A History of How Humans Learned to Fly

Around the World - Early Ideas Take Flight

Perhaps they were inspired by soaring birds high in the sky. Perhaps they had other sources of inspiration. But it is true that humans have long wanted to fly themselves. We know this from ancient Greek mythology, such as the story of Icarus. In it, Icarus flew too close to the Sun and had the wax holding his wings together melt. There is also the story where Bellerophon the valiant captured Pegasus the flying horse. The Greeks were not the only ones interested in the freedom of the skies. In fact, there are stories and myths about flight in almost every corner of the world. For people in many cultures, stories of flying would connect them closer to their beliefs. They could allow them to do something that seemed impossible. Little did they know that one day, human dreams of flight would become a reality.

Africa

One such story is the tale of flying Africans. This story has been passed down through generations since slavery. It was about the quiet promise of freedom. The story helped people feel better during bad times, when they dreamed of one day returning home to Africa.

Japan

There are also historical records of man-lifting kites used in different countries. One story came from a Japanese outlaw and ninja by the name of Ishikawa Goemon (1558–1594). While tied to the tail of a giant kite, he stole the golden scales from the Nagoya Castle. He and his partners in crime were said to have stolen from the rich to give to the poor.

New Zealand

China

In ancient China, kites or ‘muyuan’ were used for civiliancivilian and military purposes. Kites were both toys and practical devices for measuring things like distances and wind. They were also used for spying on enemy positions and sending urgent messages. Musical kites had bamboo pipes that would make sound when the wind moved through them.

Image -Text Version

Shown is a colourful traditional Chinese watercolour painting of an outdoor scene in ancient times. There are men sitting behind their desks under pergolas, a small group of children flying a kite, and several ladies standing off to the side.

Fly Like a Bird?

In the beginning, humans had no understanding of physicsphysics. They could only understand how things worked by using their observations and lots of trial and errortrial and error. There were humans who thought that if they flapped their arms quickly enough they could fly. Others even strapped on homemade “wings” in the hopes of flying like a bird. Those early attempts did not usually end well….

One of the reasons for all these failures is the force of gravitygravity. Earth pulls everything down towards its centre. You know, “what goes up, must come down.” For humans to fly, we would need to find a way to overcome the force of gravity on our mass. In other words, people needed to find a way to create liftlift.

Image - Text Version

Shown is an illustration showing how big a wingspan a human would need in order to fly. In the background is the silhouette of an eagle with its wings outstretched. In the foreground is a human with their arms outstretched. The wingspan of the bird is about three times that of the person.

Did you know?

The Peregrine Falcon is the fastest animal in the sky. It has been measured at speeds of above 83.3 m/s (300 km/h) while diving. The world record human sprinter Usain Bolt’s fastest time is only 10.4 m/s (~37 km/h).

Image - Text Version

Shown is a colour photograph of a Great Blue Heron in flight. Overlaid on the image is text about how birds generate lift and decrease weight.
A Great Blue Heron is a large freshwater wading bird. It has long greyish blue feathers, long legs and a long neck with a large pointed beak for catching fish.
Near the head of the bird is text related to how birds generate lift. Birds generate lift because they have airfoil-shaped wings, airfoil-shaped feathers and strong chest muscles that are used to flap the wings. Birds decrease weight by having lightweight bones, a beak instead of teeth and jaws and a large air-filled respiratory system.

Generating Lift

Having a wingspan proportional to the size of one’s body is not the only thing that allows birds to fly. Birds have very strong muscles connected to their wings. Human chest muscles are not strong enough to lift our bodies into the air. They also did not have the endurance for something like flight. Unlike humans, birds also have feathers. A bird’s feathers catch the air and force it downward when they flap. This helps them create liftlift and push birds high up in the sky. Humans can jump in the air with the help of their legs, but staying in the air is a completely different story!

Reducing Weight

Birds have light-weight skeletons and hollow bones. This keeps their mass low. Air sacs inside their bodies also make them lighter than other animals of a similar size. A lighter object is easier to keep in the air than a heavier one.

Understanding the Four Forces of Flight

To make flying work, humans needed to master the four forces of flight. They experimented with lift by making kites and gliders and they looked for ways to use lightweight materials to minimise weight. They found ways to push or thrust planes and they explored ways to reduce drag, all in an effort to get off the ground. Human’s understanding of these forces would eventually allow them to take to the skies.

Did you know?

In 2013, a group of Toronto engineers won the Sikorsky Prize for designing a human-powered helicopter.

Fly Like a Kite

The invention of kites helped pave the way for human flight. But just how does a kite fly?

The force of wind pushes a kite upwards and backwards. In order for this to happen, the kite needs to be positioned at the right angle, which is known as the angle of attack. This angle enables the wind to move up and over the kite to create lift. The kite will move higher and higher as long as the lifting force is greater than the weight of the kite together with the lift-induced drag caused by angle of attack. Lift and drag work against each other, kind of like in a tug-of-war battle. Eventually, balance is reached between lift and drag so that the kite neither goes up nor down.

Image - Text Version

Shown is a colour illustration identifying how air flows around a kite in flight and the forces at play.
Blue lines identify the air flow which is parallel as it approaches the kite. The kite deflects the air both upward and downward creating life. Lift is identified using a green arrow that points upwards from the kite. The weight of the kite is identified by a pink arrow that is pointing downwards. Behind the kite the air is disturbed creating drag. This is identified using a pink arrow that points to the right, away from the kite. The kite strings are drawn with black lines. On the main kite string, is an arrow indicating that there is tension in the direction of the person holding the kite string.

To develop a kite for carrying humans, the structure had to change. British-born Australian explorer and inventor Lawrence Hargrave invented what is known as the box kite.

Image - Text Version

Shown is a historical black and white photograph of two men pulling on the strings of a box kite on a hillside beneath two trees. The men are preparing to connect the box kites together in preparation for an attempt at lifting a person.

 

A few years later, Samuel Franklin Cody patented an improved version of Hargrave’s kite. To promote his kite to the Navy and the War Office for possible military use, he crossed the English Channel in a boat pulled by a kite. Known as Cody War-Kites, they were used by the British in World War I as a smaller alternative to balloons for spotting enemy artilleryartillery.

Did you know?

Alexander Graham Bell, a Scotsman living in Canada, developed the tetrahedral kite. The same person invented the telephone!

Lighter Than Air?

Once humans knew how important lift was to flight, they started to explore other ways to get lift. Airborne lanterns known as Kongming lanterns were used in ancient China to send military messages. Using balloons for lift would eventually make its way to the Western world.

Unfortunately, using balloons to carry people had a few drawbacks:

• A balloon goes wherever the wind carries it.
• The passengers have nearly no control over the speed or distance of their flight. So much for planning!
• There was no way to make it go in a given direction or steer it.

Modern dirigibles or blimps that carry people have propellers to push them and rudders and elevators to help control them.

The Birth of the Airplane

Did you know?

The first recorded flight of a fixed-wing aircraft carrying an adult was when Cayley asked his reluctant coachman, John Appleby, to pilot a glider. He went on to glide for about 270 m over a valley.

For a period of over 50 years, Cayley made improvements to his gliders. He changed the shape of the wings so that the air would flow smoothly. And he added a tail to help make them more stable. He also eventually realized that the glider would need powered propulsionpropulsion to travel longer distances. German pioneer of human aviation, Otto Lilienthal, also studied heavier-than-air flight. The Wright Brothers would credit him as their inspiration.

First Taste of Success

The Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville, loved the mechanics of flying even as young children.

In 1900, the brothers travelled from Ohio to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, to begin their flight experiments. The regular breezes and soft, sandy landing surfaces made it the perfect location for their test flights. Their first few weeks were very unsuccessful. But then they realized that the wings were not stiff enough. They decided to add some extra fabric to help stiffen the wings of the Wright Flyer. This did the trick!

Orville Wright took flight for 12 seconds on December 17, 1903. As Wilbur watched, Orville travelled just over 36 m before landing. Both brothers flew the airplane a few more times that day. History was made in the world’s first successful piloted powered aircraft.

Did you know?

Similar to hang gliders, the Wright brothers flew lying on their stomachs to reduce drag.

Around the time of the Wright brothers’ first sustained flight, airplanes were being designed and tested all over the world. Countries like Chile, New Zealand and even Canada were well on their way.

Newer Heights

As you can see, it took a collective effort from humans around the globe to finally realize their dream of flying. Gradually, people gained a better understanding of how forces worked and how air behaved around objects. All of these developments would usher in the era of modern aircraft.