George Cayley

Sir George Cayley, 6th Baronet was an English engineer, inventor and aviator. He was a pioneer of aeronautical engineering and is sometimes referred to as "the father of aviation", designing the first glider reliably reported to carry a human aloft. He is commonly credited as the first person to understand the underlying principles and forces of heavier-than-air flight: weight, lift, drag and thrust.

He was also the inventor of the wire wheel.

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Source: Wikipedia · Image: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

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