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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).

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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

from Mouillard’s L’empire de l’air, 1881 The next five from L’Aerophile, 1893-1905

Example patent

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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

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1908: Startup firms appear

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