| AEAJune Bug | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Pioneer era aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Aerial Experiment Association |
| Designer | |
| Status | Crashed January 2, 1909 |
| Primary user | Aerial Experiment Association |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1908 |
| First flight | June 21, 1908 |
TheJune Bug was an American"pioneer era"biplane built by theAerial Experiment Association (A.E.A) in 1908 and flown byGlenn Hammond Curtiss. Theaircraft was the first American airplane to fly at least 1 km in front of a crowd.
AScientific American competition in 1907 offered a solid silver sculpted trophy, and $25,000 in cash, to be awarded to whoever made the first public flight of over 1 kilometer (3,280 ft) in an American aircraft. In 1907, Glenn Curtiss and the Aerial Experiment Association began building theJune Bug with hopes of winning the Scientific American Cup.
TheJune Bug, also referred to asAerodrome #3 (the third powered airplane built by the A.E.A), included the previously usedaileron steering system, but a shoulderyoke made it possible for the pilot to steer by leaning from side to side. The aircraft featured acanard, horizontal surfaces, and arear rudder. The originalvarnish sealing the wing fabric cracked in the heat, so a mixture of turpentine, paraffin, and gasoline was used on the aircraft instead. TheJune Bug had yellow wings due to theyellow ochre added to the wing mixture in order to make the aircraft show up better in theorthochromic-formmonochrome photographs of the time.
The aircraft was named byAlexander Graham Bell after the commonPhyllophaga,[1] a beetle known colloquially in North America as the "June bug". This was because June bugs were observed to fly similarly to aircraft: they have large stiff outer wings for gliding, and more delicate smaller propeller-like wings that do the actual propulsion.
TheJune Bug was tested by G.H. Curtiss inHammondsport, New York, at Stony Brook Farm, on June 21, 1908. Three of the four test flights were successful, with distances of 456 ft (139 m), 417 ft (127 m), and 1,266 ft (386 m), at an average speed of 34.5 mph (55.5 km/h). On June 25, performances of 2,175 ft (663 m) and 3,420 ft (1,040 m) were considered encouraging, and the A.E.A. contacted theAero Club of America to sign up for theScientific American Cup.
The Aero Club contacted theWright brothers, offering them the chance to make an attempt first. Orville wrote to decline the opportunity on June 30, as the Wrights were busy completing their deal with theUnited States government. Orville's message was received by July 1, and G.H. Curtiss took to the air as requested on July 4 (Independence Day).
The flight was made a public event, and spectators were allowed to watch. The event was overseen by a delegation of 22 members of theAero Club, headed byAlan R. Hawley. TheKalem Company's film crew covered the event, making theJune Bug the first airplane in the United States to perform in a movie. The nearbyPleasant Valley Wine Company opened its doors and offered free samples to the spectators at the event.Charles M. Manly, who had unsuccessfully tested theLangley Aerodrome in 1903, measured out the 1 km and 20 ft (6.1 m) distance with volunteer help. TheJune Bug took one false start, going 40 feet (12 m) high, but not far enough. On the second try, the airplane successfully flew 5,085 ft (1550 m) in 1 minute 42 seconds, winning the trophy and a US$25,000 cash prize.
Amidst the publicity following the flight, the Wrights sent a warning to Curtiss that they had not given permission for the use of "their" aircraft control system to be used "for exhibitions or in a commercial way". In fact, none of the A.E.A.'s aircraft used a wing-warping system like the Wrights' for control, relying instead on triangular ailerons designed byAlexander Graham Bell, which he successfully patented in December 1911. However, in 1913 a court ruled that this technique was an infringement of the Wright's 1906 patent.
Three years previous to theJune Bug's flight, the Wrights had made flights of up to 24 miles (38 km) without official witnesses. However, the Wrights would have been required to install wheels and dispense with a catapult launch to compete for the 1908 prize.
From October to November, theJune Bug was modified by adding floats to it in an attempt to create a seaplane. RenamedLoon, attempts to fly it began onKeuka Lake on November 28. Although the aircraft could achieve speeds of up to 29 mph (47 km/h) on the water, it could not take off, and on January 2, 1909, one of the floats filled with water, causing theLoon to sink. It was recovered, but rotted in a nearby boathouse.
A replica of theJune Bug was built and flown in 1976 byMercury Aircraft of Hammondsport.[2]
Data from[3]
General characteristics
Performance
Related development
