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The Epps 1907 Monoplane was a pioneering aircraft built and flown in 1907 by
Ben T. Epps
Ben T. Epps (February 20, 1888 - October 16, 1937), known as "Georgia's First Aviator" was an American aviation pioneer. In 1907, he built a monoplane of his own design, now known as the Epps 1909 Monoplane. This was followed by other original mon ...
of
Athens, Georgia
Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...
from an original design. The aircraft consisted of an open framework suspended below a wire-braced monoplane wing. The undercarriage consisted of three bicycle wheels,
[Hudson 2002] one at the front of this frame, and two behind it. A buggy seat
was located beneath the wing for the pilot. A 15-horsepower (11 kW) two-cylinder
Anzani[The Georgia Historical Society et al. 2007][''Epps Aviation: Above and Beyond'', p.3] motorcycle engine
[Aued 2007]["Who Was Ben Epps?] was mounted behind the seat and drove a two-bladed propeller from an exhaust fan
mounted pusher-fashion behind the wing's trailing edge. A biplane elevator unit was carried on struts at the front of the aircraft, and a single rudder on struts to its rear. The airframe was made from scrap timber collected from a sawmill,
with the flying surfaces covered in cotton.
Only the undersurfaces of the wings were covered.
[Cleland 1985, p.4B]
Inspired by the
Wright Brothers and pioneering European aviators,
Epps first conceived of the design at the age of sixteen.
["Epps, Ben T.] In 1907, he built the aircraft in the workshop of his bicycle, electrical contracting, and automobile repair business on Washington Street, Athens.
In October 1907, he flew the machine from a cow pasture
near Brooklyn Creek.
After rolling downhill,
Epps took off and flew around 100 yards (90 metres) at a maximum altitude of around 50 feet (15 metres).
The flight ended in a crash,
[Nelson 2001] but made Epps Georgia's first aviator.
In 1949, Lola Trammel told ''
The Atlanta Journal Magazine'' that Epps had already made a successful flight in the machine prior to the public demonstration, testing the machine by moonlight with the help of friends at two o'clock in the morning.
[McMichael 2007, p.1]
In his 2016 book "To Lasso the Clouds," and his 2017 article published in Air & Space Magazine, Dan A. Aldridge Jr. documents how this plane actually first flew in 1909, not 1907. The book shows how the Epps aircraft was actually the first monoplane to fly in the United States, predating the monoplane flight of Henry Walden, who was credited with the historic milestone.
[Aldridge 2016, p.54]
The
Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum in
Titusville, Florida
Titusville is a city in eastern Florida and the county seat of Brevard County, Florida, United States. The city's population was 43,761 as of the 2010 United States Census.
Titusville is located along the Indian River (Florida), Indian River, west ...
has a replica of the aircraft on display.
["Photos from 1999 Bulletins] Bearing the registration N1907, it was constructed by John D. Pruett.
[FAA Registry]
Specifications
Notes
References
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FAA Registry search for N1907 retrieved 2010-03-06.
* The Georgia Historical Society, Athens–Clarke County Government, Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame, and the Epps Cousins Club (2007)
''First Flight in Georgia: Ben Epps' Garage''(Historical Marker 29-5, located ).
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External links
Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library,
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
{{Epps aircraft
1900s United States experimental aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1907