Aviation pioneer's exploits stamped worldwide

Abstract

Man's fascination of the bird, his longing to Imitate his aloofness, be airborne above the earth, and come close to the bright sun and the glittering stars, is as old as time itself. The ancient myths about Icarus and Phaeton, who tried to make this longing a reality are well known; both, however, met with a tragic end. In the first half of the sixteenth century, Leonardo da Vinci proposed the design of a flying machine which appeared to have solved, at least in theory, the possibility of flying in planes, but unfortunately, man's technological achievements of the time were by far inferior to Vinci's genius. The mathematics of flight and physical laws concerning flight were evolved in the eighteenth century by Newton. The actual beginnings of flight, however, followed a different path, with man constructing vehicles that were lighter than air, through balloons and airships. [excerpt]