4 ms·

I often wonder the same. As someone with a hobby of making unpowered gliders from balsa wood and laminating sheets, I often wonder why such simple contraptions

I often wonder the same. As someone with a hobby of making unpowered gliders from balsa wood and laminating sheets, I often wonder why such simple contraptions (I can make very nice gliders with around 20 pieces of wood and one sheet) weren't discovered using easily available woods and paper many centuries ago and extrapolated to bigger machines with fabric and wooden struts. Seems that the raw materials would have been available in Roman times and only very minimal amounts of theory (as opposed to trial and error tinkering) are required. Truly remarkable that gliding firebombs and the like were never invented for warfare.

earthbee 4y ago
Maybe because trial an error improvement isn't possible if you're actually flying the vehicle? Just a guess.
- zabzonk 4y ago
  Solution: send your butler up in it! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Cayley https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Cayley
morelisp 4y ago
> Truly remarkable that gliding firebombs and the like were never invented for warfare. What? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kite#Military_applications https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kite#Military_applications Steering is important though, you need to a) go up, b) go the right place, not back at you, c) come down, again not where you are.
- pbhjpbhj 4y ago
  I wonder how much people tried to develop ballistae projectiles, perhaps once they had bolts/darts they were good enough and longer range just wasn't necessary?
  - morelisp 4y ago
    In most cases if your goal is just to get some explosives over a tall wall, a trebuchet or siege tower is probably sufficient. On the other hand, if you have a lot of gunpowder, a cannon is also pretty fine on its own without any need to go up-and-over.
zabzonk 4y ago
Yeah, I used to build toy gliders too - it's really easy, though with balsa of course, which would not have been available in western Europe during the Renaissance (so tough shit Leonardo) but there are other light-weight materials, which is what sparked my question.
- dredmorbius 4y ago
  Spruce was used in aviation through WWII. Boeing was located in Seattle to be near wood supplies needed in aircraft fabrication. (Well, that and its founder was already in the lumber business.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Boeing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Boeing
Traubenfuchs 4y ago
Those "simple contraptions" probably were invented, many times, at different places all over earth. Just for fun and as a hobby. No records were made because no one considered those things worthy. People just never thought big or never had the opportunity to.
7952 4y ago
Aeroplanes rely on light and strong materials with a high power to weight ratio energy source. Without that it is difficult to make the physics work. The internal combustion engine made it more possible.

earthbee 4y ago

Maybe because trial an error improvement isn't possible if you're actually flying the vehicle? Just a guess.

zabzonk 4y ago
Solution: send your butler up in it! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Cayley https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Cayley

morelisp 4y ago

> Truly remarkable that gliding firebombs and the like were never invented for warfare. What? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kite#Military_applications https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kite#Military_applications Steering is important though, you need to a) go up, b) go the right place, not back at you, c) come down, again not where you are.

pbhjpbhj 4y ago
I wonder how much people tried to develop ballistae projectiles, perhaps once they had bolts/darts they were good enough and longer range just wasn't necessary?
- morelisp 4y ago
  In most cases if your goal is just to get some explosives over a tall wall, a trebuchet or siege tower is probably sufficient. On the other hand, if you have a lot of gunpowder, a cannon is also pretty fine on its own without any need to go up-and-over.

zabzonk 4y ago

Yeah, I used to build toy gliders too - it's really easy, though with balsa of course, which would not have been available in western Europe during the Renaissance (so tough shit Leonardo) but there are other light-weight materials, which is what sparked my question.

dredmorbius 4y ago
Spruce was used in aviation through WWII. Boeing was located in Seattle to be near wood supplies needed in aircraft fabrication. (Well, that and its founder was already in the lumber business.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Boeing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Boeing

Traubenfuchs 4y ago

Those "simple contraptions" probably were invented, many times, at different places all over earth. Just for fun and as a hobby. No records were made because no one considered those things worthy. People just never thought big or never had the opportunity to.

7952 4y ago

Aeroplanes rely on light and strong materials with a high power to weight ratio energy source. Without that it is difficult to make the physics work. The internal combustion engine made it more possible.