Ader Avion II


The Avion II was the second primitive aircraft designed by Clément Ader in the 1893. Most sources agree that work on it was never completed, Ader abandoning it in favour of the Avion III that had a financial backer. Ader's later claim that he flew the Avion II in August 1892 for a distance of 100 m at a field in Satory is not widely accepted.

Design and development

The name "Avion" was devised by Ader from Latin avis and became the origin of the word , the most common in French to designate an airplane. The first official text noting it is French patent no. 205 555 granted to Ader on April 19, 1890.
The engine developed for Avion II, called Zéphyr was a light steam engine driving a diameter 4-bladed propeller, in which steam was cooled through a condenser. It yielded at 480 rpm at a pressure of, weighing dry, and with full boiler and accessories.