pre-19th century and before
abbas lbn firnas and his feathered flight
According to a poem, Abbas Lbn Firnas covered his body with feathers and flew, in the 9th century. That was mentioned to be the first heavier than air flight in history.
Eilmer and his glider
In the 11th century Eilmer (also known as Oliver)piloted a glider and flew over 180m but then broke both his legs.
Ornithopter BY. LEONARDO DA VINCI
The earliest flying machine was in 1485 design by Leonardo da Vinci. It was called Ornithopter. There is no evidence that he actually attempted to build such a device, although the image he presented was a powerful one. The idea of a human-powered mechanical flight device, patterned after birds or bats, recurred again and again over the next four centuries. So he was the heart of all flying machines today.
THE MONOPLANE BY. SIR GEORGE CLAYEY
Sir George Clayey was one of the first people to design, create and fly a machine.
Sir George Cayley is one of the most important people in the history of flying machines. Many consider him the first true scientific in-flight investigator and the first person to understand the main principles and forces of flight. He built his first flying machine in 1796, a model helicopter with contra-rotating propellers. Three years later, Cayley celebrated a silver medallion (above) which clearly shown the forces that apply in flight. On the other side of the medallion Cayley sketched his design for a monoplane-gliding machine.
Sketch of Monoplane:
Sir George Cayley is one of the most important people in the history of flying machines. Many consider him the first true scientific in-flight investigator and the first person to understand the main principles and forces of flight. He built his first flying machine in 1796, a model helicopter with contra-rotating propellers. Three years later, Cayley celebrated a silver medallion (above) which clearly shown the forces that apply in flight. On the other side of the medallion Cayley sketched his design for a monoplane-gliding machine.
Sketch of Monoplane:
In 1804 Cayley designed and built a model monoplane glider of amazingly modern appearance. The model featured an adjustable cruciform tail, a kite-shaped wing mounted at a high angle of incidence and a moveable weight to alter the center of gravity. It was probably the first gliding device to make significant flights.
The Real Thing:
The Real Thing: