Sir George Cayley is one of the most important people in the history of aeronautics. Many consider him the first true scientific aerial investigator and the first person to understand the underlying principles and forces of flight. He built his first 'aerial device' in 1796, a model helicopter with contra-rotating propellers.
In 1804 Cayley designed and built a model monoplane glider of strikingly modern appearance. The model featured an adjustable cruciform tail, a kite-shaped wing mounted at a high angle of incidence and a moveable weight to alter the center of gravity. It was probably the first gliding device to make significant flights.
Details of this Cayley flying machine appeared in Mechanics' Magazine of 25 September 1852. As Cayley's text made clear, the wing was intended to have approx 8" of dihedral and set at an angle of incidence of about 5 degrees. Cayley called the craft, which was meant to be released in the air from beneath a balloon, a "governable parachute"; though it was in reality a glider.

Although never built, it incorporated all except one of the essential design features of a modern airplane.

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