Project Gutenberg 2015-01-17 Public domain in the USA. 1461 Langley, S. P. (Samuel Pierpont) 1834 1906 Langley, Samuel Pierpont Manly, Charles M. (Charles Matthews) 1876 1927 Langley Memoir on Mechanical Flight, Parts I and II Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, Volume 27 Number 3, Publication 1948, 1911 E-text prepared by Charlene Taylor, RichardW, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive/American Libraries (https://archive.org/details/americana) "Langley Memoir on Mechanical Flight, Parts I and II" by Samuel Pierpont Langley and Charles M. Manly is a scientific publication likely written in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This work documents the pioneering experiments in aerodynamics conducted by Langley, focusing on the practical aspects of mechanical flight, including models powered by various engines and the significant technical challenges faced in the pursuit of sustained aerial transportation. The narrative intertwines rigorous scientific inquiry with historical context, showcasing the evolution of flight technology during this formative period. The opening of the memoir introduces Langley as an early advocate for mechanical flight, recounting the essential experiments that took place from 1887 to 1896. Langley reflects on the evolution of his aerodromes, initially utilizing rubber-powered models and eventually transitioning to more powerful steam engines. He emphasizes the frustrations stemming from the limitations of earlier models, such as issues with weight and launching mechanics. The text sets the stage for a detailed recounting of his trials, including the scientific hypotheses behind design choices, the trials of constructing lighter and more efficient models, and Langley’s aspirations for a successful demonstration of sustained flight had been realized in his experiments by May 1896. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 61.1 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Aeronautics Flight TL Text Category: History - Modern (1750+) Category: Science - Physics Category: Engineering & Technology 1357308 2025-08-19T09:46:00.876717 text/html 1265795 2024-10-24T14:02:36 text/html 16640285 2025-08-19T09:46:27.936140 application/epub+zip 16636878 2025-08-19T09:46:05.915761 application/epub+zip 506672 2025-08-19T09:46:02.924751 application/epub+zip 17003430 2025-08-19T09:46:42.587016 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 16946828 2025-08-19T09:46:24.494181 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 861321 2022-09-21T18:29:47.635519 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1124302 2025-08-19T09:45:56.914774 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 1104208 2024-10-24T14:02:36 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17769 2025-08-19T09:46:42.871004 application/rdf+xml 13122 2025-08-19T09:46:03.203724 image/jpeg 2223 2025-08-19T09:46:03.066712 image/jpeg 15986803 2025-08-19T09:46:01.385712 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia en.wikipedia