<P> Sir Hiram Maxim was an American engineer who had moved to England . He built his own whirling arm rig and wind tunnel, and constructed a large machine with a wingspan of 105 feet (32 m), a length of 145 feet (44 m), fore and aft horizontal surfaces and a crew of three . Twin propellers were powered by two lightweight compound steam engines each delivering 180 hp (130 kW). Overall weight was 8,000 pounds (3,600 kg). It was intended as a test rig to investigate aerodynamic lift: lacking flight controls it ran on rails, with a second set of rails above the wheels to restrain it . Completed in 1894, on its third run it broke from the rail, became airborne for several hundred feet at two to three feet altitude and was badly damaged upon falling back to the ground . It was subsequently repaired, but Maxim abandoned his experiments shortly afterwards . </P> <P> In the last decade or so of the 19th century, a number of key figures were refining and defining the modern aeroplane . Lacking a suitable engine, aircraft work focused on stability and control in gliding flight . In 1879 Biot constructed a bird - like glider with the help of Massia and flew in it briefly . It is preserved in the Musee de l'Air, France, and is claimed to be the earliest man - carrying flying machine still in existence . </P> <P> The Englishman Horatio Phillips made key contributions to aerodynamics . He conducted extensive wind tunnel research on aerofoil sections, proving the principles of aerodynamic lift foreseen by Cayley and Wenham . His findings underpin all modern aerofoil design . </P> <P> Otto Lilienthal became known as the "Glider King" or "Flying Man" of Germany . He duplicated Wenham's work and greatly expanded on it in 1884, publishing his research in 1889 as Birdflight as the Basis of Aviation (Der Vogelflug als Grundlage der Fliegekunst). He also produced a series of hang gliders, including bat - wing, monoplane and biplane forms, such as the Derwitzer Glider and Normal soaring apparatus . Starting in 1891 he became the first person to make controlled untethered glides routinely, and the first to be photographed flying a heavier - than - air machine, stimulating interest around the world . He rigorously documented his work, including photographs, and for this reason is one of the best known of the early pioneers . Lilienthal made over 2,000 glides until his death in 1896 from injuries sustained in a glider crash . </P>

What were some of the early beginnings of the cruise industry