In his lifetime, Sir George Cayley (1773-1857) published just a few papers on the subject of aeronautics and many of his ideas are explored in five illustrated manuscript notebooks which were presented on permanent loan to the Royal Aeronautical Society in 1946 by Cayley's grandson Sir Kenelm Cayley. The…
Influenced by the pioneering glider designs of Otto Lilienthal (1848-1896), Percy Sinclair Pilcher (1866-1899) developed his own series of glider designs in Glasgow from 1893. In 1896 Pilcher's "Gull" and "Hawk" gliders were produced, and Pilcher learnt the art of controlling his machine in the air…