A Brief History of Flight

Sir George Cayley's Gliders, by Sheranda and Jessica

Cayley started experimenting with gliders in 1789, at the age of 23. He flew several fixed-wing gliders by the year 1809. He found many of the forces of flight. He discovered the forces of lift, drag, and thrust. He was the first to use a tail on an aircraft to keep it stable. He watched birds and this gave him the idea of a fixed-wing glider. He also found out that a wing needs a curved upper surface. Before he died in 1857, he built a full-size glider with control lines attached that sailed like a kite.

Flight Home History