That magnificent man and his flying machines (From Gazette & Herald)

That magnificent man and his flying machines

VIRGIN boss Sir Richard Branson and the Red Arrows will be paying tribute to the "father" of aeronautics, Sir George Cayley, on Saturday at a day of celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of the first manned flight which happened at Brompton-by-Sawdon.

Sir Richard has agreed to attend the event and is expected to take a keen interest in a full working replica of the 1853 glider made by Cayley, when it flies in Brompton Dale at noon. Earlier, at 11am, there will be a fly past by the legendary Red Arrows team.

Cayley is credited as the inventor

of manned flight. It was at Brompton Dale where the first-ever manned flight in a fixed wing plane took place, in 1849, a plane built by Caley which carried a ten-year-old boy.

The following year, another craft designed by Cayley was flown, flown by his coachman, John Appleby. After this momentous occasion, the coachman is reported to have said: "Please, Sir George, I wish to give notice. I was hired to drive, and not to fly."

Cayley's gliders, which were towed, were designed and flown some 50 years before Wilbur and Orville Wright's craft took to the air in America, the first powered flight.

There will also be a public screening of a 1976 film about the building and flight of another replica of Cayley's 1853 glider.

Events at the festival are free of charge. There will be a £5 per car parking charge, £2 for motorbikes. In addition, there is a Victorian dinner at Brompton Hall. Tickets cost £20 per head, and are available from Jean Matthewson on (01723) 859233.

Ian Wormald, chairman of 150th anniversary Committee, said: "Cayley made a vital contribution to the development of manned flight, so we're delighted to be able to celebrate his achievements."

As well as the first aeroplane, Cayley invented the caterpillar track, the theatre safety curtain, a working artificial hand, a land drainage scheme, the basis of modern ballistics, a railway safety system, a self-righting lifeboat, and the bicycle tension wheel.

Updated: 09:59 Wednesday, July 02, 2003