Birdflight As The Basis Of Aviation [Paperback]

Otto Lilienthal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 20, 2000

One of the most important books ever published. It's the work of a creative genius whose observation, analysis, ingenuity and daring laid the foundation for the development of aviation. After a comprehensive scientific study of how birds fly, Lilienthal recognized the superiority of curved wing surfaces. He then developed a theory of flight and designed and built a series of gliders. From 1891 to 1896 he made over 2,000 glides--bridging the gap between those who dreamed of flying and those who flew. Learning of Lilienthal's fatal gliding accident in 1896, the Wright Brothers became inspired to investigate "the problem of human flight." Lilienthal had a tremendous influence on the Wrights, who considered him their hero. They carefully studied his work, developed their own theories and designs, and invented the airplane."

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Markowski Intl (November 20, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938716581
• ISBN-13: 978-0938716587
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,189,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, June 4, 2001

By 

Stefan Buchta (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Birdflight As The Basis Of Aviation (Paperback)

Being an engineer, I recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of technology. If you study Otto Lilienthal's work and the correspondance of the Wright brothers carefully, you will agree with me that there would have been no flight in December 1903 in Kitty Hawk without this very book ! It did much more than just influence Wilbur Wright - it provided the very concepts that allowed for his creating a workable flying machine. Otto was the first trained engineer that applied the principles of dynamics to the flying problem, inventing key concepts such as "center of pressure" of a wing and drag. Wilbur uses these concepts over and over in his notebooks and letters.

But "Herr Lilienthal" did not only provide an explanation of birdflight, he was also a powerful motivator. His brother, Gustaf, writes about Otto's unconditional dedication to his dream - spending all his finances and energy into experiments and his flying machines. If you are an engineer in search of a vision - read this book !

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An indispensable book of historic significance, January 12, 2001

By 

Joseph H Pierre "Joe Pierre" (Salem, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Birdflight As The Basis Of Aviation (Paperback)

Otto Lilienthal was a German engineer whose passion was flight. He died on August 9, 1896, after a gliding accident the day before. Just before his death, he said, "Sacrifices must be made."

This is his book. It was read by virtually all of the original aviation pioneers. The American aviation pioneers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, who [Orville] made their first successful powered flight on December 17, 1903, considered him their hero. Lilienthal studied birds closely, and from them he learned how they change the dihedral and curvature of their wings in flight, in order to conform to the conditions of the ocean of air in which they swam. The Wrights learned from him, and warped the wings of their craft in flight to bank and turn.

We are justified in calling Lilienthal the Father of Gliding Experiments--perhaps even the Father of Aviation. Next time you lift off in a jetliner, it would not be amiss if you thought of this man who literally gave his life for his dream of flight.

Birdflight as the Basis of Aviation was first published in 1891, and this, the 2001 edition, is an unabridged copy of the original, complete with Lilienthal's own diagrams and formulae, and with a Preface written in 1911 by A.W. Isenthal, who translated the original into English after Otto's death. Like the Wright brothers, Otto was assisted in his work by his brother Gustave, who died in 1933. Some of this book was written by Gustave.

This is truly a remarkable volume. It represents Lilienthal's life work and is a compilation of the results of the numerous experiments made by the brothers. Although some of Lilienthal's calculations have been improved upon since this book was written, his work was the first light to pierce the darkness of ignorance on what has since become the science of aerodynamics. Today's hang gliding enthusiasts owe him a great debt of gratitude.

The art of photography was developed in France circa 1839, and thus this book contains several photographs of Lilienthal gliding in his light, unpowered aircraft.

If you are an aviation enthusiast, of whatever age or experience, this is a book you will want to add to your library.

Joseph Pierre

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reveals a unique aspect of American aviation, April 14, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Birdflight As The Basis Of Aviation (Paperback)

Birdflight As The Basis Of Aviation reveals a unique aspect of American aviation. Otto Lilienthal flying in a bird-wing based manually operated glider -- in the 1890s! From 1891 to his fatal gliding accident in 1986, Lilienthal did more than two thousand airborne glides and inspired the Wright Brothers to investigate human flight. The Wright Brothers cited Lilienthal as one of their heroes and carefully studied his work, developed their own theories and designs, and went on to invent the first working heavier than air aircraft. Originally published in 1889, Birdflight As The Basis Of Aviation features more than none hundred drawings, graphs, and diagrams (including many historic photographs of Lilienthal flying) and is a very welcome contribution to contemporary aviation history reference collections -- and a "must" for all American aviation history buffs.