Karl Jatho
Encyclopedia
Karl Jatho was a German
pioneer and inventor, performer and public servant of the city of Hanover
.
On August 18, 1903 he flew with his self-made motored gliding airplane 4 months before the first flight of the Wright Brothers
. He made his first attempts with a plane with three lifting surfaces, but soon switched to two surfaces. They were modelled after the Zanonia
seed, a seed known for its gliding capability. In contrast to the Wright Brother's planes
, the wing
s were flat in profile and not curved
.
The plane was equipped with a single-cylinder 10 horsepower
(7.5 kW) Buchet engine driving a two-bladed pusher propeller
and made hops of up to 200 ft (60 m), flying up to 10 ft (3 m) high. In comparison Orville Wright's first controlled flight four months later was of 36 m (120 ft) in 12 seconds although Wilbur flew 59 seconds and 852 ft later that same day.
He founded a flying school and a plane factory, but did not have much success.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
pioneer and inventor, performer and public servant of the city of Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
.
On August 18, 1903 he flew with his self-made motored gliding airplane 4 months before the first flight of the Wright Brothers
Wright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
. He made his first attempts with a plane with three lifting surfaces, but soon switched to two surfaces. They were modelled after the Zanonia
Zanonia
Zanonia is a monotypic genus in the flowering plant family Cucurbitaceae .The only species is Zanonia indica, a medium-sized liana found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia east to New Guinea. It has a number of subspecies.-External links:*** * KBD: Kew Bibliographic Databases of Royal...
seed, a seed known for its gliding capability. In contrast to the Wright Brother's planes
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
, the wing
Wing
A wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
s were flat in profile and not curved
Airfoil
An airfoil or aerofoil is the shape of a wing or blade or sail as seen in cross-section....
.
The plane was equipped with a single-cylinder 10 horsepower
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
(7.5 kW) Buchet engine driving a two-bladed pusher propeller
Propeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
and made hops of up to 200 ft (60 m), flying up to 10 ft (3 m) high. In comparison Orville Wright's first controlled flight four months later was of 36 m (120 ft) in 12 seconds although Wilbur flew 59 seconds and 852 ft later that same day.
He founded a flying school and a plane factory, but did not have much success.
External links
- at www.flyingmachines.org Web site showing photos of his plane
- The Pioneers : An Anthology : Karl Jatho (1873 - 1933) at www.ctie.monash.edu.au
- WE WERE THE FIRST! - THE KARL-JATHO-PROJECT at www.karl-jatho.com
- Hannover Airport: Flughafen-Informationen: Jatho at www.hannover-airport.de