There were several flight tests in ancient history, the idea came to mind after the invention of kites by the Chinese, then Leonardo da Vinci made the first real flight studies in 1480 . He had over 100 drawings illustrating his theories on flight. The Orthopteran flying machine was never actually created. It was a drawing that Leonardo da Vinci created to show how man could fly. The modern helicopter is based on this concept. In the 19th century Otto Lilienthal, a German engineer studied the flight of birds, wrote a book on the subject and after many tests with his glider he was crushed and died. His book was used by the Wright brothers as the basis for their designs. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The work of all these men was known to the Wright brothers when they built their successful powered airplane in 1903. The first of its kind To carry a man aloft, the Wright Flyer had thin cloth-covered wings attached to what were mainly wooden lattice structures. The wings contained front and rear spars and were supported by both struts and wires. Stacked wings (two sets) were also part of the Wright Flyer. still supported by cables, but a mast extending above the fuselage allowed the wings to be supported from both above and below. This made it possible to extend the wing length needed to lift an aircraft with a single set of wings. Bleriot used a Pratt truss-type fuselage frame. More powerful engines were developed and airframe structures changed to take advantage of this. As early as 1910, German Hugo Junkers was able to build an airplane with a metal truss structure and metal skin due to the availability of more powerful power plants to propel the plane forward and into the sky. The use of metal instead of wood for the primary structure eliminated the need for external bracing and wires for the wings. His J-1 also had a single set of wings (a monoplane) instead of a stacked set. (History) Leading up to World War I (WWI), more powerful engines allowed designers to develop thicker wings with stronger spars. Wire wing reinforcement was no longer necessary. Flatter, lower wing surfaces on high-camber wings created more lift. World War I increased the need for large quantities of reliable aircraft. Used primarily for reconnaissance, stacked-wing tail draggers with wood and metal pylons with mostly fabric covering dominated the wartime sky. The history of airplane structures underlies the history of aviation in general. Advances in the materials and processes used to build airplanes have led to their evolution from simple wooden lattice structures to the sleek aerodynamic machines of today. Combined with the continuous development of power plants, the structures of “flying cars” have changed significantly. The discovery of how "lift" could be created by passing air over a curved surface set in motion the development of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. In the lead-up to World War I, more powerful engines also allowed designers to develop thicker wings with stronger spars. Wire wing reinforcement was no longer necessary. Flatter, lower wing surfaces on high-camber wings created more lift. World War I increased the need for large quantities of reliable aircraft. Used primarily for reconnaissance, stacked-wing tail draggers with wooden truss structures and.