The ''Avion II'' (originally referred to as the ''Zephyr'' (west wind) or the ''Éole II'') was the second primitive
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engine ...
designed by
Clément Ader
Clément Ader (2 April 1841 – 3 May 1925) was a French inventor and engineer who was born near Toulouse in Muret, Haute-Garonne, and died in Toulouse. He is remembered primarily for his pioneering work in aviation. In 1870 he was also one ...
in the 1893.
[ Most sources agree that work on it was never completed, Ader abandoning it in favour of the ]Avion III
The ''Avion III'' (sometimes referred to as the ''Aquilon'' or the ''Éole III'') was a steam-powered aircraft built by Clément Ader between 1892 and 1897, financed by the French War Office.
Retaining the same bat-like configuration of the ...
that had a financial backer. Ader's later claim that he flew the Avion II in August 1892 for a distance of 100 m at a field in Satory is not widely accepted.
Design and development
The name "Avion" was devised by Ader from Latin ''avis'' ("bird") and became the origin of the word '' avion'', the most common in French to designate an airplane (heavier-than-air aircraft). The first official text noting it is French patent no. 205 555 granted to Ader on April 19, 1890.
The engine developed for Avion II, called ''Zéphyr'' was a light steam engine driving a diameter 4-bladed propeller, in which steam was cooled through a condenser. It yielded at 480 rpm at a pressure of , weighing dry, and with full boiler and accessories.[
]
See also
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ader Avion Ii
19th-century French experimental aircraft
Steam-powered aircraft