What are Flying Machines?
A flying machine can be thought of as any device meant to fly. A distinction may be made between mechanically-powered flying machines, human-powered flying machines, lighter-than-air flying machines, and gliders. The idea of a flying machine that could carry a person has likely captivated humanity for many thousands of years, and there are examples of such devices in myth and practice spanning two millennia. Perhaps the most well-known early account of a flying machine can be seen in the Greek myth of Icarus and Daedalus. With large wings attached to their arms, the pair were able to soar high above the firmament, flapping and gliding like birds — until, of course, Icarus passed too close to the sun and the wax binding his wings melted. Such myths exist in many different cultures, spanning back more than two-thousand years. In China, the first record of a human flight was in the middle of the 6th century. This flying machine consisted of a kite — well-known in China at the time — with
While your post is correct, that any device meant to fly is a Flying Machine, it is convenient to limit the use of the term to devices made or conceived of prior to the first heavier-than-air powered human flight, which is generally accpetd to be that of the Wrights on December 17, 1903. Please feel free to visit my Flying Machines web site at http://www.flyingmachines.
