Sir George Cayley's On Aerial Navigation

A turning point in the embryonic field of Fundamental Aeronautics occurred in 1809, when George Cayley put pen to paper and wrote three articles for Nicholson's Journal of Natural Philosophy. Cayley is the man who first brought the terms and principles of lift, drag, and thrust to aeronautics, and by the time of the publication of these articles, he had been performing fundamental research for more than 15 years.

These articles detailed the results of this research. They are still relevant today, and are presented here as they first appeared.

On Aerial Navigation, Part 1, November 1809

On Aerial Navigation, Part 2, February 1810

On Aerial Navigation, Part 3, March 1810