145 years ago, a practical aircraft design.
 

145 years ago, on this date, August 18th, 1871, a practical aircraft design was presented:

18 August 1871: Alphonse Pénaud demonstrated the first inherently stable airplane when he flew his model Planophore at a meeting of the Société de Navigation Aérienne at the Tuileries Gardens, Paris, France. The model airplane had a wing span of 18 inches (46 centimeters), a length of 20 inches (51 centimeters) and weighed 15.9 grams. The model was powered by a twisted rubber band which drove an 8 inch diameter (20 centimeter) two-blade propeller positioned at the tail in a pusher configuration.

At this demonstration, Pénaud’s Planophore flew 131 feet (39.9 meters) in 11 seconds.

The craft gained its stability from several features that later became common in aircraft design. The wings curved upward toward the tips, creating a dihedral effect. A horizontal stabilizer at the rear was mounted with a lower angle of incidence than the wings. Pénaud’s use of the twisted rubber band became a common feature of aircraft design models.

Got any Daguerreographs bitte.

Perhaps this link may help:

http://static.thisdayinaviation.com/...lanophore1.jpg

I'll believe it, only when I see the actual YouToob video. :)

I reckon I got a paper aeroplane to fly as far as that! - in 1962, from the 3rd story verandah at high school! - and all without a rubber band, too! :E

Thank you for the link evansb

Intriguing. Thanks for that, evansb.
Around the same time, a chap, down here in Oz, by the name of Lawrence Hargrave had started thinking even a little further ahead than that.
A bit later, a steam-powered proof-of-concept model of his flew.
The Wright brothers, with whom he regularly corresponded, benefitted from his research.

Forgot to add his qualification Stan, MRAeS. Emigrated to OZ from the Mother Country at the age of 16. Hargrave's best-known work was on engines and box-kites. The Gnome engine, patented in France, was based on his rotary engine of 1889; and his box-kites of the early 1890s formed the basis for the Santos Dumont aeroplane and the early Voisins. He never bothered patenting anything. Did most of his experimenting at Stanwell Park, you paying him rent Stan?

That does demonstrate that history remembers exploiters more than creators. But then, in a capitalist society that's to be expected.

Not sure how much I believe in this, but here it is for what it's worth:

I saw a radio controlled flying wheelbarrow once.......

I guess we now know what the Lightning was based on..................

megan,
Am I paying rent down there?
Nah.
A cardboard box up the back of the park does me.
I do get to fly my box-kites from time to time, though.
They haven't yet worked out how to charge me for the wind.