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Gliders | |
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People have always wanted to fly. For thousands of years many myths
(stories) were told about people flying. Most of these stories were
like a wish or a dream. Most of the time people thought of flying like
a bird. They thought they could flap their wings and take off! This is
not possible.
In 1799 Sir George Cayley decided to think about gliding. Gliding is
different than flying. Birds glide by keeping their wings out straight
and not moving them. Cayley thought people could do the same thing
with a wooden wing. He made a wing and a tail out of wood and cloth.
He put a special curve in the wing. This helped the glider "lift" off
of the ground. Cayley had his assistant ride in it and glide through
the air. Cayley wrote about what happened.
Many people read what Cayley wrote. A man named Otto Lilienthal started making gliders from what he read. He flew in his gliders many times. He made changes that helped him fly better. What he did helped the Wright Brothers make their airplane fly better. Today, many people fly in their own gliders. They have fun and they have contests. Make your own model glider and fly it. Watch how it flys through the air! 
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