The Aerodrome: Samuel Pierpont Langley In 1896 Samuel Pierpont Langley, astronomer and secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, flew an unmanned steam-driven airplane model three-fourths of a mile. In 1898 he received a Congressional grant of $51,000 for further development of an airplane capable of carrying a person. Langley and his gifted assistant, Charles M. Manly, designed and built the Aerodrome, powered by a 125-pound, 53-hp gasoline engine. On Oct. 7, 1903, Manly attempted to fly from the deck of a houseboat on the Potomac River, but the airplane apparently fouled some portion of the catapult mechanism and tumbled into the river. Manly tried again on Dec. 8 and again the attempt failed. These failures, plus the cruel jeers of the newspapers and cynics, crushed Langley's spirit, and he retired. Nine days later, the Wrights successfully flew on a bleak beach in North Carolina. Click here to return to the Heavier-than-Air Flight Overview.