Charles Duryea’s Skycycle – 1893

Charles Duryea’s Skycycle – 1893

The Duryea "Skycycle" - 1893 Illustration - Phillipsburg Herald, April 13, 1893

The Duryea “Skycycle” – 1893 Illustration – Phillipsburg Herald, April 13, 1893

     Charles Edward Duryea (1861-1938) was an inventor in Springfield, Massachusetts, who was best known for building the first ever gasoline powered automobile -the Duryea – in 1898.  However, one of his lesser known inventions was his “Skycycle” – a human powered flying machine produced in 1893.

     The Skycycle consisted of a framework with canvas wings that measured about thirty feet from tip to tip.  A propeller mounted in the front was driven by a set of bicycle-type pedals operated by the pilot.  Steering was accomplished via a rudder mounted aft of the pilot, which could be turned by a set of handlebars.

     It was reported that the machine was “extremely simple” and “not costly to build”.  However, it is unknown if any of Duryea’s Skycycles were actually completed.

     Source:

     Phillipsburg Herald, (Philipsburg, Kansas), “The Skycycle”, “A Massachusetts Yankee Thinks He Can Soar Aloft”, April 13, 1893

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