Jakob Degen’s Flugmaschine
An 1810 illustration of Jakob Degen’s original design for his Flugmaschine. It functions like an ornithopter, with two flapping wings. The design is quite simple, and Degen would subsequently add a balloon to it to help provide lift.
This is Jakob Degen’s design for his Flugmaschine, an ornithopter that was meant to fly with the power of human muscles. Degen was a Swiss watchmaker who became interested in human flight in the early 1800’s. He designed the first prototype of his Flugmaschine in 1807, which is pictured above. It was rather simple to operate; the pilot would stand on a rigid metal frame and move a horizontal bar up and down in order to flap the wings. The craft itself was beautifully designed, and notable for its simplicity and the proportions of the wings and the bracing system. Unfortunately, the original design didn’t produce enough lift to fly, so in subsequent prototypes Degen added a hydrogen balloon to the ensemble in order to help lift the craft. This updated design is pictured below. With the help of the balloon, the Flugmaschine could achieve short, hopping bursts of flight, but not the sustained, controlled flight Degen was after.[1]
An illustration of a later design for Jakob Degen’s Flugmaschine, including a hydrogen balloon to help with lift. As with many illustrations like this, Degen never achieved the heights depicted here, but his craft was still able to lift off the ground for short, hopping bursts.
Though his Flugmaschine couldn’t produce sustained flight, Degen did develop a steering mechanism for his craft with the use of a counterweight. By shifting the counterweight’s position, he was able to direct his movements, which allowed him much more control in the air.[2] He subsequently demonstrated his invention in Vienna and Paris, circa 1808-1813, to the delight of royalty and the public. Descriptions of these flights from contemporary sources are contradictory, however, with variously inflated claims to the machine’s capability (one source puts the height at 15 m, or 50 ft).[3] In the end, since he was unable to produce a sustained flight his invention didn’t catch on. He did design a beautiful object that has firmly taken its place in the history of aeronautics, which should be commended.
Read more about other ideas for flying machines here.
[1]: Angelucci, Enzo, and Paolo Matricardi. World Aircraft: Origins - World War I. London: Sampson Low, 1977. 12-13.
[2]: Augsburger Postzeitung, May 17, 1808.
[3]: ibid.