The History of Aviation Firsts

In 1848, John Stringfellow flew a small steam powered plane. He improved upon Cayley's work by discovering that longer and thinner wings are way better than shorter and stubbier ones. The aspect ratio of a wing defines what type of aircraft an aircraft is based on its wings. An efficient but non-maneuverable craft like a glider will have wings with a very high aspect ratio, long and thin.