Horatio Frederick Phillips (born 1845 in Streatham[1] - 1924) was an early aviation pioneer from Great Britain. He was famous for building multiplane flying machines with many more sets of lifting surfaces than would be normal on modern aircraft. However he made a more lasting contribution to aeronautics in his work on aerofoil design.[2].
Aerofoils
Phillips devised a wind tunnel in which he studied a wide variety of aerofoil shapes for use in providing lift. The tunnel was unusual in that the gas flow was provided by steam rather than air.[2]
By 1884 he was able to register his first patent, and more were to follow. He demonstrated the truth of Cayley's idea that giving the upper surface greater curvature than the lower accelerates the upper airflow, reducing pressure above the wing and so creating lift.
Multiplane flying machines
Phillips believed that multiple stacked wing planes (or sustainers as he called them), in "Venetian blind" configuration, offered advantages.
- His 1893 Flying Machine had 50 lift surfaces and implemented his' patented "double-surface airfoils" in such a way as to produce an aspect ratio of 152, providing great lift at the sacrifice of stability. As a test vehicle, it was not designed to be manned, but was used to test lift capabilities (it eventually was tested at 400 lbs of maximum lift).[3]
- His 1904 Multiplane expanded on the 1893 test vehicle in a configuration that could be flown by a person. It utilized 21 wings and had a tail for stability, but was unable to achieve sustained flight. It's best performance was 50 feet.[4]
- His 1907 Multiplane, which had 200 individual airfoils, a 22 hp engine with a 7ft propeller achieved the first successful powered flight, though he did not claim it as a flight as such, conducted in Great Britain, flying 500 ft on 6 April 1907.[4][5]
Though successful, the 1907 model showed poor performance compared to more conventional contemporary types. This caused Phillips to end his attempts at manned flight.[6]
References
- ^ Dictionary : Horatio_Phillips
- ^ a b Wragg, D.W.; Flight before flying, Osprey, 1974
- ^ A History of Aeronautics, by E. Charles Vivian[1]
- ^ a b Aerospaceweb.org | Ask Us - Horatio Phillips & Multiplanes
- ^ http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1959/1959%20-%200938.html
- ^ Angelucci, E. and Matricardi, P.; World Aircraft - Origins-World War 1, Sampson Low, 1977.
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