ABSTRACT
Ader obtained the engineering education from Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris and in 1876 started to explore electricity. Two years later, he improved the telephone that was invented some years earlier by the American Graham Bell. His design was then presented during the 1881 Electricity Exhibition in Paris. Other topics of Ader’s interest were explosive motors, a telegraphic system and gliding high-speed boats. Yet, his real love was aviation: In 1872 he designed a large wing covered with feathers and conducted experiments in the wind to determine the lift qualities. He then inspired himself with the flight features of large African birds to improve his designs, which he named Avions, the name that survived until today. His first definite design Eole was presented in 1889 following a three years’ work. This apparatus had a 20 horsepower motor connected to a propeller for propulsion. The wings were bat-shaped and could completely be folded away or separately be trimmed. The entire wooden structure was extremely light-weighted and covered with silk. This design was perfectly finished in all details but its general conception did not yet account for aerodynamic fundamentals.
