George Cayley and Cayley's Coin

George Cayley

• Theorized on aerodynamics problems, addressing velocity, wing loads, bending movements, and combining lightness with strength.
• Foresaw the need for streamlining.
• Realized a cambered or curved wing was necessary for flight, not a flat wing.
• Known as the Father of Aerodynamics.

Cayley Coin

• In 1799, Sir George Cayley (1773-1857) designed an airplane featuring a fixed wing, separate propulsion, and stabilizing tail.
• Broke lift and propulsion into two separate parts.
• Understood wings couldn't generate power by flapping.
• Envisioned an independent power source and introduced the concept of camber.
• Engraved his design on a coin, known as Cayley's Coin.
• One side of the coin showed a picture of his flying machine.
• The other side had a diagram of four forces of flight: lift, weight, drag, and thrust.
• Thrust and drag work in opposition.
• Lift and weight work in opposition.
• Understood an object remains in the air only when lift, weight, drag, and thrust are balanced

William Henson and John Stringfellow

• John Stringfellow's challenge was building a light steam engine for aircraft.
• William Henson, was an engineer with a patent for an improved steam engine.
• Henson designed a single-wing airplane, against Cayley's multi-wing advice.
• Henson and Stringfellow sold stock in their company to raise funds.
• The company aimed to build and operate flying machines.
• They wanted to launch the Aerial Steam Transit Company in 1843, an international airline.
• Stringfellow built a steam engine and a new model airplane with 10-foot wingspan.
• Some historians regard it as the first practical engine capable of successful performance.
• In 1848, a glider with their engine became airborne, flying 120 feet in a test; no one was aboard.
• Henson and Stringfellow were never able to construct a successful full sized airplane to be flown.
• Henson's design was logically conceived and his aerial carriage was a plausible expression of what an airplane should be.
• Even though the tests with the models were unsatisfactory, they were nonetheless, a serious attempt to fly a propeller-driven, engine powered airplane.
• George Cayley was influenced by this machine

Alphonse Penaud

• Brilliant airplane experimenter in France preceding the Wright Brothers
• Applied marine engineering training to aeronautics.
• In 1870, discovered the twisted rubber band as a power source for model airplanes.
• His workable helicopter model spurred mass production of rubber band driven toys.
• In 1876, he patented his design which was far ahead of its time.
• He committed suicide at 30 due to frustration and criticism of his work.
• Experiments including the Wright Brothers would rank Penaud close to Cayley as one of the most significant 19th century aeronautical thinkers

Otto Lilienthal

• Father of glider experiments, German engineer
• Noticed storks took off against the wind.
• His brother wrote "rising against the wind might be easier than with the wing"
• Recognized the superiority of a curved wing over the flat type.
• He wrote the book Birdflight as the Basis of Aviation in 1889
• He crashed because his machine was unstable and controllable only by human strength and agility.
• Instability and controllability only by human strength and agility were not adequate for successful sustained flight, nor could they readily be incorporated in a practical flying machine
• His greatest contributions was arousing interest in others who continued the advancement of man's effort to develop the airplane
• Performed a great deal of research into the problems of flying.
• Proved superiority of curved over flat wings
• He was able to find real answers by actually flying
• Brought the art of gliding to an everyday accepted fact
• Regarded as one of the greatest pioneers of aviation
• He believed that flapping wings were the answer to aerial locomotion which was one misconception
• On August 9, 1896 a sudden gust of wind tossed him upward at a sharp increase which he could not recover and plunged to the ground ultimately breaking his spine

Octave Chanute

• Learned successful civil engineer
• His approach to flight was scientific.
• President of the American Society of Civil Engineers, constructed the Union Stock Yards in Chicago.
• Aeronautics was a hobby until his middle sixties.
• Prior activities involved gathering and writing information.
• Published "Progress in Aviation" in 1894, discussing aviation history.
• Lilienthal controlled gliders by shifting weight, Chanute proposed a weight based mechanism for control by moving the wings
• Introduced civil engineering concepts (strut and diagonal wire bracing) to airplane building.
• He was convinced experiments with gliders would lead to stable controllable aircraft that could be driven by an engine
• Published findings in the Journal of Western Society of Engineers, inviting further experimentation.
• In 1900 no one accepted the invitation until Wilbur Wright inquired about construction, materials, and experiments, mentioning he could think of no better way to spend his vacation.
• Chanute was happy to comply with Wilbur's request and this was the beginning of a long relation with the Wright brothers
• Chanute was present when the Wright brothers were experimenting with their gliders at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903
• Felt as a proud father to the Wright Brothers' experiments.
• Remained interested in their efforts until death in 1910.
• Gave the Wright brothers guidance and inspiration
• They made true to his belief that the goal of useful airplanes could be reached

Samuel P. Langley

• Mathematician, astronomer, and physicist.
• In 1889, Langley went to the Smithsonian Institution as its secretary.
• Began publishing aerodynamic findings and was recognized as a leading authority in aviation.
• Wilbur Wright said that Langley's knowledge and position as the the head of such a scientific Institutions was an influence which further led the Wright Brothers to investigate the possibility of flying
• He directed his experiments using all kinds of engines such as:
• Hot Air
• Compressed Air
• Gas
• Electricity
• Carbonic Acid
• Gunpowder
• He needed a lightweight, high-powered engine before he could launch a successful airplane.
• He directed a program to perfect a steam engine because he decided steam had the greatest possibilities.
• October 7, 1903 in the book it mentions that Charles Manly, a Cornell University graduate and Langley had a machine did not fly and it plunged in to the Potomac River