In 1799, George Cayley set forth the concept of the modern airplane as a fixed-wing flying machine with separate systems for lift, propulsion, and control. He built and flew models of fixed-wing aircraft as early as 1803. In 1853, he constructed a successful passenger-carrying glider that carried a human across a field in England. This work laid the foundation for all future aviation attempts. Earlier legends like the Greek story of Icarus and Daedalus had long captured the imagination of humanity. Archytas reportedly designed a bird-shaped model around 400 BC that flew some distance using steam power. Abbas ibn Firnas attempted flight from Cordoba in the 9th century but injured himself during his descent. Eilmer of Malmesbury tried to fly from a tower in the 11th century and also suffered injuries when he landed.
Otto Lilienthal developed heavier-than-air flight between 1867 and 1896. His flight attempts in 1891 are seen as the beginning of human flight. The Lilienthal Normalsegelapparat is considered to be the first airplane in series production. He made well-documented, repeated, successful gliding flights that inspired many others. Clement Ader constructed his first flying machine in 1886 called the Éole. It was powered by a lightweight steam engine with four cylinders driving a four-blade propeller. On the 9th of October 1890, Ader attempted to fly the Éole and achieved an uncontrolled hop of approximately 50 meters at a height of about one meter. Hiram Maxim built a craft weighing 3.5 tons with wingspan that could generate enough lift to take off. In 1894, his machine was tested with overhead rails because it proved uncontrollable without them.
The Wright Brothers Breakthrough
The American Wright brothers flew their first airplane on the 17th of December 1903. This event is recognized by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) as the first sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight. By 1905, the Wright Flyer III was capable of fully controllable, stable flight for substantial periods. They credited Otto Lilienthal as a major inspiration for their decision to pursue manned flight. The Wrights studied Lilienthal's work extensively before building their own gliders.
In 1906, Alberto Santos-Dumont made what was claimed to be the first airplane flight unassisted by catapult. He set the first world record recognized by the Aéro-Club de France by flying 220 meters in less than 22 seconds. This flight was also certified by the FAI. An early aircraft design that brought together the modern monoplane tractor configuration was the Blériot VIII design of 1908. It had movable tail surfaces controlling both yaw and pitch. Roll control came from wing warping or ailerons operated via joystick and rudder bar. This became an important predecessor of his later Blériot XI Channel-crossing aircraft of the summer of 1909.