Forgotten Aviation Pioneer John Montgomery
by Steve Clugston, Curator of Exhibitions, March Field Air Museum
The year was 1883, barely 2 years after "the Shootout at the OK Corral" in Tombstone, Arizona. The old West was still in existence at this time, and the Indian Wars were raging throughout the Southwest. A few hundred miles to the west, another history was being made which would pave the way for the next century, and perhaps the next millennium: A man flew on the Otay Mesa in San Diego, California. His name was Professor John Montgomery.
John Montgomery with an aircraft that he designed
Montgomery's 1st glider flight, (certainly, the first in anywhere, barring England's Sir George Cayley's "launching" of a "boy" in 1848) was in 1883: as maintained by the San Diego Historical Society, which documented his work on the Otay Mesa from 1882. This would be a minor point, although some historians claim 1884 instead, there is still the point not addressed by most historians who fail to see any connection with Montgomery's publications in Chicago in 1893 and 1894, subsequent to his development of a tandem-wing flyer, and Prof. Samuel Langley's parallel and "coincidental" emergence of a tandem-wing flyer in 1896! On the other hand, it takes a greater leap of faith to believe the Wright's had influenced Alexander Graham Bell (and his commissioning of Glenn Curtiss) or European pioneers such as Dumont and Voisin, simply because they came a few years after the Wrights. In reality, they all developed independently: Voisin maintained until his death that no one in Europe (or at least in France) had even heard of the Wrights until 1908, by then the Europeans had flown powered flight since 1906 starting with Santos-Dumont, whom his native Brazilians regard as the "Father of Aviation" (admittedly, a mythical point). The argument that Montgomery did not influence anyone would also render the Wrights as insignificant since they did not influence anyone immediately, because they preferred to work in secrecy until at least 1905, if not 1908. By this time, European pioneers were already forging ahead and making their own powered and controlled aircraft. The Europeans and even Alexander Graham Bell were ignorant or chose not to take the Wrights seriously and forged ahead independently. To give credence to the Wright's publications as evidence of influence is hypocritical, as the same argument is not allowed to apply to Montgomery, who also published his accomplishments in a timely manner in Chicago and was acknowledged by Octave Chanute himself. Yes, Montgomery invented "hang gliders" but so did Lillienthal and Chanute, so what's the point? Montgomery had controlled tail assemblies, which were the point. I have longed maintained that both Curtiss and Martin were the true pioneers of the California aviation industry, (if not in the entire country: certainly one of the first if not the first) and I know of no one who attributes Montgomery as such. To allege the west coast of writing it's own history is ironic: the east coast has it's myths as well! Before 1942, the Smithsonian's official position was that Langley had potentially developed the first successful powered heavier-than-air flyer. In order to receive the original 1903 Wright flyer from England, Orville Wright made the Smithsonian agree to rewrite their own history, maintaining that the Wrights were the first. I suppose in another 50 years, historians will revise aviation history again, maintaining that UFOs gave Egyptians the knowledge of the first aircraft, which they will find inside a pyramid somewhere!
I agree Montgomery was not the first, obviously Cayley and others, probably deserves that credit, as far as 1st uncontrolled glider flight. However, Montgomery should be credited for the invention and demonstration of the 1st controlled glider flight, and patented hinged surfaces at the rear of the wing and a patent for the parabolic wing etc. A powered tandem wing was also demonstrated in 1910.
- - - -
Please refer to the following references:
Montgomery, John J. "Discussions on the Various Papers on Soaring Flight" Proceedings of the International Conference on Aerial Navigation, Chicago, Aug. 1-4. 1893 246-49.
Chanute, Octave, Progress in Flying Machines. NY: American Engineering and Railroad Journal Press. 1894
Montgomery. The Mechanics Involved in a Bird's Wing in Soaring and Their Relation to Aeronautics", Nov. 9, 1897 Address to the Southern California Academy of Sciences, Los Angeles.
Montgomery. "Aeroplane" PATENT No. 831,173, application filed April 26, 1905, issued Sept. 1906.
Montgomery. "Principles Involved in the Formation of Winged Surfaces and the Phenomenon of Soaring", presented at the Aeronautics Congress, New York, Oct. 28-29, 1907.
Lougheed (Lockheed), Victor, "Vehicles of the Air", 3rd ed. Reilly and Britton, Co. 1909.
Spearman, Arthur Dunning, S. J. John J. Montgomery, "Father of Basic Flying". Santa Clara University 1967 and 2nd ed. 1977.
and
"John Joseph Montgomery 1883 Glider", The American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Santa Clara University.
Also publicly documented:
The 1883 (or 1884) Glider (evidence of his workshop on Otay Mesa dates to 1882-1883 by the San Diego Historical Society).
New series of Gliders:
1885, Second Monoplane Glider.
1886, 3rd Monoplane Glider.
1896 and 1903, 4th Gliders: (demonstrated at Aptos and San Juan Bautista, near Monterey, California): probably the first Tandem Wing human carrying gliders, evidence as having been copied by Samuel P. Langley.
5th and 6th Model Gliders were in 1903.
1905, Tandem Wing again, piloted by Daniel J. Maloney.
In 1910, Victor Lougheed, Horace B. Wild, and James E. Plew constructed and flew powered a Montgomery-type tandem wing flyer: a mute point, as by 1908, Curtiss, Dumont, Voisin, and Bleriot, et al were flying powered craft.
The main problem is that Montgomery did not submit his papers on the revolutionary theories in airfoils and aircraft in Chicago until 1893, one year before 1894: the same year Octave Chanute constructed his first successful flight. Therein probably lies the controversy: although Chanute did publish part of Montgomery's papers, giving him credit. Chanute was still 10 years behind Montgomery's achievements, as was Lilienthal; who received the credit instead.
There is more than adequate documentation in California, Los Angeles, Santa Clara University, as well as in Chicago and New York which contests the notion that Montgomery did not influence anyone, much less did not document or was credited accordingly.
Montgomery also invented a hinged aileron in 1884, and used cable warping for the tail, making him one of the first to control flight. He designed several different and successful gliders over a 25-year period. The first, in 1883 was 11 years before Lilienthal's experiments. His writings as a PhD were published one year before Lilienthal's. Octave Chanute gave him credit and published some of his scientific findings and experiments as early as 1894 as Samuel Langley also gave him credit. It has always been very curious why this great American aviation pioneer was overlooked or minimalized. A 1946 movie: "Gallant Journey" by Columbia Pictures was based on his remarkable life, which should have immortalized him for his contributions to early flight. Now that we have celebrated the 100 years of the Wrights' achievement, we can also celebrate the 120 years of the original American aviation pioneer: John Montgomery!