Dr. Gerhardt's Seven-Winged Cycleplane at McCook Field (1923)

The experimental seven-winged Gerhardt Cycleplane parked on the concrete ramp outside the flight-test hangars at McCook Field. — Dr. Gerhardt's Seven-Winged Cycleplane at McCook Field (1923) · Donald A. Hall Estate Collection

One of the most remarkable experimental artifacts in the collection, this photograph documents the 1923 Gerhardt Cycleplane parked on the ramp outside the engineering hangars at McCook Field in Dayton, Ohio. Designed by Dr. William Frederick Gerhardt, this human-powered aircraft featured seven ultra-light wings stacked vertically like venetian blinds, a fabric-covered pilot nacelle, bicycle pedals, and a high-mounted wooden propeller. Donald A. Hall Sr. preserved this rare view of early multiplane boundary-layer experimentation during his surveys of military flight-testing centers.