Ornithopter

With the hindsight of rapid advancements in aviation technology, a contraption like this hardly seems capable of leaving the ground. However, before the beginning of the 1900s, the concept made sense: if birds can fly by flapping their wings, then we can too. “Ornithopters” like this one were designed with this concept in mind.

The first serious theories and designs date back to the 1480s, when Leonardo da Vinci created drawings that are considered to be the first evidence of a flapping contraption meant to allow for human-powered flight. With the introduction of the internal combustion engine in the 1800s, the concept of bird-like flapping wings was prevalent as innovators and backyard tinkerers attempted to overcome gravity.

This ornithopter was invented by James W. Clark of Bridgewater, Pa. at the very end of the 1800s. Mr. Clark was an inventor, clockmaker and bicycle repairman. Little documentation exists about Clark’s efforts. What is known is that he first tested his ornithopter in 1900, rebuilt it and wrecked it twice thereafter. Its last reported attempt was in 1903, and Mr. Clark ended the experiments in 1904. No records survive to document if the ornithopter flew or not. Afterwards, it was stored in a carriage house for over 60 years.

Adding to this artifact’s mystique, the engine, a two-cylinder, 5 HP“Model K2” was built by the Waterman Motor Company in Detroit, Mich. Waterman was founded in 1905, so while it’s unlikely that this engine was used during Clarks’ tests, it was added after his ornithopter’s retirement as a representation of the engines used in similar flying machines.

After the Wright Brothers’ success, experimentation with flapping wing designs faded into the past by 1910. As such, examples like this ornithopter, particularly of this vintage and in this condition, are incredibly rare. Failure as it may have been, if it were not for such enthusiastic experimentation, aviation may not have advanced by the leaps and bounds witnessed in the 20th century.