(EIFFEL, Gustave) Projet d'aérodrome à la Tour Eiffel. (Paris, nd. but 1904)
4to. 12pp, 2 double-page litho plates. Quarter leather, orig. printed front wrapper bound in. A lovely copy of a very rare item. One of the major problems which early aviators faced was that they had no experience of aerodynamic effects and once airborne were therefore unable to steer or control their machines, often with unfortunate results. Eiffel therefore put forward this proposal for what was in effect a flight simulator. The Eiffel Tower provided the necessary height for a cableway which was to be attached to it at the first level, 58m above ground, running down to a pylon 500m away on the Champ-de-Mars. The would-be pilot could hang his device from a wheeled chariot fitted with brakes and learn the basic techniques of flying in safety. The “aérodrome” was first unveiled to the Commission d’Aérostation scientifique de l’Aéro-Club on 30th November 1903, exactly 17 days before the Wright Brothers made their first historic flight, and a more detailed presentation was made on 20th January 1904. The present item includes the article which appeared after the November meeting in the periodical, “L’Aérophile” and the paper given in January. The system is fully described, showing how the cable would be connected to the Tower and how it would be carried over the pylon at the other end and anchored, the design of the carrying car, calculations of the the deflections of the cable and how this would be measured and controlled and so on. However, nothing came of the idea, possibly because it was thought that the Wright Brothers idea of learning to fly using gliders was better, or possibly because of the conditions, not very stringent, which Eiffel laid down before he would finance it. A work of the utmost rarity.
£1550
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