| If you recall in the 1965 version of the movie "The | | | | letters, goods and passengers from place to place |
| Flight of the Phoenix" the character Heinrich | | | | through the air". This would have made it the first air |
| Dorfmann says the following: "In 1841 Henson and | | | | mail carrier or airline. In 1843 Henson and Stringfellow |
| Stringfellow built a rubber-powered model that flew | | | | formed a company with Frederick Marriott, and D.E. |
| 600 meters before encountering an obstruction". So | | | | Colombine called: "Aerial Transit Company". |
| you ask yourself who are Henson and Stringfellow. | | | | Frederick Marriott was credited in later years with |
| Were they aviation pioneers? Did they do something | | | | coining the term "aeroplane". What Henson and |
| historic? And if so what was it? | | | | Stringfellow had done was 60 years before the |
| Their names were William Samuel Henson and John | | | | Wright Brother's first successful flight on December |
| Stringfellow. Henson was born May 3, 1812 in the | | | | 17, 1903. They also created a very impressive public |
| town Chard, which is in the county of Somerset, | | | | media campaign with flyers and posters of the |
| England. He became a successful businessman like his | | | | aircraft "Aerial" depicting it in flight in exotic locations. |
| father in the lace-making industry in Somerset. John | | | | These flyers and posters appeared all over the world. |
| Stringfellow was born December 6, 1799 in Attercliffe | | | | And the "Aerial" had never actually flown; it had |
| near Sheffield, England. He was an engineer and also | | | | made a very, very short hop. The reason for this is |
| in the lace-making industry in Somerset. | | | | that it's power plant which was a steam engine was |
| Mr. Henson's aeronautical work was influenced by the | | | | too heavy and under-powered (it had |
| world renowned Sir George Cayley. Henson and | | | | 30-horsepower). But the engineering of the aircraft |
| Stringfellow designed a steam-driven aircraft which | | | | design itself was very sound and it would influence |
| they called an: "aerial steam carriage" which was the | | | | future aeronautical thinking. |
| first known design for a propeller-driven fixed-wing | | | | Henson was married to Sarah Ann Jones in 1848. In |
| aircraft. Mr. Henson submitted a patent (British Patent | | | | 1849 he and his wife emigrated to the U.S. and they |
| # 9478) in 1842 for a flying machine called the | | | | lived in Newark, New Jersey. He would go on to be |
| "Aerial". When one looks at these drawings the | | | | known as "Mad-man" Henson. He was a broken and |
| elements of design and construction that were later | | | | humiliated man in his later years. He died in 1888. He |
| used in Word War I era aircraft can be seen. | | | | was buried in East Orange, New Jersey. |
| And according to the patent it planned "to convey | | | | |