The Epps 1909

Monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

was a

fixed-wing aircraft A fixed-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air flying machine, such as an airplane, which is capable of flight using wings that generate lift caused by the aircraft's forward airspeed and the shape of the wings. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinc ...

that was designed and built in 1909 in

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 ...

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 ...

and his business partner Zumpt Huff.Aldridge 2016, p.54 The aircraft consisted of an open framework suspended below a wire-braced

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...

. The

undercarriage Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include: *The landing gear of an aircraft. *The ch ...

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 two-cylinder AnzaniThe Georgia Historical Society et al. 2007''Epps Aviation: Above and Beyond'', p.3 motorcycle engineAued 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 A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

elevator An elevator or lift is a wire rope, cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or deck (building), decks of a building, watercraft, ...

unit was carried on struts at the front of the aircraft, and a single rudder on struts to its rear. The

airframe The mechanical structure of an aircraft is known as the airframe. This structure is typically considered to include the fuselage, undercarriage, empennage and wings, and excludes the propulsion system. Airframe design is a field of aerospa ...

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 1909, he built the aircraft in the workshop of his bicycle, electrical contracting, and automobile repair business on Washington Street, Athens. On August 28, 1909,Aldridge 2016, p.54 he flew the machine from a cow pasture near Brooklyn Creek. After rolling downhill, Epps took off and flew around at a maximum altitude of around . The flight ended in a crash,Nelson 2001 but made Epps Georgia's first aviator. In 1949, Lola Trammel told ''

The Atlanta Journal Magazine ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

'' 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 article published in the April 2017 issue of '' Air & Space/Smithsonian'' magazine, Dan A. Aldridge Jr. detailed how the history of this plane was misconstrued for decades. For years it was thought that the plane first flew in 1907. The book shows how the Epps aircraft was actually the first monoplane to fly in the United States, predating by 106 days the monoplane flight of Henry Walden, who allegedly has been mistakenly credited with the historic milestone for many years.Aldridge 2016, p.54

References

{{Epps aircraft 1900s United States experimental aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1909 Single-engined pusher aircraft Canard aircraft