Francesco Lana de Terzi's Aerial Ship
A 1697 engraving of Francesco Lana de Terzi’s aerial ship, flying high above the countryside. Pictured in the foreground are a pair of on-lookers, witnessing the flight.
Francesco Lana de Terzi is sometimes referred to as the Father of Aeronautics. He was an Italian Jesuit priest, a professor of physics and mathematics, and he was intrigued with human flight. In 1670 he published Prodromo, a book containing myriad ideas and inventions, the most famous of which was the design for a flying ship. His idea was to utilize the concept of atmospheric pressure, which was most likely inspired by Otto von Guericke and his work on the Magdeburg Hemispheres. Von Guericke demonstrated atmospheric pressure by attaching two copper hemispheres together, then he pumped the air out from inside the sphere, creating a vacuum and making it incredibly difficult to pry apart. De Terzi believed this same concept could be used to make a ship fly.
De Terzi’s ship was lifted by four copper foil spheres, much like the Magdeburg Hemispheres, but much larger. He believed these jumbo vacuum chambers would produce enough lift to carry the craft and six passengers. Once lifted, the ship would use a sail to catch the wind in order to move through the air. It was a relatively simple design, and de Terzi had done calculations to back up his claims. Unfortunately, even though his conceptual thinking was on point, the reality of constructing his machine was impossible at the time. The main flaw in the design was the copper foil spheres. They were too thin to support the forces created by the vacuum, and if built they would’ve collapsed. Still, credit goes to de Terzi for taking a scientific approach to the idea of flight, which was foundational to subsequent attempts to fly throughout history.
Francesco Lana de Terzi’s concept for his aerial ship. The craft would sail much like a sailboat, and was lifted by four copper vacuum spheres. Illustration from de Terzi’s book Prodromo.
In Prodromo, de Terzi concludes the airship chapter with an unfortunate realization. He states that God would never let his machine be built, because it could be used to attack cities and towns from above, and no defenses would be able to stop it.[1] It’s an astute thought, and one that would find truth in the 20th century when humanity finally achieved flight. It also speaks to military strategy, where the concept of take the high ground is a common tactic.[2] It seems fitting that the Father of Aeronautics would have such a thought.
Read more about other ideas for flying machines here.
[1]: de Terzi, Francesco Lana. Prodromo: Overo Saggio Di Alcune Inventioni. Brescia: Per li Rizzardi, 1670.
[2]: This concept can be traced all the way back to Sun-tzu in fifth century BC China. See Sun-tzu. The Art of War. Translated by John Minford. New York: Penguin Books, 2006. 63.