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1
Aeronautical technology flows at the start of World War I
by Peter B. MeyerU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics --- findings and views are those of the author, not the
BLS
ESSHC conference, ViennaApril 2014
.
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A pre-history of the airplane
1860s Clubs and journals show fixed-wing designs
“Aerial navigation” and “flying machines” are fringe activities – maybe hopeless, useless, dangerous
1890s Glider flights, survey books
Experimenters followed open science, open source practices
Networking ; shared findings, designs – public goods
1903-06 Powered glider flights (Wright brothers, Santos-Dumont)
1908-11 Big exhibitions
1908-1916 New industry
Much was documented
My project: gather & count publications, patents, clubs, firms, letters, innovators, etc. to understand technical innovation
Data on publications
1910 Bibliography of Aeronautics by Brockett
of Smithsonian Institution 13,000 entries, 940 pages Data to mid-1909
Title, author, year, language, journal Much cleanup was necessary
Duplicates, missing elements, “missing” entries
Successor volume covers 1909-1916 Even larger Partly computerized
Aeronautical articles by languageContinues higher after 1907, permanently. Source: Brockett bibliography (1910).
.
Aeronautical periodicals before 1909Journal when where
entries in Brockett (1910)
L'Aérophile 1893- Paris 1383
Zeitschrift für Luftschiffahrt 1882- Berlin; Vienna 1101
Illustrierte Aëronautische Mitteilungen 1897-1931 Strasbourg; Berlin 1053
L'Aéronaute 1868-1914 Paris 822
Wiener Luftschiffer Zeitung 1902-1914 Vienna 604
Bollettino della Societa Aeronautica Italiana 1904- Rome 534
Aeronautics 1907-1921 London 425
Aëronautical Journal 1897- London 415
Scientific American 1871- New York 371
La Conquête de l'Air 1904- Brussels 343
Aeronautical World 1902-1903 Ohio 315
Compte Rendus de l’Académie Sciences 1836- Paris 191
Bulletin of the Aerial Experiment Association 1908- Nova Scotia 157
La Revue de l’Aviation 1906- Paris 147
American Magazine of Aeronautics 1907- New York 102
L'Aeronauta 1896-1900 Milan 95
Revue de l’Aeronautique 1888-96; 1900-1 Paris 87
Flight (Aero Club of UK) 1909- London 81
American Aeronaut 1907-1909 St. Louis; NYC 81
Aeronautical Annual 1895-1897 Boston 68
Ballooning and Aeronautics 1907- London 64
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Aeronautical patents per year, 1860-1907This is a sample including more than 40% of the relevant patents of that time.
• From publications of the time, USPTO, google patents, and EPO.
• Sources say whether a patent is aeronautically-relevant.
For flying machines I find so far no licensing fees or suits.
Subjects of publications and patents to 1909from selected samples, all countries, some overlap
Term/idea in pub title Pub. count
Balloon (aerostat, dirigible, Zeppelin, voyage, ascent)
2100
Navigation (control, steerable) 623
Kites, gliders (gliding, soaring) 550
Wing 180
Motor (engine, propulsion, propellers) 380
Bird/animal (animal, fish, insect) 270
Scientific/measurement (research, theory, meteorology, atmosphere, experiment, duration, altitude, temperature, weight)
475
Military (warfare, army) 400
Clubs/societies 600
Technology patented Patentcount
Balloon, airship 556
Navigation / control 297
Kite/glider/wing (glider, parachute, wing, airfoil)
186
Propulsion (propellers, flapping wing, ornithopter, engine, motor)
355
Other of interest
Helicopters 32
Toys / fun 30
Instruments 26
Wilbur Wright’s first letter to Chanute in 1900 says “the apparatus I intend to employ . . . is very similar to [your] "double-deck" machine [of] 1896-7 . . .”
“. . . I make no secret of my plans . . . . I believe no financial profit will accrue to the inventor of the first flying machine,
and that only those who are willing to give as well as to receive suggestions can hope to link their names with the honor of its discovery. The problem is too great for one man alone and unaided to solve in secret.” 10
Imitation/copying of previous designs
Chanute-Herring glider, 1896
Wright brothers 1901-2 glider1903-5 airplanes
Pratt truss
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That basic design continues . . .
Voisin-Farman winning prize, 1908
Farman, 1909-10
Ferber, 1902, copies Wright design based on report from Chanute
Santos-Dumont 1906, 1st airplane flight in Europe
Source: Gibbs-Smith’s Rebirth of European Aviation
Tinkerers era has “open source” publications,
patents, copying
Now we look at the early industry era:
1908-1916
Branches and spinoffs from other industries
• Spinoffs here mean key technical people or founder came from the other industry (as in Klepper’s research on early automobile companies)
• Maybe 10-20% of firms were started by a tinkerer with experience in aero experimentation but not branching out or spinning off from other industry
• Most firms were started with experience at an airplane-maker already!
Source industry Establishments/firms that made airplanes in 1908-1916
Engines, turbines AGO, AWK, Bollee, Curtiss, Junkers, Motorenfabrik Oberursel, Napier, Nieuport/SGd’EL, Praga, Salmson, Schwade, Siddeley, Sloan et Cie, Sturtevant, Sunbeam, Talleres, Tips, Train, Turcat-Mery, Westland,
Autos, railcars, carriages Bollee, Delaunay-Bellville, Euler-werke, Fiat, Lohnerwerke, Odier-Vendome, Savary, Turcat-Mery, Wolseley, Hannoversche Waggonfabrik, Linke-Hoffman, Russo-Baltic Wagon Co., Hooper, WKF
Ships, boats Avro, AWK, Barnwell Bros, Denny/RAF, Harland-Wolff, Oertz, Radley, Saunders, Tellier et Cie, Wight
Flying school Grade, Graham-White, NFS, Rex GmbH, Schultze, Sloane, Sopwith, United Eastern, Vegener
Airships, balloons Astra, Chalais-Meudon, PMBRA, Dornier, Saunders, Schutte-Lanz, Siemens-Schuckert, Vickers
Ordnance Anzani, LTG, Yokosuka Naval Air Arsenal
Electric AEG, Phoenix Dynamo,Siemens-Schuckert,
Bicycles, motorcycles Curtiss, Euler-werke, Turcat-Mery, Wrights
Other engineering AEA, Breguet, Daimler, Euler-Werke, Fairey, Gallaudet, Gwynne, Liore-Olivier, Nielsen-Winther, Ransomes, Robey, SAML, Savages, SNOS, Williams, Zaparka
Auto repair Day, Martin
Other business BAT, Deperdussin, Sage, Thulin AETA
Most new aero firms were in Europe
In Japan, military led; few firms Clubs and publications do not arise till 1909; military decision to research
balloons and airplanes in 1909; dispatch individuals to other countries to learn ; first 25 civilians get foreign training to fly in 1911 ; almost all engines and aircraft are modifications of a foreign design till 1920
In U.S., several major firms, but paralysis associated with litigation by the Wrights who have a broad patent claim
“pioneer patent” – an unusual legal category starting 1890s Curtiss firm manufacturers airplanes ; big lawsuits American-made planes considered unsuitable for use in WWI at start 1917: Military forces patent pool, called MAA
Australia, New Zealand, Canada, elsewhere Some new firms, mostly founded by tinkerers not industrialists
Aero publications jump with new industry,decline in WWI
Phases: slow growth, 1860-1906 (data from Brockett 1910, 1921 ; estimates after 1909)1907 –spike with sudden interest in new industry1914 – notable drop because of the war, especially in French and German
Aero patents in US, 1907-1916
U.S. patents per year in “aeronautics and aviation” classification decline after 1912
• Possibly Wright lawsuits caused this• Presumably during war, fewer applications came from Europe
• Data not ready for other countries• These are by date of grant, not the date the applicant filed
Conclusions (1)1810-1906 aerial navigation experimenters publish and patent
Growth of patents is comparable to growth of patents overall Publications grow faster than that Many clubs and societies arise, at first organized around ballooning Technology is imitated ; little intellectual property
Note: No firms do this “research” (technological uncertainty) motivation mostly intrinsic or altruistic: to fly! change world! attempt challenge
Communication imitation, progress 1890s standard glider
A new industry starts from this open-source information Publications and patents jump up, 1907-1913 Wave of new companies appears, exhibitions, military contracts Patents matter as intellectual property then
Conclusions (2)
Most new firms are in Europe Some started by aero people only Many are coming in from another industry or spinning off from
engineering/manufacturing experience “Success rates” unknown as yet
In WWI, notable decline in aero publications Especially in French and German English publications drop, but less
Many English speakers are distant from the war US aero patents decline, presumably also in the other countries
After 1907, aero technology decreasingly by open-source processes, more by industry and hierarchical/government processes