English engineer Sir George Cayley worked out the basic principles of the aircraft at the turn of the 19th century. German mechanical engineer Otto Lilienthal realized that building a successful aircraft required learning how to fly first. The American civil engineer Octave Chanute learned from his many predecessors that mechanical flight was certainly within the range of possibilities. As a careful designer and critical analyst, he progressed systematically by observing and interpreting the behavior of his various glider designs in flight, an essential step in the initial development of the aeroplane. Chanute's work in 1896 constitutes the first true aerodynamic research program, making him the first flight test engineer. This is a unique opportunity to reflect on the happenings of more than a century ago when few believed that flight was probable.
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机译：19世纪初，英国工程师乔治·凯利爵士（Sir George Cayley）制定了飞机的基本原理。德国机械工程师Otto Lilienthal意识到，成功制造一架飞机需要首先学习如何飞行。美国土木工程师奥克塔夫·尚努特（Octave Chanute）从他的许多前任中学到，机械飞行肯定在可能范围之内。作为一名细心的设计师和批判性分析家，他通过观察和解释其在飞行中的各种滑翔机设计的行为来系统地进步，这是飞机最初开发中必不可少的一步。 Chanute在1896年的工作构成了第一个真正的空气动力学研究计划，使他成为第一位飞行测试工程师。这是一个独特的机会，可以反思一个多世纪前的事态，当时很少有人认为这是可能的。
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