The Smolkowski-Laviolette biplane was a Canadian human-powered biplane designed and built by two Calgary aeronautical engineers, Alvin Smolkowski and Maurice Laviolette, in the 1960s.[1]
| Smolkowski-Laviolette biplane | |
|---|---|
| Role | Human-powered aircraft |
| National origin | Canada |
| Manufacturer | Alvin Smolkowski and Maurice Laviolette |
| First flight | 1964 |
| Number built | 1 |
Smolkowski and Laviolette were based at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology at Calgary, and they commenced design of the biplane in December 1960, with a view towards winning the Kremer prize then on offer.[2]
The aircraft had a primary structure made of aluminum alloy, and a secondary structure made of metal tubing, polystyrene, and foam sheets. It was a single-bay biplane, spanning 30 ft (9.1 m), with struts of metal tubing, and rigged with lift and drag wires. The airfoil section incorporated a deflected trailing edge.[3] Unlike contemporary HPAs, the craft was covered with doped fabric, which incurred a weight penalty.[4] The fuselage was of the pod-and-boom type. The pilot sat in a recumbent position, in a semi-enclosed cockpit, and powered the tractor propeller, positioned at the end of a boom, via a set of bicycle pedals powering a chain drive.[3] Both biplane wings and the propeller were fitted with end-plates, in order to mitigate issues with induced drag. The control system incorporated a T-bar column suspended from the upper-wing, operating the elevator and rudder.[3] There did not appear to be any form of lateral control, however the biplane wings were set at a slight dihedral.
Laviolette departed the project before completion, with Smolkowski continuing alone. The biplane was completed in 1964, and it was reported that even with the support of a grant from a Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute committee, and material supplied by Alberta aviation clubs, Smolkowski had to work overtime in order to finance the completion of the craft.[4][5]
When tested, the biplane proved unable to make un-assisted flights, however it did make a number of short flights towed behind an automobile.[1][2]
Specifications edit
Data from Western Wings[6]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Wingspan: 30 ft (9.1 m)
- Wing area: 300 sq ft (28 m2)
- Empty weight: 90 lb (41 kg)
- Propellers: 3-bladed, 6 ft (1.8 m) diameter
Performance
See also edit
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
- Cook Musfly
- Goodhart Newbury Manflier
- HMPAC Puffin
- HPA Toucan
- Malliga 1
- MacCready Gossamer Albatross
- MacCready Gossamer Condor
Related lists
References edit
- ^ a b Sherwin, Keith (1976). To fly like a bird: The story of man-powered aircraft. Folkestone, England: Bailey Brothers and Swinfen Limited. pp. 115–116. ISBN 0561002835.
- ^ a b "Smolkowski- Laviolette biplane, 1964". Samoloty w Lotnictwie Polskim (in Polish). samolotypolskie.pl. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- ^ a b c R.G. Moulton (1964). Laidlaw-Dickson, D.J.; Moulton, R.G. (eds.). "Muscle Power". Aeronautical Annual 1964-65. Watford, Herts, UK: Model Aeronautical Press: 58–63, 137.
- ^ a b Reay, D.A. (1977). The history of man-powered flight. Oxford, England: Pergamon Press Ltd. p. 219. ISBN 0080217389.
- ^ "L'homme volera Bientôt de ses propres muscles". La Tribune Perspectives (in French). Vol. 6, no. 35. 29 August 1964. pp. 8–10. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- ^ LeGuilloux, Andy, ed. (September 1962). "Air Currents". Western Wings. Vol. 4, no. 9. pp. 12–13. Retrieved 6 May 2023.