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airplanes
The dream of flying is as old as mankind itself. However, the concept of the airplane has only been around for two centuries. Before that time, men and women tried to navigate the air by imitating the birds. They built wings to strap onto their arm or machines with flapping wings called ornithopters. On the surface, it seemed like a good plan. After all, there are plenty of birds in the air to show that the concept does work. -
George Cayley
In 1799, Sir George Cayley defined the forces of lift and drag and presented the first scientific design for a fixed-wing aircraft. Building on his pioneering work in aeronautics, scientists and engineers began designing and testing airplanes. A young boy made the first manned flight in a glider designed by Cayley in 1849. -
the firts airplane
But the science that led to the invention of the airplane is fairly recent, dating to just 1799. There were two scientific investigations into fixed-wing aviation prior to that time, but they led nowhere. -
Alphonse Penaud
was an enthusiastic student of Cayley who furthered his scientific work. In 1871, he built a model airplane with both longitudinal and lateral stability, and his methods for achieving stability are still used today. -
Felix duTemple
In 1874, Felix duTemple made the first attempt at powered flight by hopping off the end of a ramp in a steam-driven monoplane. Other scientists, such as Francis Wenham and Horatio Phillips studied cambered wing designs mounted in wind tunnels and on whirling arms. -
Sir Hiram Maxim
Finally in 1894, Sir Hiram Maxim made a successful takeoff (but a woefully uncontrolled flight) in a biplane "test rig." At the same time, Otto Lilienthal made the first controlled flights, shifting his body weight to steer a small glider -
The decade after
Immediately after the Wright Brothers make their first powered flights in 1903, they begin to develop their experimental aircraft into a marketable product. By 1905 they have what they consider to be a "practical flying machine." -
the decade after
By 1906, would-be pilots are making tentative hops in uncontrollable aircraft.By 1909, after watching the Wrights' flying demonstrations, they grasp the brilliance and necessity of three-axis aerodynamic control. -
pilots,planes,
The history of pioneer aviation is resplendent with heroes and heroines who took spindly, underpowered aircraft and accomplished amazing things. They were an odd collection of scientists, entrepreneurs, adventurers, soldiers, and people who just wanted to push personal and cultural boundaries. What they all had in common is that they blazed the first trails through the sky and in doing so, changed the world.
