At some point in the
development of any technology there is a time before which the
conventions of all future designs are established and possibly even
known. The Santos-Dumont 14 Bis is certainly a design that falls into
the before-conventional period for airplane design. On display here at
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2006 is one of three recently constructed
replicas of the 1906 design.
The 14 Bis is noted for
being the first airplane to take off using only its own engine power.
Many other aircraft of the period, including early models produced by
the Wrights, required assistance from ground-based devices to get
airborne.
With a design strongly
reminiscent of a box kite, the 14 Bis might be considered an early
canard configuration since its pitch-control surface is out front. And
not just a little bit out in front of the pilot, but a long way out in
front.
Alberto Santos-Dumont,
designer and first pilot of the 14 Bis, was born in Brazil. He traveled
to Paris as a young man to study aeronautics, and it was there that he
designed, built, and initially flew the plane. Its historic first flight
took place on October 23, 1906.
Santos-Dumont’s
aeronautical prowess was well-known in Paris. He had constructed a
number of lighter-than-air craft and flew them regularly over the city.
Parts from his dirigible number 14 became the base for the airplane,
which gave it the name 14 Bis, the second number 14.
On display this week at
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is one of three replicas constructed to celebrate
the centennial of that first flight. Alan Calassa, builder of the
replicas and an admirer of Santos-Dumont, took great care in locating
exactly the same materials used to build the original. No engineering
drawings of the prototype exist, so exact dimensions and construction
details were derived by carefully measuring photographs and using
Santos-Dumont’s height, a fact that was known, as a reference.
Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer
sponsored bringing the replica to AirVenture. It is on display in the
company’s pavilion just off AeroShell Square in the Main Aircraft
Display area.
