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AEA Cygnet
*** Shopping-Tip: AEA Cygnet
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The '''Cygnet''' (or '''Aerodrome #5''') was an extremely unorthodox early aircraft, with a wall-like "wing" made up of 360 tetrahedral cells. It was a powered version of the
AEA Cygnet Cygnet kite designed by
Alexander Graham Bell in
1907 in aviation 1907 and built by the newly-founded
Aerial Experiment Association.
On
December 6,
Thomas Selfridge piloted the aircraft as it was towed into the air behind a motorboat, eventually reaching a height of 168 ft (51 m). While demonstrably able to fly as a person-carrying kite, it seemed unpromising as a direction for research into powered flight. It was difficult to control, and was in fact destroyed when it hit the water at the end of the flight.
The following year, a smaller copy of the design was built as the '''Cygnet II''', now equipped with wheeled undercarriage and a Curtiss
V-8 engine. Attempts to fly it at
Baddeck, Nova Scotia between
February 22-
February 24 24 1909 in aviation 1909 met with failure.
Rebuilt again as the '''Cygnet III''' with a more powerful engine, it finally flew on
March 1 1912 in aviation 1912 at
Lake Bras d'Or,
Nova Scotia, piloted by
John McCurdy.
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Specifications (Cygnet III)
General characteristics
* '''Crew:''' one pilot
* '''Length:''' ft in ( m)
* '''Wingspan:''' 26 ft 4 in (8.03 m)
* '''Height:''' ft in ( m)
* '''Wing area:''' ft² ( m²)
* '''Empty:''' lb ( kg)
* '''Loaded:''' lb ( kg)
* '''Maximum takeoff:''' lb ( kg)
* '''Powerplant:''' 1x
Gnome et Rhône Gnôme rotary engine, 70 hp (52 kW)
Performance
* '''Maximum speed:''' mph ( km/h)
* '''Range:''' miles ( km)
* '''Service ceiling:''' ft ( m)
* '''Rate of climb:''' ft/min ( m/min)
* '''Wing loading:'''
* '''Power/Mass:'''
Related content
'''Related development:'''
'''Comparable aircraft:'''
'''Designation sequence:'''
AEA Red Wing #1 -
AEA White Wing #2 -
AEA June Bug #3 -
AEA Silver Dart #4 -
'''#5'''
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Category:Canadian experimental aircraft 1900-1909
Category:Victoria County, Nova Scotia
Category:U.S. experimental aircraft 1900-1909
