susquach

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About 15 years ago I bought a book at a yard sale and know little about the book and nothing about it's author. Title is Model Airplane Design and Theory of Flight by Charles Hampson Grant. It is an exhaustive discussion of rubber and gas free flight models. Five hundred pages of algebra and theory to be exact.
Can anyone tell me more about this amazing book and something about it's aurthor? All I know of Mr Grant is from a brief bio on the title page. He has credentials coming out of his knowledgeable ears and was editor of Model Airplane News around 1941.
As I said I know nothing about this book or it's aurthor....have never even heard it mentioned in the nearly thirty years I've been around this hobby. Hoping one of you ol'timers can shed some light. Thanks

ddubya

Dsegal

You can get the full story of Grant in Dave Thornburg's book, "Do You Speak Model Airplane?" He became editor of Model Airplane News in 1931 and is generally recognized as the first theorist of
how model planes fly. Unfortunately, he had some strange ideas such as "the law of rotational stability" which was trashed by Carl Goldberg's contest-winning designs. He does get credit for
designing the Kovel-Grant Gassie which was the first inherently stable gas-powered freeflight model.

Dave Segal

R. Smith

Charlie Grant and Frank Zaic were the two individuals who prior to and right after WW2 attempted to take model aeronautics from it's seat of the pants design philosophy into something more scientifically vigorous.

Unfortunately both were ahead of there time and perhaps, by virtue of their personalties ill suited for this venture.

I remember handsome drawings of Grant's sometimes futuristic designs but never saw a constructed airframe.

Were any of his designs kitted?

When I was at Parks College in the late 50's, one of the professors opted that Charlie Grant was totally wrong in his theories and most of his work was valueless.

Zaic on the other hand developed several designs (empirically I believe) which were up to world class competition and via his year books left a priceless historic legacy.

Zaic's text book on model aircraft design Circular Airflow Theory is still available.

Richard Smith

susquach

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks for the info guys. Ddubya

EASYTIGER

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I have an unread first edition copy of the Grant Book. I have another copy to read. Grant was quite a promoter, he did do a lot for this hobby, but, in the end, much of what he wrote about aerodynamics was debunked.
Definitely find a copy of the Thornberg book for more insight. Maybe the best model airplane book, ever.

Bob Talley

QUOTE"
"but, in the end, much of what he wrote about aerodynamics was debunked."

Especially his (in)famous "Center Of Lateral Area" theory.

Bob T.