page_title: Aerial steam carriage
section_title: Specifications
hierarchical_section_title: Aerial steam carriage / Specifications
caption_attribution_description: English: Patent drawing for the Henson Aerial Steam Carriage of 1843. Source: [1]. Lupo 09:42, 21 March 2006 (UTC)
context_page_description: The aerial steam carriage, also named Ariel, was a flying machine patented in 1842 that was supposed to carry passengers into the air. It was, in practice, incapable of flight since it had insufficient power from its heavy steam engine to fly. A more successful model was built in 1848 which was able to fly for small distances within a hangar. The aerial steam carriage was significant because it was a transition from glider experimentation to powered flight experimentation.
context_section_description: The Ariel was to be a monoplane with a wing span of 150 feet (46 m), weigh 3,000 lb (1,400 kg) and was to be powered by a specially-designed lightweight steam powered engine producing 50 hp (37 kW).  The wing area was to be 4,500 sq ft (420 m²)., with the tail another 1500, yielding a very low wing loading. The inventors hoped that the Ariel would achieve a speed of 50 mph, and carry 10–12 passengers up to 1,000 miles (1,600 km).  The plan was to launch it from an inclined ramp.  The undercarriage was a 3-wheel design.
caption: Patent drawing for the Henson Aerial Steam Carriage of 1843.
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