Jacob Ellehammer and his 1906 flying machine

[simplex1]

Jacob Ellehammer and his 1906 flying machine

I have found an article in L'Aerophile (March 1907) about Jacob Ellehammer and his plane able to float close to the ground.
My question, especially for somebody in Danemark, would be when was this picture or others, showing the machine above the road, first published?

http://b.bimg.dk/node-images/422/620x/422079-ellehammer-flj-aldrig--.jpg
Read: "L'aeroplane Ellehammer", L'Aerophile, March 1907, L'Aérophile (Paris) (http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6551462k/f72)

[Wander00]

Try the Technical Museum in Helsingor. Went there with my son, his Danish wife and the grandsons, and was surprised at the extent of Danish experimentation in the early days of flight. My guess is they would have the information you are looking for

[Flybiker7000]

The picture was undoubtly used for documentation as the experiments was done at a remote inhabitated island about a days travel south of Copenhagen and as such it might have been offered to the main newspapers shortly after being developed and back in Copenhagen :-/
Trivia:
- The flight tests were done on a circular track with the plane attached to a central pole and the lift-off's were only shortly when the movement was towards the wind!
- Ellehammers father invented a wind-powered waterpump to drain a inclosed firth to reclaim agriculture land and got afterwards the lifelong job to keep the Windmill running. Growing up with acces to surplus mill-wing sheets he already in his childhood played wit overdimensioned kites able to lift his brothers and freinds, and got later inspiration for powered flight out of this experiences!
- Ellehammer is reckognized for having build the worlds first radial engine. It's made by three cylinder and -heads from the engine used on the single cylindered 'Elleham' motorcycle (Peugeot Freres or Zedell) around a home casted housing. Around the new millenium a downscaled model of his helikopter-project was discovered attached with an unknown radialengine. This is thought to be the very first but too weak aeroplane engine of his, hidden and later used for other purposes. It is displayed on Elsinore/Helsingör tech. Museum and started up every day :-o

[joy ride]

Thanks Flybiker for that interesting information.

[simplex1]

Flybiker7000: "The picture was undoubtly used for documentation as the experiments was done at a remote inhabitated island about a days travel south of Copenhagen and as such it might have been offered to the main newspapers shortly after being developed and back in Copenhagen"

1) Denmark should have internet archives with its old newspapers, magazines, scientific or technical journals, scanned. Are you aware about such an archive?

2) The fact Ellehammer got off the ground with a headwind is not important as long as such a flow of air just shortens the take off distance, assuming it blows parallel to a flat terrain. This wind does not provide any kind of energy that contributes to lifting the machine in the air.

3) Do you know the weight of Ellehammer? Pictures show him rather fat.

[Rosevidney1]

Do you know the weight of Ellehammer? Pictures show him rather fat.


Oh tut tut! We politically correct souls would prefer a kinder phrase.


How about 'adequately nourished' or 'of ample girth' or ' not showing signs of emaciation' ?

[Flybiker7000]

I think the autobiography will give the best leads towards wich Newspapers there might have been actual at the time!

The headwind issue is an unpractical result of travelling around on a circular course: with wind blowing towards '12 o clock' and Ellehammer travelling counterclockwise, He would only achieve headwind shortly around the 9 o' clock point :-(

Ellehammer was tight built, but rather short - not having the exact numbers!

[Flybiker7000]

The biplane showed is actual a monoplane with an overhung kite wich only finds it's form by wind-speed and propellartrust.
Ellehammer did at this early moment incoperate two other details to the design: The wings was easily foldable for transport and storage (bright idea long time before the need of the same on WW2-carriers!), and the elevation was controlled by the seat hanging as a pendulum!
Together with the overhung kite-plane, the whole airplane brings reminiscenses toward todays hanggliders :-o

Something for Your eyes:
http://youtu.be/4Nqdv5AW-VE
Enjoy!

[simplex1]

Flybiker7000: http://youtu.be/4Nqdv5AW-VE
The images are form 1907, 1908, 1909. They do not show the plane in 1906.

There are pictures, with one of Ellehammer's machines, which have been published by the Scientific American in March 1906. However, from the text, it is not quite clear whether the plane had already flown.

See: "Some recent foreign flying machines", Scientific American, pag. 252-253, March 24, 1906, Scientific American v.94 1906. - Full View | HathiTrust Digital Library | HathiTrust Digital Library (http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?num=252;u=1;seq=260;view=image;size=125;id=pst.0000629999 46;page=root;orient=0)

[Wander00]

See link to Danish Technical Museum web site which refers to Ellehammer and the belief of some that he was the first person in Europe to fly, in 1906. I am sure they will have more information if you e-mail them


Information in English (http://www.tekniskmuseum.dk/mod_inc/?p=itemModule&id=296&kind=9)

[Flybiker7000]

Simplex1:
Thanx for the link (wich mentions Mr. ElleKammer)!

So far I've managed to track the photo to:
"the picturecollection of danish historic magazines - 1906"
So at least it have been published within a 3-month period after the actual flight.

The quest continues!

[simplex1]

Flybiker7000: So far I've managed to track the photo to:
"the picture collection of danish historic magazines - 1906"
So at least it has been published within a 3-month period after the actual flight
You are talking about the picture showing Ellehammer flying, the image that appeared in L'Aerophile from March 1907? The photo must have been likely taken on September 12, 1906.

What exactly is this: "the picture collection of danish historic magazines - 1906". Is it available on the net, even in Danish? If the image was given to the press, no more than three months after the flight, it means it appeared in newspapers before Dec. 12, 1906.

[Flybiker7000]

Simplex1:
I simply found the picture on the web, where it's originality were described as written!
With 3 months I really didn't mean 3.0 months, bit 'the year out' - Should have written: 'before 1907'
The picture is one of two and of glass-plate technique and both exist today on the tech. museum in Helsingör/Elsinore!

[Flybiker7000]

I mentioned the radial engine of Ellehammer earlier. I have now come past a short occurence on video:
It is to se being started up on the fathers day 2015 video of the Helsingör tech. museum at: http://youtu.be/b4P760AuCHw (at 2:99)
Enjoy!

[joy ride]

Great video, looks like a great day out. I like the use of a bicycle wheel as a fly wheel, very light, and most of the weight at the outside to get max advantage, amazing that it still runs.

I also spotted a nice Morgan Matchless MX3 three wheel sports car in the photos at the end, a great favourite of mine! Thanks for posting!

[Flybiker7000]

The rim is still filled with the original lead-wire and fixed with steelwire across.
But a modern hydraulic brake is fitted to give the engine some resistance to work with. In praxis the engine drives a hydraulic pump and in the pump-to-screen circuit is a valve fitted.
The crew have learned by doing: The lower sparkplug is screwed out and excessive oil drained as the first preparations for start ;-)

[joy ride]

I did not realise there was lead wire in the rim, very clever!

[Flybiker7000]

Back to the original question:
I've had a correspondence with the mentioned tech. museum and preliminary have i been informed that the Danish magazine MOTOR published the photo in their issue #22 of sept. 1906.
This sounds quite early and My thoughts are that the photograph actual might have been taken on the wish of MOTOR due to a deadline for the #22 issue :-/
I've been promished a revision of Ellehammers own scrapbook at a given time in the future. The scrapbook should be the best evidence of photo publication as Ellehammer shouldn't have missed any article about his long awaited succes.

To be continued.

[Flybiker7000]

The Tech Museum have been very interrested in the subject, hence the scrapbooks have already been scoured and the result is as follows:
- Motor, Issue #22, September 22th. 1906 (as already mentioned)
- Verdens Spejlet (World Mirror), December 23th 1906.
- Aftenposten (Evening Post), December 27th 1906.
- Krig og Fred (War and Peace), issue #10, 1906 (Extra-Issue off the magazine Illustrated Familie Journal, hence no particular date)
- Dagens Nyheder (News of Today), December 19th 1907.

[Wander00]

I hope to be staying near the Tech Museum, in my son's summer place, in September. I will go and have another look at this. A very interesting thread

[Flybiker7000]

@wander00: If/when at the Helsingör tech. museum, check out the story of Vincent Seremet and find out that Yves Rossy haven't been without inspiration from the past ;-)

[Flybiker7000]

Additionally: Most of the daredevils of flight might have persued lift for the sake of fame, but for Ellehammer was it evident that an engine and 'airscrew' would be able to deliver trust in size of the pulling force at a big kites string and at a point He realised that the engines He had in hand due to His design of motorcycles might be light and powerfull enough to proof the fact for the common sceptics.
After succeded with controlled flight years after, He obviously found the job done and turned his interrest into helicoptering and did a lot of other inventions beside.
The attached flight-tests certainly shows a non-daredevil and IMO does the society of Danish noblemen of the time fails by not being able to contain a single flight-daredevil, wich is strange as motorcycling (with the Elleham motorbike) had become ever popular among members of the highest society, including the royals and even the Russian Tzar -family (King Christian IX reighned until 1906 and had children on four of the European thrones, nicknaming him 'the father in-law of Europe')

[Wander00]

FB - In Dk now, and hope to visit the museum next week. Will make sure my son knows about Fars Dag for next year


W

[Flybiker7000]

Enjoy Wander00!