to us - detail about the construction, control runs, even something as basic as the way the undercarriage was attached, to be strong in the required directions without being too rigid. In many ways, she's like a veteran car, built at a time when there was no established or 'official' way of doing things, so any approach was valid (especially if it worked). The same principle applies to many of the aircraft in these photos, with of course varying degrees of success.

[onelung]

Well done MaserGT ... and I'm not at all shocked or horrified. Rather, I'm quite delighted to have been made aware of the site!
Many of these images (as well as others) are in the excellent "Aviation - The Early Years" (Peter Almond, ISBN 3-89508-682-7)
And to mollify the TNF purists, the car visible in image #3 I believe to be a Sizaire et Naudin, similar model to this one...

[alansart]

Many thanks for posting these - fascinating stuff.

A few years ago, Mrs Odseybod and I were among the merry band of volunteers who help keep the Shuttleworth Collection going. Our special responsibility was to ensure that their 1910 Deperdussin was kept spick and span, and it was a real privilege to get up close and personal with such a piece of 'aviation architecture' on a regular basis. I think every time we visited her with our polish and dusters (about once a month), we noticed some new - to us - detail about the construction, control runs, even something as basic as the way the undercarriage was attached, to be strong in the required directions without being too rigid. In many ways, she's like a veteran car, built at a time when there was no established or 'official' way of doing things, so any approach was valid (especially if it worked). The same principle applies to many of the aircraft in these photos, with of course varying degrees of success.

I used to go to Shuttleworth quite a lot in the 70's mainly for the bank holiday flying displays but also for days out drawing as part of my college illustration course. I must go back again next time I'm in the area.

Am I right in thinking that some of the aircraft in the Collection were built for Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines?

[MCS]

I used to go to Shuttleworth quite a lot in the 70's mainly for the bank holiday flying displays but also for days out drawing as part of my college illustration course. I must go back again next time I'm in the area.

Am I right in thinking that some of the aircraft in the Collection were built for Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines?

Yes I think you are, Alan. There are still replicas in the collection - one of which, Sir Percy's Avro Triplane, came to grief atop the train at Old Warden tunnel of course!

Edited by MCS, 15 December 2011 - 09:40.

[Odseybod]

Am I right in thinking that some of the aircraft in the Collection were built for Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines?

Quite correct, Alan. The Bristol Boxkite and Avro Triplane are both replicas, with more modern power plants but largely built to the original plans. There's an interesting book by Air Commodore Allen Wheeler ("Building Aeroplanes for 'Those Magnificent Men') which gives the background to their construction, and some of the challenges they faced in getting them to fly dependably enough for filmwork.

Shuttleworth's Sopwith Triplane is also technically a replica, of course, having been built by volunteers from 1973-90, though Sir Tom was gracious enough to declare it a 'late production model' when he saw it.

Edited by Odseybod, 15 December 2011 - 09:49.

[Vitesse2]

Another Boxkite replica can be seen "flying" in the main entrance hall at Bristol City Museum. It was also built for the film, but as far as I know it was for static display only.

[f1steveuk]

I worked on a TV documentry many years ago about Howard Hughes, our main "character" being Noah Dietrich, Hughes confident and friend.

One thing he told us was, " if you wanted to get Howard riled, I mean really angry, call the Hercules 'The Spruce Goose', and now even Times Life are doing it!!!

[Russ Snyder]

Thanks! incredible images.

lest anyone forget, some of these flying machines were types that flew over and around the race courses and race's that we all love and talk about so much.

the 1919 Indy 500 had many of these types of flying machines in the air during the race as published by NY Times reporters "the many flying machines mixing their sounds overhead with the race cars leaving a constant hum and vibration in the air"

if anyone wants to see films of some of these machines, as well as other interesting movie tone news inventions from approx 1900-1960, the 1977 movie Gizmo, is a good choice.

[elansprint72]

Seen at (over) the Le Mans Classic 2008.

[Vitesse2]

A 1911-ish Deperdussin monoplane, methinks. Original or replica?

[Lemnpiper]

Thanks! incredible images.

lest anyone forget, some of these flying machines were types that flew over and around the race courses and race's that we all love and talk about so much.

the 1919 Indy 500 had many of these types of flying machines in the air during the race as published by NY Times reporters "the many flying machines mixing their sounds overhead with the race cars leaving a constant hum and vibration in the air"

if anyone wants to see films of some of these machines, as well as other interesting movie tone news inventions from approx 1900-1960, the 1977 movie Gizmo, is a good choice.

I second the Gizmo nomination which featured many doomed inventions not just airplanes but auto inventions as well plus some really old old grainy footage of a "walking truck" that has to be seen to be believed.


Paul

[Geoff E]

It looks to be a blessing that it never fully left the ground.

[Terry Walker]

Some of the designs look like they originated in a Venetian Blind factory.

[David Birchall]

It looks to be a blessing that it never fully left the ground.

I have often wondered, having seen this film over the years, what WOULD have happened had it left the ground? It would not have been pretty, of that we can be sure...

[RStock]

It looks to be a blessing that it never fully left the ground.

It looks to be a decapitation waiting to happen.

[Chris Bloom]

These Life photo collections are really great. I have a Best of Life book that was published sometime in the 70's. I always find it inspirational to leaf through it's pictures every once in a while.

[Charles E Taylor]

Today is the 108th anniversary of the world’s most famous flight.


Here is an appreciation of the photograph which recorded that moment.




Charlie