Aeolus; or, the future of the flying machine by Major Oliver Stewart
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"Aeolus; or, the future of the flying machine" by Major Oliver Stewart is an aeronautical essay written in the early 20th century. It forecasts how aircraft will evolve and be used, arguing that society’s attitude and policy toward aviation will shape progress more than pure technology. Stewart champions moving‑wing craft (notably the autogiro) for short urban hops and poor visibility, foresees giant flying boats as true long‑range air liners, and criticizes official
and financial constraints while doubting the long‑term viability of rigid airships. The opening of this work casts the aeroplane as an “aerial sailing‑ship,” clarifies basic terms (wing, airscrew, propeller), and sets a pragmatic forecasting stance. Stewart then argues that Britain’s aviation stagnation springs from overregulation and financier‑led standardization, prescribing “freedom of the air” and craftsmanship to unlock progress. He contrasts a noisy, awkward passenger plane with the effortless gull to introduce the key idea of moving‑wing flight, presenting the autogiro as the first practical realization and predicting spot landings, rooftop terminals, and fog‑defying city‑center services. He anticipates a counter from fixed‑wing operators—very fast, highly loaded machines aided by catapults, arresters, and high‑speed ground links—and begins to sketch the longer‑range future in which immense hydro‑aeroplanes become the true air liners. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Stewart, Oliver, Major, 1895-1976 |
|---|---|
| LoC No. | 28006557 |
| Title | Aeolus; or, the future of the flying machine |
| Original Publication | London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., 1927. |
| Series Title | To-day and to-morrow series |
| Credits | Tim Lindell, Quentin Campbell, Thiers Halliwell (cover image restoration) and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from images made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library.) |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | TL: Technology: Motor vehicles, Aeronautics, Astronautics |
| Subject | Airplanes |
| Subject | Aeronautics |
| Subject | Flying-machines |
| Subject | Airships |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 76988 |
| Release Date | Oct 5, 2025 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 278 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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