J. Cayley began to carry out developments from 1796, when he began to actively study the flight of birds and https://telegram-store.com/catalog/product-category/channels/facts. In 1799 a silver disc was made on which the flying apparatus he had invented was applied, and on the reverse side of the disc a diagram of forces was applied to make the flight possible. The device plotted on the disk was very similar to a boat, but it still had the basic details of an airplane. Because of this, it can be said that J. Cayley can be considered the man who thought through all the basic details of airplanes.
Since 1804, the researcher conducts a number of experiments related to aerodynamic properties. Due to this, he created a new rotary installation for the study of surfaces. With the help of this installation it was possible to measure the lifting force of objects depending on the angles of attack. It should be noted that the data was quite accurate. As a result, after the experiments, he created the first glider, which could fly up to 27 meters, with a wing area of almost 1 square meter.
By 1808, another glider with a large wing area and a curved profile was created. The unit was tested in tethered and free flight. From the data obtained, Cayley published the first ever articles on aviation. The articles talk about the possibility of creating a convertiplane with disc-shaped bearing surfaces and a polyplane. These disks are divided into 4 segments, which rotate, due to this creates lifting force.
One more creation of this designer was recorded in the article of Mechanics Magazine. It was about a controlled parachute, which is equipped with horizontal planes.
Mechanics magazine
Still, Cayley’s greatest achievements are the creation of flying machines in full size. The first machine was built in 1809. The machine was equipped with fixed wings and had a cutout for the pilot to land. The lift was to be accomplished by flapping wings, but the machine never flew in the end. The second machine was made in 1894 on the same principle as its predecessor. The main difference was the presence of wheeled landing gear and a boat-shaped fuselage. The pilot himself, or rather his muscles, acted as the power plant. The tests showed that it was possible to get off the ground when accelerating off a slope, but only with a small load. It was not possible to lift an adult person.
The designer was busy designing other flying machines, such as dirigibles, but the work did not go further than that.
