Aviation Oddities
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Description:
Aviation Oddities
Presents a humorous look at several of the wilder attempts made by man to fly. The film narrates a series of pioneering and experimental flights and aircraft inventions throughout history. It starts with the remarkable journey of Lieutenant Lester J. Maitland and Albert F. Haginburger, who piloted the Air Corps monoplane "Bird of Paradise" over 2,400 miles from Oakland, California, to Hawaii on June 28, 1927. This 24-hour and 50-minute flight marked a significant achievement in navigation and aviation history.
Following this, the film showcases various inventive but often unsuccessful attempts at flight. One such invention was Jonathan Caldwell's contraption designed to mimic the flapping wings of a goose, which failed to take off despite functioning wheels. Another highlighted device was the "spindle airship," featuring rotating spindles instead of wings, aimed at providing lift and stabilization, though it hadn't yet flown.
The film also humorously documents the ornithopter, an attempt to fly using a system of leverage and human power, which ended in failure. Early helicopter prototypes are shown, including a flat plate or disc design for lift, though it struggled to rise significantly.
Additionally, the film features Glenn Curtiss, an American flight pioneer, who was the first to use wheels on an airplane. Various other experimental aircraft, such as the two-winged Alba Tsar and flying bicycles, are displayed, highlighting the innovative and sometimes whimsical efforts to achieve flight. These historical vignettes underscore the persistence and creativity of early aviators and inventors in their quest to conquer the skies.
We digitized and uploaded this film from the A/V Geeks 16mm Archive. Email us at footage@avgeeks.com if you have questions about the footage and are interested in using it in your project.
Complete Record: Aviation Oddities Presents a humorous look at several of the wilder attempts made by man to fly. The film narrates a series of pioneering and experimental flights and aircraft inventions throughout history. It starts with the remarkable journey of Lieutenant Lester J. Maitland and Albert F. Haginburger, who piloted the Air Corps monoplane "Bird of Paradise" over 2,400 miles from Oakland, California, to Hawaii on June 28, 1927. This 24-hour and 50-minute flight marked a significant achievement in navigation and aviation history. Following this, the film showcases various inventive but often unsuccessful attempts at flight. One such invention was Jonathan Caldwell's contraption designed to mimic the flapping wings of a goose, which failed to take off despite functioning wheels. Another highlighted device was the "spindle airship," featuring rotating spindles instead of wings, aimed at providing lift and stabilization, though it hadn't yet flown. The film also humorously documents the ornithopter, an attempt to fly using a system of leverage and human power, which ended in failure. Early helicopter prototypes are shown, including a flat plate or disc design for lift, though it struggled to rise significantly. Additionally, the film features Glenn Curtiss, an American flight pioneer, who was the first to use wheels on an airplane. Various other experimental aircraft, such as the two-winged Alba Tsar and flying bicycles, are displayed, highlighting the innovative and sometimes whimsical efforts to achieve flight. These historical vignettes underscore the persistence and creativity of early aviators and inventors in their quest to conquer the skies. We digitized and uploaded this film from the A/V Geeks 16mm Archive. Email us at footage@avgeeks.com if you have questions about the footage and are interested in using it in your project.
Transcription
[Music] On June 28 1927 lieutenant Lester J Maitland and Albert F Hagin burger piloted an Air Corps monoplane the bird of paradise over 2,400 miles non-stop from Oakland California to Hawaii in 24 hours and 50 minutes this pioneering flight in a fokker try motor contributed outstanding information on our weather flying and navigation and opened the wide Pacific to air operations for the first time averaging only about 100 miles per hour in the face of continual headwind navigating to a small island in the vast Pacific was an outstanding achievement in the annals of flight the bird of paradise flew over 2,400 miles non-stop from California to Hawaii the date June 28 1927 well a windmill will raise water so why shouldn't it raise an airplane perhaps that's what mr. Jonathan Caldwell thought when he designed and built this contraption which is being shown to the public for the first time the mill wheels going round are supposed to represent the flapping wings of a goose the wheels turn alright but it just won't leave the ground not even when they drag it it moves though a good idea just the same for the better luck next time no it's not an airplane and it isn't a balloon it's the spindle airship the new invention with the popper the inventor will explain the idea for us in place of wings wheels spindles on this ship the large ones are the main lifting lifters and the small ones act as stabilizers this is done by spiraling so that the landing with speed would be about 5 to 10 miles per hour now as they revolve the spindles with a little indentation are creating a listing baculum above engineers project the spindles will be more efficient than the wings of an airplane there's only this about the symbol airship she hasn't flown yet but who can say she won't for 20 years he's been watching the chili Lou Bergen and finally discovered what makes it fly all it takes is a tank full of oxygen a left-handed monkey wrench and a couple of nuts [Applause] all right here we go x3 in the making it's the happiest day of the professor's life let's hope he put salt on its tail going going that's all folks Here I am with a new device called the ornithopter this device and I expect to obtain quiet in the air through a system of leverage advantage plus a man's physical power I believe it's possible to fly it as a bird and Here I am mr. by it's over well that sounds ok if it works but a birdie doesn't fly when he makes that jump he's going to get a real cold bad here we go flash off well you got the bat all right here you see another type helicopters or direct lift air machine our pistol as you will see is a flat plate or disc I prefer living the air fast enough to produce a lift our engine is connected to a transmission by a jack shaft driven by change our transmission takes and reciprocate are proposed as the preferred goes up we get a lifting car on the down reciprocation see how this works [Music] we couldn't get excited about the possibilities of this clumsy contraption daddy of the helicopter as it's sort of pulled 24 inches into the air and some of the new ideas in planes made us think that aviation was dropping into a second childhood Glenn Curtiss an American pioneer of flight was also present at the French meet Curtis was the first American to use wheels on an airplane nobody was quite sure what an airplane ought to look like or sound like the Alba Tsar was a two wing plane with the two wings in a rather unusual position a French critic called this the most chic airplane for me any sites that could fly providing his legs were strong enough and his wings were longer this was another early experiment you began in the air on a strength you ended in the air on a strange [Music] those guys with their flying bicycled hadn't given up either get this guy [Music] crazy huh [Music] some guys never gave up this fella couldn't make up his mind whether to build a glider or a sloop I guess be taller that glue you know funny thing it's blue a little till trying to find ways to fly like a bird like this gentleman for a reason or reasons unknown he didn't quite make [Music] [Music] [Music] yes even jet for bicycle well if not now eventually maybe [Music]
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