Aeronautics Basics

Aeronautics is the science involved with the study, design, and manufacture of flight capable machines, or the techniques of operating aircraft. This includes a branch of aeronautics called aerodynamics. Aerodynamics deals with the motion of air and the way it interacts with objects in motion, such as an aircraft. Both of these branches are a part of physical science. Aviation, however, refers to the operation of aircraft.

Early Aeronautics                                                

Before scientific investigation of aeronautics started, people started thinking of ways to fly. In Greek legend, icarus and his father deadulus built wings of feathers and flew out of a prison. Icarus flew too close to the sun and fell to his death in the sea. When people started to scientifically study how to fly, people began to understand the basics of air and aerodynamics. One of the earliest scientists to study aeronautics was Leonardo da vincy. Da Vinci studied the flight of birds in developing engineering schematics for some of the earliest flying machines in the late fifteenth century AD. His schematics, however, such as the ornithopter  ultimately failed as practical aircraft. The flapping machines that he designed were either too small to generate sufficient lift, or too heavy for a human to operate. Although the ornithopter continues to be of interest to hobbyists, it was replaced by the glider in the 19th century.

Sir George Cayley designed a number of models gliders from 1804 onwards; the first manned glider, the Coachman Carrier, is claimed to have flown in 1853. It is unclear whether it was powered or not, though propellers were almost certainly not used. It flew probably around 130 meters across a valley in Brompton-by-Sawdon near Scarborough.

Modern Aeronautics

Modern aeronautic research is primarily conducted by independent corporations and universities. There are also a number of government agencies that study aeronautics, including NASA in the United States and the European  Space Agency in Europe.

Aeronautical Engineering

Aeronotical engineering is an engineering area that covers research, design, manufacture and maintenance of products such as aircraft, missiles and space satellites. It involes scientific topics of Aerodynamics, Materials, Technology,  Fluid Mechanics and Aircraft Structures

Wilber and Orvile Wright