Madame Helene Alberti’s Cosmic Wings
Pictured here are two photographs from 1931 showing a winged glider designed by Madame Helene Alberti. Alberti was a well-known opera singer who studied human flight after retiring from the opera. She believed in the Ancient Greek laws of cosmic motion, and believed humans can fly by their own strength after learning to use these laws.
The specifics are a bit vague, but the main idea was a series of engines, or nerve centers, in the human body. These are located in the abdomen and at the base of the spine, and they can be controlled by sheer willpower from the brain. Rhythmic motions of these nerve centers can produce motion and allow a person to run indefinitely, lift considerable weight, and fly like a bird. This, combined with the idea that atoms are mostly empty space, gave Madame Alberti her theory. She explains further:
I firmly believe the day is not far distant when we will be able to entrust our bodies to the air in the same manner and in the same degree of safety as the swimmer yields his body to the water, breasting the air currents with the same confidence as he does the tides. And I have solid reason for my belief in the actual accomplishment of a runner under my training, who has, when going at a great speed, run a few paces in the air without his feet touching the ground.[1]
There is a strong conviction behind her words, but belief doesn’t equate to reality. She subsequently built and tested her wings, pictured here, but was unable to produce sustained flight.
Alberti is an oddity in the history of human flight. As far as I know, she’s the only aspirant to take an ancient concept like the Greek laws of cosmic motion and try to apply it to modern science and human flight. It’s not surprising she was unsuccessful, but the effort put into building the wings means she was serious about her claims. Despite all this, the wings themselves look to be well-built, and the photographs are inspiring on their own.
Read more about other ideas for flying machines here.
[1] : Warton, Carl. “Put on Wings and Fly, says Mme. Alberti.” Boston Herald, 27 October 1929. 3.