Enrico Forlanini's helicopter - the first object to fly thanks to an engine, powered by a steam engine driving two counter-rotating propellers and raising 13 meters and staying aloft for 20 seconds in 1877
Posted by Xeelee1123@reddit | WeirdWings | View on Reddit | 5 comments
stitchard@reddit
John Stringfellow managed powered heavier than air flight in 1848
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_aviation#Age_of_steam
mondriandroid@reddit
Really does seem like in the early days, crew weight was an almost impossible constraint. I wonder how many other unmanned successes there were in the late 19th century?
stitchard@reddit
It does seem like they were so nearly there for a good few decades. And then the internal combustion engine came along.
ubergic@reddit
Rex's Hangar has a video on engine development that briefly talls about this.
Aircraft Engines Origins and Early Development
Xeelee1123@reddit (OP)
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_Forlanini
Source: https://www.museoscienza.org/en/collection/objects/enrico-forlanini-experimental-helicopter