AEA Cygnet - Definition and Overview

The Cygnet (or Aerodrome #5) was an extremely unorthodox early aircraft, with a wall-like "wing" made up of 360 tetrahedral cells. It was a powered version of the Cygnet kite designed by Alexander Graham Bell in 1907 and built by the newly-founded Aerial Experiment Association.

On December 6, Thomas Selfridge piloted the aircraft as it was towed into the air behind a motorboat, eventually reaching a height of 168 ft (51 m). While demonstrably able to fly as a person-carrying kite, it seemed unpromising as a direction for research into powered flight. It was difficult to control, and was in fact destroyed when it hit the water at the end of the flight.

The following year, a smaller copy of the design was built as the Cygnet II, now equipped with wheeled undercarriage and a Curtiss V-8 engine. Attempts to fly it at Baddeck, Nova Scotia between February 22-24 1909 met with failure.

Rebuilt again as the Cygnet III with a more powerful engine, it finally flew on March 1 1912 at Lake Bras d'Or, Nova Scotia, piloted by John McCurdy.

Specifications (Cygnet III)

General Characteristics

• Crew: one pilot
• Length: ft in ( m)
• Wingspan: 26 ft 4 in (8.03 m)
• Height: ft in ( m)
• Wing area: ft² ( m²)
• Empty: lb ( kg)
• Loaded: lb ( kg)
• Maximum takeoff: lb ( kg)
• Powerplant: 1x Gnôme rotary engine, 70 hp (52 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: mph ( km/h)
• Range: miles ( km)
• Service ceiling: ft ( m)
• Rate of climb: ft/min ( m/min)
• Wing loading:
• Power/Mass:

Related content

Related development:

Comparable aircraft:

Designation sequence: #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5