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Charles Matthews Manly (1876–1927) was an American 
During
Charles M. Manly: An Early American Innovator in Aircraft Engines
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Manly, Charles M. 1876 births 1927 deaths American engineers Manly, Charles M. Cornell University alumni
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...
.
Manly helped Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
Secretary Samuel Pierpont Langley
Samuel Pierpont Langley (August 22, 1834 – February 27, 1906) was an American aviation pioneer, astronomer and physicist who invented the bolometer. He was the third secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and a professor of astronomy a ...
build The Great Aerodrome, which was intended to be a manned, powered, winged flying machine. Manly made major contributions to the development of the aircraft's revolutionary 52 hp gasoline-fueled radial engine, called the Manly–Balzer engine
The Manly–Balzer was the first purpose-designed aircraft engine, built in 1901 for the Langley Aerodrome project. The engine was originally ordered from Stephen Balzer (1864–1940) in New York, but his five-cylinder radial engine design faile ...
. Manly attempted to pilot the Aerodrome in its only two tests, October and December 1903. The machine failed to fly both times, plunging into the Potomac River
The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...
after its launch from a houseboat. Manly was rescued unhurt, although he was briefly trapped underwater after the second test.
During World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
Manly was an advisor to the British War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...
. He also earned about 40 patents in variable-speed hydraulic drives.
From 1915 to 1919 he was a consulting engineer to the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company.
In 1919 he was named president of the Society of Automotive Engineers (now SAE International
SAE International, formerly named the Society of Automotive Engineers, is a United States-based, globally active professional association and standards developing organization for engineering professionals in various industries. SAE Internatio ...
). Following his tenure he did additional engineering research on engines. The Manly Memorial Medal is an annual award given by SAE for the best paper
Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distrib ...
on aeronautical power plants.
Manly married his wife Grace Agnes Wishart Manly (1877–1921) in 1904. He died at Kew Gardens, Brooklyn, NY on October 16, 1927, leaving two sons, Charles and John.
He was a 1929 posthumous
Posthumous may refer to:
* Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death
* Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death
* ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987
* ''Posthumous'' ...
recipient of the Langley Gold Medal
The Langley Gold Medal, or Samuel P. Langley Medal for Aerodromics, is an award given by the Smithsonian Institution for outstanding contributions to the sciences of aeronautics and astronautics. Named in honor of Samuel P. Langley, the Smithson ...
from the Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
.
References
* *External links
*Charles M. Manly: An Early American Innovator in Aircraft Engines
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Manly, Charles M. 1876 births 1927 deaths American engineers Manly, Charles M. Cornell University alumni