Chapter 1 Aircraft Structures A Brief History of Aircraft Structures The history of aircraft structures underlies the history of  aviation in general. Advances in materials and processes  used to construct aircraft have led to their evolution from  simple wood truss structures to the sleek aerodynamic flying  machines of today. Combined with continuous powerplant  development, the structures of “flying machines” have  changed significantly. The key discovery that “lift” could be created by passing  air over the top of a curved surface set the development of  fixed and rotary-wing aircraft in motion. George Cayley  developed an efficient cambered airfoil in the early 1800s,  as well as successful manned gliders later in that century. He  established the principles of flight, including the existence of  lift, weight, thrust, and drag. It was Cayley who first stacked  wings and created a tri-wing glider that flew a man in 1853.