Aircraft Design Firsts

[Noha307]

According to a post by Calum Douglas, the author of the book The Secret Horsepower Race:

As far as I have been able to ascertain, the Fw190 was the first production aircraft to use such a system, however, it seems that Bramo actually did a lot of the early development on the Kommandogerat, which BMW later got when the absorbed Bramo. I`m not sure what the exact proportions of work done by each firm on the unit were, but BMW did a lot of work, so it was more than just copying the Bramo drawings. [emphasis added][1]

The first aircraft to have an ammunition counter is unclear. I came across a post on r/Warthunder, with an (admittedly uncited) list of aircraft that featured one.[2] Not all of the specific variants are indicated, but if we were to assume that each had it on their first flight, then the Hawk 75, which first flew in May 1935, would be the winner. An advertising booklet confirms that "rounds counters" were installed on the Hawk 75-A.[3] Unfortunately, other than confirming their existence and stating they were for the fuselage guns, it doesn't provide any more information about their format or location. However, looking at cockpit pictures, there is a gauge mounted directly behind each of the fuselage guns that could be them:

(Source: WW2Aircraft.net)

Some sources state that the F2A had an ammunition counter, but it may be that ammunition itself could be viewed through a window in the gun bay service door.

(Source: Pienoismallit.net)

I've also seen a suggestion that they were in use in World War I, but have not been able to confirm it:

(Source: IL-2 Sturmovik)

The first aircraft with a magnetic anomaly detector, or MAD, appears to have been a PBY. One flying from NAS Quonset Point on 21 October 1941 located the submarine S-48 using what was then called a "magnetic airborne detector".[4] One is pictured here on 29 May 1943 with a towed version as well as what may be one in the tail:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

The first operational use was in January or February (the source is contradictory) 1943 by PBY-5As of VP-63 near Gibraltar.[4] The Japanese were not far behind - testing a MAD of their own design in March 1944. By November it appears to have been installed in B5Ns, B6Ns, and G3Ms.[5]

The first tactical fighter with an infrared missile approach warning, or MAW, system was the F-111. It was equipped with the AN/AAR-34.[6]

Finally, while I was not able to determine the first aircraft of any type with a Directional Infrared Countermeasure, or DIRCM, system, the first USAF aircraft with it appears to have been a C-17, although a C-130 is also a possibility. It was installed by Northrop Grumman, one of the companies heavily involved in the early development of DIRCM, around 2001.[7][8]

[Noha307]

Wildcats and Devastators may be the most famous implementations of flotation bags due to the difficulties they had, but according to a picture I came across the other day, the idea goes back as far as 1919. That year a set of 10 Hanriot HD-1s were equipped with both the bags and a device - similar in function to the "toothpick" nose skids seen on land based aircraft of the time - called a "hydrovane" to prevent them nosing over if they had to ditch.[1]

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

While first flying boats with steps and v-hulls have already been mentioned in a previous post, the first flying boat in general has not. I recently came across an unconfirmed claim that the Queen Aeroboat, designed by Grover Loening, may have held that title.[2]

(Source: Secret Projects)

Sonobuoys have an interesting history. The first examples were actually ship deployed and used for "radio acoustic ranging" as part of an aid to navigation system by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in the 1930s.[3] After World War II began, they were quickly adapted for military use as the AN/CRT-1. According to one history: "On 25 July 1942, the first successful launch of a sonobuoy from an aircraft was made from a U.S. Army B-18 bomber."[4] Meanwhile, Wikipedia claims the first operational use was by Sunderlands of No. 210 Squadron RAF.[5]

On the subject of anti-submarine warfare (ASW), the first aircraft with a dipping sonar may have been an HO4S equipped with the AN/AQS-4 system in 1951.[6] HRPs were also used in testing:

(Source: United States Coast Guard Aviation History)

Meanwhile, the "HSL-1 [...] was the first rotor aircraft to combine both hunter and killer roles."[7]

EDIT (22-02-15): Coincidentally, just today I came across the apparent successor to the "hydrovane". Although it would turn out to be nothing more than a historical footnote, the U.S. Navy apparently resurrected the idea as the "hydro-flap" in the late 1940s. With development perhaps spurred on by the notoriously difficult to ditch B-24/PB4Y and subsequent crash testing, it was trialed on a P2V and planned for implementation on P4M-1s.[8]

[Noha307]

The question of the first use of a trimmable elevator came up recently as the subject of a different thread.

While the subject of the first heads-up display, or HUD, was mentioned in a previous post, the history deserves a bit of clarification. Yes, the Blackburn Buccaneer has a rightful claim to being the first aircraft with a form of HUD, but its modern popularity apparently has a lot to do with the work of a French gentleman named Gilbert Klopfstein. He was responsible for the standardization of HUD symbology.[1] How his ingenious design very nearly never was recognized is an interesting read in and of itself![2]

In researching Mr. Klopfstein, I came across a PowerPoint presentation that brought up a few concepts and terms I had not heard of before. In particular, it brought up the existence of a "semi-radial" engine (developed by the same Robert Esnault-Pelterie that was mentioned in a previous post) and named the small area showing the pressure as a "Kollsman window". While it's a bit promotional of Dassault - especially towards the end when discussing the company's development of synthetic vision systems - it is still a good overview of the development of early aircraft systems.

Finally, although it is behind a paywall so it can't be freely read, an article titled "Head-Up Display Systems" seems like it might offer a good history of the development of the technology based on the abstract.

[Noha307]

Modular, unitized aircraft engines go by many names: quick engine change (QEC), universal powerplant (UPP), standard mounting unit, power-egg (Ger. Kraftei) as well as the German motoranlage and triebwerksanlage. One of the first implementations appears to have used the Jumo 211.[1] Unfortunately readily accessible, detailed information on when and how extensive the implementation was is lacking.

However, while the Germans seem to have gotten a lot of the credit for the concept - probably as a result of wunderwaffe mythology - they were not alone. Another early instance was the "Bristol Standardized Mounting Unit" developed for the company's Hercules engine as early as 1938.[2][3] (Interestingly, in addition to the Germans, the first of the two previous references also gives credit to the United States for developing such a system.)

An early claim for the American "quick engine change" is on the P-47C-1-RE. Developed as a result of the 63rd Fighter Squadron's experiences with the first production batch of 37 P-47Bs in June 1942, it added an additional 8-inches (although some source report various other lengths up to 13-inches[4]) to the fuselage forward of the firewall to accommodate the necessary changes.[5] The first aircraft so modified was a P-47C, 41-6066.[6]

On the subject of first jet powered aircraft mentioned in a previous post, a technical correction is necessary. The first aircraft to fly under jet power was actually a He 118 used for testing the Heinkel HeS 3. The aircraft took off and landed on piston power, but did use the engine in flight.[7] This situation is not unlike that of the first thrust reverser use, which, as noted in a previous post, occurred in testing of an engine attached to a Wellington. It is not clear whether the aircraft ever flew solely under jet power, but it does not appear so. If it did, however, it would be similar to the first jet powered landing on an aircraft carrier, which was performed by a Ryan FR-1 after the piston engine failed on final approach.[8] (Although, unsurprisingly, there is some dispute over whether this truly counts.[9])

[dhfan]

If Wiki is to be believed, it looks like the UK Air Ministry may possibly have come up with the idea first in 1937.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power-egg

I was looking up the Bristol Beaufighter (it was quicker than wondering which book to look at) because I knew that the Merlin-powered Mark II used the power egg designed for the Lancaster.

The Mk II was ordered in February 1940 so the Merlin power egg must have either already existed or been well on its way.

[Paul Stroud]

With regard to floatation bags for naval aircraft, the Sopwith 2F.1 Camel (aka "Ship's Camel") of 1917 was equipped with inflatable air bags in the rear fuselage.
http://www.roden.eu/HTML/044.html

[Noha307]

If Wiki is to be believed, it looks like the UK Air Ministry may possibly have come up with the idea first in 1937.

I actually looked at that article while I was writing the post and can't believe I missed that. Thanks for pointing it out.

I now have a potential fourth revision on the story of the first ducted spinner. As mentioned in a previous post, the Curtiss S-3 was seen with one in 1917. However, the Avro 530, which was designed in 1916 and first flew in July 1917, also featured one:

(Source: Their Flying Machines)

The Beardmore W.B. 2 also featured one, so it must have been a popular concept at the time:

(Source: Their Flying Machines)

Meanwhile, the first aircraft with tiltrotors may have been an airship! (Surprisingly, this is not the first time early lighter-than-air craft have been responsible for a propeller related first.) The R-34, which flew from 1919 to 1921, was pictured with them:

(Source: Warbird Information Exchange)

Retractable floats have been promoted by companies such as Tigerfish Aviation in recent years. However, the idea goes back to the Gotha WD.10 designed by Oskar Ursinus:

(Source: Their Flying Machines)

On the subject of early aircraft radios mentioned in a previous post, one early setup with a telegraph key is seen on a JN-4:


(Source: Warbird Information Exchange)

Finally, there are a few claimants for the first use of plastic on an aircraft, but the answer is muddied by the question of what constitutes "plastic". One possibility are the experiments done by the Germans during World War I with transparent cellulose acetate film on aircraft like the Fokker E.III:

(Source: University of Texas at Dallas)

and Linke-Hofmann R.I (which is oddly similar to the later Soviet An-2CX):

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

The United States was not far behind, with Martin introducing it on their MB-2 in 1921:

(Source: Flying via Google Books)

EDIT (22-10-01): The website RadioNerds.com has a page with a few pictures of another early example of an aircraft radio.
EDIT (22-11-20): As was mentioned above, what constitutes "plastic" is a tricky subject. However, the July 1943 issue of Aero Digest has a detailed table of Plastics Used by the Aviation Industry and their properties on page 186 that may be useful in determining the answer.
EDIT (23-07-24): Although it is far too late to be considered a contender for first, it may be of interest to note that the concept of a ducted spinner is closely related to that of an "annual radiator". The latter was tested both with and without a ducted spinner on a Hawker Tempest V, NV768. (Another Tempest V, EJ518, was fitted with an annual radiator, but not a ducted spinner.)[1][2][3][4] The concept even continued into the 1950s, with the concept art of the the progenitor to the B-52, the Model 462, showing depicting it.[5] The original configuration of the Vultee P-66 also featured an oversized spinner and a retractable air intake below it.[6] While it wasn't ducted, it does seem to point towards an overall trend during the era to try to achieve better aerodynamics by designing away or reducing the size of as many air intakes as possible.

Last edited by Noha307 on Mon Jul 24, 2023 1:52 pm, edited 4 times in total.

[Noha307]

The first laser ring gyroscopes were developed by Honeywell in the early 1960s as part of a trend towards laser-related defense spending.[1][2] According to an article about its inventor, Joseph Killpatrick, the first aircraft to use the device was a Honeywell airplane in 1966.[3] Unfortunately, he does not name the specific airplane used and the Aviation Week and Space Technology article mentioned, likely "Laser Unit Challenges Conventional Gyros", is not freely available. However, it appears the first large scale civilian use of the device did not occur until 1981, when the ARINC 704 entered service on Boeing 757s and 767s.[4][5][6]

Another airplane operated by Honeywell until 2019, a Convair 580, N580HW, was responsible for the development of the first airborne 3D weather radar, the IntuVue RDR-4000.[7] (Note that this is not the airplane mentioned in a previous post about the Honeywell test fleet, as it was only purchased by Allied Signal in January 1992.)

Finally, on an unrelated note, the book Atmospheric Flight in the Twentieth Century appears to have a chapter with a good history of the development of the turbofan engine. Again, however, access to the full article is restricted.

[Noha307]

Determining the first aircraft with an annunciator panel is difficult - partially because the term refers to servant bells and burglar alarms that go back to at least the 1800s![1] However, a good candidate for the first aircraft example is the "centralized warning panel" in the Hunting Percival Jet Provost.[2] I believe the CWP is the device outlined in red in the picture of the cockpit of Jet Provost T.3, XM373, below:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

For comparison, a picture of the restored instrument panel of a Jet Provost T.4, XP558, is available in a BritModeller thread.

The term was apparently still relatively new by 1969, as a USAF study from that year places it in quotation marks.[3]

EDIT (22-07-10): I was looking through some old aviation magazines when I just so happened to find a potential predecessor to the annunciator panel. It was called the "Tell Tale" signal system and was featured in the Curtiss-Wright CW-23:

Tell Tale Signal System.png (428.53 KiB) Viewed 3948 times

Novel development is the "Tell Tale" sig-
nal system, standard in the new warplane.

(Source: Popular Aviation via Google Books)

EDIT (22-09-16): I came across another article that describes the "Tell Tale" panel in significantly greater detail. It mentions the device was also used in the CW-20 and AT-9 and was developed by Willis L. Wells and Raymond A. Rugge.

Tell Tale Instrument Board Panel.png (262.23 KiB) Viewed 3388 times

(Source: Aero Digest via AirCorps Library)

Tell Tale System Removed.png (418.8 KiB) Viewed 3388 times

(Source: Aero Digest via AirCorps Library)

It's worth noting that in the immediate postwar era, in much a similar manner, cockpit checklists were being physically affixed to the instrument panels of aircraft like the P-80.

Last edited by Noha307 on Fri Sep 16, 2022 12:03 am, edited 2 times in total.

[Noha307]

Heated pitot tubes really seem to have entered the scene in 1934 and 1935. Advertisements for the Pioneer Electrically Heated Pitot Tube, Type 357D appear in both Aero Digest and Aviation at this time.[1][2] Furthermore, the 1934 edition of Aeronautics Bulletin No. 7-E requires that airliners are equipped with an "[a]ir-speed indicator, with electrically heated pitot tube, or equivalent."[3] An article about icing in the same issue of Aviation as the advertisement mentioned above states that research into the use of heat to prevent ice accumulation began "a half dozen years ago". (Interestingly, despite the suggestion of a previous post, the same article claims that deicing boots were first tested on a National Air Transport Douglas biplane.) A patent, 1,971,534, for a device similar in appearance to the Type 357D was filed on 11 August 1932 by J.D. Peace, Jr. and assigned to Bendix Aviation Corporation - the parent of the Pioneer Instruments Company:

(Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office)

The "slinger ring", which throws anti-icing fluid out onto propeller blades, was developed by I. R. Metcalf in the 1930s.[4] An apparently similar device appears in a patent, 2,161,242, filed in 1938:

(Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office)

A company called TKS (an abbreviation for Tecalemit-Kilfrost-Sheepbridge Stokes) developed the weeping wing deicing system during World War II.[5][6] The first airplane to use this system is not entirely clear, but it may have been a de Havilland Mosquito. (Frustratingly, a few articles mentioning the system, including one from 1944 that appears to describe the system in detail, remain behind paywalls or copyrighted content.)

For more information on the history of anti-icing research in the United States, see: Leary, William M. "'We Freeze to Please': A History of NASA’s Icing Research Tunnel and the Quest for Flight Safety." NASA History. Washington DC: NASA History Office, Office of External Relations, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2002.

[Stephan Wilkinson]

The first (and still the only) steam-powered aircraft was an early 1930s Travel Air 2000 modified to carry a Besler two-cylinder vee, double-action steam engine that put out about 150 hp but weighed 500 pounds. Its one advantage was that, being a double-action steam engine, it could near-instantly be reversed. After touchdown, this was done and the prop suddenly pushed rather than pulled, greatly shortening ground roll (reportedly to about 100 feet).

The first production heated pitot tube was on the Boeing 247. The 247 was also noted for the first successful commercial use of rubber deicing boots, made by B. F. Goodrich., on the wings and all tail leading edges.

[Noha307]

The first (and still the only) steam-powered aircraft was an early 1930s Travel Air 2000 modified to carry a Besler two-cylinder vee, double-action steam engine that put out about 150 hp but weighed 500 pounds. Its one advantage was that, being a double-action steam engine, it could near-instantly be reversed. After touchdown, this was done and the prop suddenly pushed rather than pulled, greatly shortening ground roll (reportedly to about 100 feet).

A picture of the startup:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

The first production heated pitot tube was on the Boeing 247.

Thanks! I really appreciate this type of information.

The first reference I found to an aircraft engine fire extinguisher was a patent, 1,383,788, filed in 1919. However, I did not come across any evidence it was actually used. The first apparent employment of such a device, albeit only a test, occurred in 1921 when it was demonstrated Walter T. Varney's showrooms. It was invented by Capt. W. A. Ross of War-Inc and used carbon tetrachloride. The article goes on to note that Mr. Varney had "secured rights to install the system on his ships".[1] (Prior to that, pilots utilized handheld devices.[2] Some were even refined to a small, pistol type format.[3][4] Interestingly, the device was refined in a later patent to be clipped onto the inside of the fuselage, which would not only retain it in place, but also allow it to be connected to tubing that would spray the fluid inside the engine compartment.[5])

Walter Kidde & Company was a significant player in the field; developing their own aircraft engine fire suppression system for the U.S. Navy in 1926.[6] Ten years later, they announced their "Lux" system, which deployed carbon dioxide from "duraluminum tubing installed in a perforated ring around the engine".[7][8] Based on the description, this may be the first example of the type typically seen on radial engine aircraft during World War II.

EDIT (22-07-25): Correct spelling of company name.
EDIT (22-07-26): Coincidentally, just yesterday I came across an article that includes a description of the pistol type fire extinguisher and mentions the device made its debut at the National Air Races and Aeronautical Exhibition in Cleveland in 1929.

Last edited by Noha307 on Tue Jul 26, 2022 9:07 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[dhfan]

Slight correction. It's Walter Kidde & Company, but I believe it was pronounced Kiddie.

[Noha307]

Slight correction. It's Walter Kidde & Company, but I believe it was pronounced Kiddie.

Thanks! It's fixed.

[Noha307]

The focus of today's post is fasteners and connectors.

The Cannon Electric Development Company originally produced connectors for the movie industry. The first aerospace use of their connectors was in the Douglas DC-1.[1] A series of patents - including 2,000,318; 2,272,379; and 2,286,952 - chart its development. The earliest magazine advertisement for the devices found so far is on page 73 of the February 1936 issue of Aero Digest.

Douglas again features in the creation of the Cherry rivet. It was developed by Carl W. Cherry, of the Cherry Rivet Company, as a result of his stepson's experience at Douglas.[2] The original patent, 2,183,543, was filed on 21 June 1937.

The Cleveland Pneumatic Tool Company, who the "cleco" is named after, may not have originated the design. (As an aside, there seems to be some sort of theme with products from Cleveland receiving shortened names, as the M2 High Speed Tractor was known as the "Cletrac" due to the fact it was manufactured by the Cleveland Tractor Company.) The first patent to feature such a device appears to be 2,136,875 and was filed on 16 March 1936. However, Cleco was not far behind, filing a patent 2,159,655 for a "plate fastening device" on 13 January 1937. These were followed up by 2,379,134 in 1941 and 2,388,603 in 1942. Other individuals were filing similar patents at the same time, including a 1941 application for a "clamp applying tool", a 1941 application for a "skin fastener", and a 1942 improved version of the latter.

William Dzus filed the first patent, 1,955,740, for his eponymous fastener on 15 September 1931 and would go on to found the Dzus Fastener Company, Inc. in 1936.[3][4] The same year, according to an article in the July issue of Aero Digest, his fasteners were the subject of testing by the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aeronautics at New York University.

One type of fastener I am struggling to find information are fabric clips. However, other than the facts that one version, called "Martin fabric clips" were used on the Taylorcraft B and, at least by 1980, were manufactured by the The Arbor Company in Columbia, California, I cannot find much information about them.[5][6] I know that Corsairs used a similar, but not the same, type of clip on their outer wing panels. Can anyone shed any more light on these clips? For example, does "Martin" refers to the Glenn L. Martin Company or another individual named Martin? Any sort of lead, such as a full name, would be helpful.

Finally, on the non-fastener front, two other potential firsts I recently came across:

An argument has been advanced that the Santos-Dumont Demoiselle was the first hombuilt, as the plans were made available in the June 1910 issue of Popular Mechanics.[7] (As an aside, it's worth noting that a number of the early surviving aircraft - inlcluding NASM's Curtiss Model F, NEAM's Bleriot XI and Curtiss Model D, and OHC's Curtiss Model D[8] - are technically homebuilts.)

According an article from the March 1934 issue of Popular Flying quoted in a post by the National Air and Space Museum, the Boeing 247 featured a lighted "no smoking"/"fasten seat belts" sign.[9] As can be seen on the Museum of Flight's airframe, it was located at the front of the cabin on the rear of the wall behind the pilot's seat:

(Source: Matterport)

EDIT (22-10-03): One more type of fastener I forgot: the elastic stop nut. It was pioneered by Swedish immigrant Carl Arthur Swanstrom, patented in January 1936 (2,026,757), and produced by the aptly named Elastic Stop Nut Corporation of America.[9]

Last edited by Noha307 on Mon Oct 03, 2022 6:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.