Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaysky

14/10/2022 M.Durgut 926 Views Alexander, Fedorovich, Mozhaysky

Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaysky being one of the most famous people in the aviation world was a Russian admiral working in the field of aviation. He was a researcher who conducts various researches on air. One of the important features of Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaysky was that his name and image appeared on the Soviet postage stamp in 1963, where he is referred to as the world’s first aircraft creator.

Alexander Mozhaysky was born in Finland to a Russian family where his father was an admiral in the Russian army. He graduated from the Sea Cadet Corps Academy towards the end of the 18th century. He traveled on ships in various capacities and served in the Baltic Fleet in 1850. Three years later Alexander Fedorovich was selected to Yevfimy Putyatin. During the Far East expedition, he met various Japanese businessmen. He presented his invention of the steam engine to Japanese dignitaries. He made various studies on Japan. Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaysky helped the return of Russian soldiers stranded in 1855. In addition, he helped design and build the sailing ship Heda, which helped rescue the Russian delegation. He also undertook various missions around the Gulf of Finland during the Crimean War. In 1858, he was selected by various statesmen to make expeditions. He contributed to important research in places such as the Amu Darya and the Aral Sea. Thanks to this expedition, he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir 4th class. After the Crimean War, he severed his ties with the Russian navy.

After the Crimean War, Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaysky carried out research on aviation. Since 1860, Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaysky closely studied birds, kites and propeller systems. He focused on projects with the logic of a ship travelling in the air. At the end of various experiments, he made some trials. From 1876 he created projects to produce airborne flying vehicles. In 1877, he tried the system working with a clock spring. On 3 November 1881, the Department of Commerce and Manufactures granted Mozhaysky some patents for the first invented airplane. Mozhaysky started to produce airplane with steam engines of 10 and 20 horsepower in Petersburg. Alexander was briefly promoted to rear admiral in 1882. Shortly afterwards, he resigned and left his post. Two years later, in 1884, Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaysky designed a monoplane. The aircraft failed during testing as the speed generation was insufficient to support the aircraft’s weight. The ramp support was not sufficient for the acceleration of the airplane. When the wings were high, they could not achieve the desired synchronisation. Alexander Mozhaysky left many legacies to the world in the field of aviation and shipbuilding. In 1909, a journalistic investigation claimed that the first flight belonged to Mozhaysky, but the Aerohydrodynamic Institute denied this. Even the failed plane of Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaysky with insufficient engine power could not overshadow the posthumous valuation of his later projects. Although he died in Russia in 1890, he is still commemorated in various places. Like the Military Space Academy in St. Petersburg, the 2850 Mozhaysky center bears his name to honor Mozhaysky.