Morning peoples. I’m looking to source detailed pictures of early cloth skin aircraft, if anyone here can direct me appropriately. Cheers…..

There are PDFs available of some early “Jane’s” books online.

Try here:

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/34815/34815-h/34815-h.htm

:)

thanks C_S.

Carmen_Sandiego said:

There are PDFs available of some early “Jane’s” books online.

I’m amazed – you’ve found the 1913 edition. There was also a 1909 edition, but that wouldn’t have as much in as the Wright brothers were in 1908.

I started to look through early patents. Here are a few interesting ones, from 1930 and earlier.
US1274986
US1780813
US1724110
US1731757

I found these through Google scholar. There are more.

US1723678
etc.

One of the fun things about patents is that you can items such as aircraft that were never built, or at least never successfully flown. Such as:
US730107 An “aeroplane” from 1903 that looks like a paper glider-dart.
US1735308 Is it a plane or is it a helicopter?
US1627185“https://www.google.com/patents/US1627185 Aircraft-blimp hybrids.

I also saw a vtol aircraft with rotating ducted fans in the middle of its wings, and a rather strange early two rotor on the same shaft helicopter where one rotor was below the cockpit.

Those early patents – the wings.

“aww, any ol’ surface will do. The flatter the better, maybe a big sheet of plywood”.

mollwollfumble said:

US1723678
etc.

One of the fun things about patents is that you can items such as aircraft that were never built, or at least never successfully flown. Such as:
US730107 An “aeroplane” from 1903 that looks like a paper glider-dart.
US1735308 Is it a plane or is it a helicopter?
US1627185“https://www.google.com/patents/US1627185 Aircraft-blimp hybrids.

I also saw a vtol aircraft with rotating ducted fans in the middle of its wings, and a rather strange early two rotor on the same shaft helicopter where one rotor was below the cockpit.

:D

“below the cockpit”…… obviously an “in case of capture” design. :P

……. cheers Moll.