Talk:John Stringfellow

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• Sorry, guys, but Stringfellow is a fake - Lilienthal was definently the first!!!

Stringfellow constructed a ramp. His airfoil was incapable a generating lift because it was flat See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Stringfellows_flying_machine.JPG. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airfoil.

Whilst this may be true of John Stringfellow and William Henson's early efforts eventually Stringfellow did build a plane that flew in 1848. Initially on a wire until it gained enough airspeed for free flight, albeit only a short distance indoors, this was indeed free powered flight (until it hit the wall). The replica model on display in Chard Museum (on loan from the Science museum) defiantly has an aerofoil section though probably not as efficient as that later devised by Lilienthal following his extensive research with gliders. In truth both men made valuable contributions in the pursuit of heavier than air flight, but neither could possibly succeed until the invention of the internal combustion engine. See http://www.chardmuseum.co.uk/Powered_Flight/ Vifar55 (talk) 11:21, 16 February 2008 (UTC)