What is it about?
Our research indicates that as early as 1883 Montgomery initiated a series of investigations to understand the physical basis of lift and its generation by surfaces moving through the air. Trained in physics, he explored the principles of flight theory through experimental devices and demonstrated those theories through applied engineering with both scale models, and flying machines. This paper reviews Montgomery’s independent understanding of circulation of lift prior to Lanchester and Prandtl, placing Montgomery as one of the first scientists to develop a basis for aerodynamics as a science.
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Why is it important?
As the nineteenth century drew to a close, the (then ) visionary field of aeronautics transitioned into a formal field through the collective and individual contributions of a number of workers engaged in methodical scientific and engineering research. This transition represents an important study of how the process of invention and societal attitudes impact the history of science/technology. Montgomery's work in this particular field was prescient.
Perspectives
The solution of the "flying Problem" at the close of the nineteenth century had potential ramifications on society at large. Sport, military applications, exploration of remote lands, and other potential uses were anticipated by many people. Montgomery and a number of his peers saw this potential impact and felt a sense of responsibility to contribute their discoveries the scientific larger problem of heavier-than-air flight.
Craig S Harwood
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: John J. Montgomery's Circulation Theory of Lift, January 2016, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA),
DOI: 10.2514/6.2016-1159.
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