Editing Aeronautics (section)

===Cayley and the foundation of modern aeronautics===
[[Sir George Cayley]] (1773–1857) is widely acknowledged as the founder of modern aeronautics. He was first called the "father of the aeroplane" in 1846{{sfn|Fairlie|Cayley|1965}} and Henson called him the "father of aerial navigation."{{sfn|Wragg|1974}} He was the first true scientific aerial investigator to publish his work, which included for the first time the underlying principles and forces of flight.<ref>{{cite web| title = Sir George Carley| url = http://www.flyingmachines.org/cayl.html| publisher = Flyingmachines.org| access-date = 2009-07-26| quote = Sir George Cayley is one of the most important people in the history of aeronautics. Many consider him the first true scientific aerial investigator and the first person to understand the underlying principles and forces of flight.| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090211164945/http://flyingmachines.org/cayl.html| archive-date = 2009-02-11}}</ref>

In 1809 he began the publication of a landmark three-part treatise titled "On Aerial Navigation" (1809–1810).<ref name="AerNav123">''Cayley, George''. "On Aerial Navigation" [http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/fap/OnAerialNavigationPt1.pdf Part 1]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511071413/http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/fap/OnAerialNavigationPt1.pdf |date=2013-05-11 }}, [http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/fap/OnAerialNavigationPt2.pdf Part 2]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511041814/http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/fap/OnAerialNavigationPt2.pdf |date=2013-05-11 }}, [http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/fap/OnAerialNavigationPt3.pdf Part 3]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511052409/http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/fap/OnAerialNavigationPt3.pdf |date=2013-05-11 }} ''Nicholson's Journal of Natural Philosophy'', 1809–1810. (Via [[NASA]]). [http://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/i/Cayley/Cayley.html Raw text] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303193751/http://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/i/Cayley/Cayley.html |date=2016-03-03 }}. Retrieved: 30 May 2010.</ref> In it he wrote the first scientific statement of the problem, "The whole problem is confined within these limits, viz. to make a surface support a given weight by the application of power to the resistance of air." He identified the four vector forces that influence an aircraft: ''[[thrust]]'', ''[[Lift (force)|lift]]'', ''[[Aerodynamic drag|drag]]'' and ''[[weight]]'' and distinguished stability and control in his designs.

He developed the modern conventional form of the fixed-wing aeroplane having a stabilising tail with both horizontal and vertical surfaces, flying gliders both unmanned and manned.

He introduced the use of the whirling arm test rig to investigate the aerodynamics of flight, using it to discover the benefits of the curved or [[camber (aerodynamics)|cambered]] [[aerofoil]] over the flat wing he had used for his first glider. He also identified and described the importance of [[Dihedral (aircraft)|dihedral]], diagonal bracing and drag reduction, and contributed to the understanding and design of [[ornithopter]]s and [[parachute]]s.{{sfn|Wragg|1974}}

Another significant invention was the tension-spoked wheel, which he devised in order to create a light, strong wheel for aircraft undercarriage.