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Showing results for tags 'Mozhaisky'.
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Another pioneer that I scratchbuilt some time ago, for the collection or aeronautic relics and your (hopefully) pleasure: The dream of getting into the blue yonder wasn't born in a specific place. Almost every man through history longed for wings. By the end of the XIX century, Alexander Mozhaisky, a Russian national, built and tested a steam powered monoplane that basically had the right stuff. It is arguable that he achieved a great degree of success, although the machine made a promising hop. Bureaucracy, lack of support, lack of funds, his own death, the usual things, prevented what could have had the chance to really make history, a fate many other pioneers would share. I will humbly dispute the numbers almost universally given for the size of this plane, which, if made with the given span and length, would be almost ridiculous. Fortunately, and after a certain time spent researching, an unexpected text (The Naval Institute Guide to the Soviet Navy by Norman Polmar) provided with the much more credible span of 12.2 meters. Why the other sources state, for example, that the main propeller was 28.7' (almost 9 meters) the span 74' (more than 22 meters) and so forth, seems to escape common sense; perhaps the common mistake of confusing metric and imperial? some other contemporary Russian measure system? Time will tell. Or Won't. What can I say, give me a glass of vodka and a balalaika (or better an Xacto)- 34 replies
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