With the exception of Sir George Cayley, the first half of the 19th century witnessed little significant development in aeronautics until William Samuel Henson (1812-1888) published in 1843 his design for an advanced fixed-wing monoplane configuration known as the 'Aerial Steam Carriage'.

Incorporating the seven coloured drawings of this early conception of an airliner "…for the conveyance of passengers, etc. through the air", this futuristic design was widely and repeatedly republished across Europe throughout the 19th century and anticipated the development of the mechanical flying machine.

Purchased by the Society in 1935, it is one of the few extant known original copies of possibly the first complete design of a power-driven monoplane.


Date(s)

 1843

Related Biography

 William Samuel Henson

Taxonomy Terms

  •  Person: Henson, William Samuel
  •  Item Type: Pamphlet

Archive Reference

  RAES/HENS/CARD/1