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Remember the late 1980s and early 1990s, when so-called bio-design was all the rage? Some shrewd advertising moguls tried to have us believe that industrial design had finally realized what a brilliant idea it was to mimic the shapes of nature for aerodynamic purposes, not to mention the aesthetic qualities.
A look back on the early days of aviation shows us many examples of attempts at such bio-design. Of course, neither the materials nor the engines were adapted to really make a difference on those strange flying contraptions... But imagine Clément Ader's Éole built with carbon-based composite materials and, say, PT6 turbines?
I'd like for everyone to use this new topic to include any examples of aircraft (in the loose meaning of the word — gliders, helicopters are also welcome) that were designed to closely resemble shapes found in nature.
For example, as early as 1897 (the same year as the Éole's attempted flights), a German inventor by the name of Friedrich Ahlhorn studied and theorized the application to flying contraptions of zanonia's seed. The Zanonia Macrocarpa) is a strange Japanese plant (loosely related to our cucumbers), whose seed is made of a thin yet stiff membrane (sometimes as big as six inches wide) that can glide across long distances. In 1904 Austrian inventor Igo Etrich first applied Ahlhorn's research to a kite, and two years later produced with Franz Wels the Praterspatz, a monoplane glider which was shaped exactly like the zanonia. In 1907, the design evolved into a powered aircraft, and ultimately led to the famous Rumpler Taube of 1911, an observation/training type that was nonetheless used as the first ever bomber during World War I.
More information online:
A look back on the early days of aviation shows us many examples of attempts at such bio-design. Of course, neither the materials nor the engines were adapted to really make a difference on those strange flying contraptions... But imagine Clément Ader's Éole built with carbon-based composite materials and, say, PT6 turbines?
I'd like for everyone to use this new topic to include any examples of aircraft (in the loose meaning of the word — gliders, helicopters are also welcome) that were designed to closely resemble shapes found in nature.
For example, as early as 1897 (the same year as the Éole's attempted flights), a German inventor by the name of Friedrich Ahlhorn studied and theorized the application to flying contraptions of zanonia's seed. The Zanonia Macrocarpa) is a strange Japanese plant (loosely related to our cucumbers), whose seed is made of a thin yet stiff membrane (sometimes as big as six inches wide) that can glide across long distances. In 1904 Austrian inventor Igo Etrich first applied Ahlhorn's research to a kite, and two years later produced with Franz Wels the Praterspatz, a monoplane glider which was shaped exactly like the zanonia. In 1907, the design evolved into a powered aircraft, and ultimately led to the famous Rumpler Taube of 1911, an observation/training type that was nonetheless used as the first ever bomber during World War I.
More information online:
