History Main / ThoseMagnificentFlyingMachines

Generally, a magnificent flying aachine will have one or several of the following features:

In more fantasy-oriented works, SkyPirates may make use of that trope to plow [[TheSkyIsAnOcean the ocean of air]] in their search for prey. {{Floating Continent}}s and a WorldInTheSky may or may not be involved. Please don't try to take this trope ''too'' far into the realm of fantasy, though. Letting flight be entirely explained by ''magic'', for example, would not have the same feel or meaning for the story. A flying ship kept airborne by a wizard's spell would ''not'' count as an example of this trope (though a flying ship that [[MagiTek uses magic to drive a hundred tiny propellers]] very well might).

* The Vinci faction from ''VideoGame/RiseOfLegends'' are all steampunkish, and so are their flying machines.

* The Creator/{{Disney}} WartimeCartoon ''Victory Through Air Power'' starts off with a humorous review of the progress of the airplane from the MagnificentFlyingMachines of the early days of aviation to the deadly warplanes of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.

%% Note fron translator: if you're fluent in French and English, please improve the above translation.

This trope is for all Flying Machines that reflect this aesthetic, and this romantic way of looking at human {{flight}}. It is most usually found in SteamPunk and RaygunGothic works, but may also have a place in {{Fantasy}} and even HistoricalFiction.

Large examples may be {{Cool Airship}}s -- though Cool Airships don't ''always'' follow this aesthetic, and magnificent flying machines don't have to be large (or lighter-than-air). Or ''cool'', necessarily. While usually these craft will be treated as impressive feats of engineering -- as the title implies -- in some settings a primitive-looking flying machine will be PlayedForLaughs (perhaps as an aeronautical version of TheAllegedCar). Actual use of the term "''Flying Machine''" usually suggests humour.

* ''ComicBook/LadyMechanika'' has the Lewis Flyer, which appears to be a steampowered vintage car with ornithopter wings and a helicopter rotor that somehow still manages to fly.

* ''Film/ChittyChittyBangBang'' was an old-timey race car fitted with little wings and propellers. [[spoiler:Though its flying power was AllJustADream... or was it?]]

* The ''Literature/MortalEngines'' series features lots of airships of all imaginable shapes and sizes (from couch-sized airships perfect for indoor flight to massive [[TheSkyIsAnOcean Air Dreadnoughts]], and lots of assorted tramp traders in-between), perfect for adventuring in a vast {{Steampunk}} and {{Dieselpunk}} world. In the early books, [[LostTechnology the secrets of heavier-than-air flight have been lost]], but later in the series we see all sorts of armed ornithopters, autogyros, and rickety biplanes competing with zeppelins in the sky. Air travel is heavily romanticised in the setting -- air traders ply the "Bird Roads," seeing the world and having lots of glamorous and dangerous adventures.

** Specifically, the flying machines come from the [[SkyPirate Pirata]] city-state, and some feature equipment like grapling hooks clearly meant for boarding.

* Because the game doesn't limit on what shape you can make your airships in ''VideoGame/AirshipsConquerTheSkies'', it usually results in this trope. Usually the basic design of airship with barebone essentials are big wooden boxes, lifted to the sky only by the power of [[AppliedPhlebotinum suspendium]].

* An annual festival in Japan[[note]]Can someone provide link? Google isn't very helpful right now.[[/note]] brings together man-powered contraptions to essentially leap off a cliff together in their pursuit of flight. Success is measured in distance and seconds, but isn't the sole criteria; points are given for design originality and sheer ballsiness.
* A series of 3-dimensional models in the Chinook Mall (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) are this. They're suspended from a track which they periodically move around. Only one is an actual aeroplane.

Large examples may be {{Cool Airship}}s -- though Cool Airships don't ''always'' follow this aesthetic, and Magnificent Flying Machines don't have to be large (or lighter-than-air). Or ''cool'', necessarily. While usually these craft will be treated as impressive feats of engineering -- as the title implies -- in some settings a primitive-looking flying machine will be PlayedForLaughs (perhaps as an aeronautical version of TheAllegedCar). Actual use of the term "''Flying Machine''" usually suggests humour.

In more fantasy-oriented works, SkyPirates may make use of ThoseMagnificentFlyingMachines to plough [[TheSkyIsAnOcean the ocean of air]] in their search for prey. {{Floating Continent}}s and a WorldInTheSky may or may not be involved. Please don't try to take this trope ''too'' far into the realm of fantasy, though. Letting flight be entirely explained by ''magic'', for example, would not have the same feel or meaning for the story. A flying ship kept airborne by a wizard's spell would ''not'' count as an example of this trope (though a flying ship that [[MagiTek uses magic to drive a hundred tiny propellers]] very well might).

Generally, a Magnificent Flying Machine will have one or several of the following features:

* In [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist the 2003 anime version]] of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', this is Ed's reaction to seeing the [[WorldWarOne WWI]] planes of our world.

* The Creator/{{Disney}} WartimeCartoon ''Victory Through Air Power'' starts off with a humorous review of the progress of the airplane from the MagnificentFlyingMachines of the early days of aviation to the deadly warplanes of WorldWarII.

* The vehicles in the air battle between [[FuManchu the Devil Doctor]] and [[SherlockHolmes Professor Moriarty]] in ''Comicbook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen''.

* ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'', the floating city of Columbia powered by HARD, if somewhat questionable, science, and with a delightful early 1900 style, it is truly a marvellous, magnificent flying city.

* As mentioned above, various aircraft designs of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI embodied this aesthetic, partially because at the time the great powers in the world needed ''absolutely anything that could vaguely fly'' that they could get their hands on in order to wrest a potential advantage from the skies, floating alongside observation balloons and [[UsefulNotes/{{Airships}} Zeppelins.]] Among the more fanciful designs were the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etrich_Taube Entrich Taube]], the very first bomber in the world whose wings physically bended and twisted in order to steer, the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Aircraft_Factory_B.E.9 BE9]] who attempted to circumvent the issue of early fighters potentially shooting through their propeller by ''placing the gunner in front of it in a wooden box'' (this was prior to the invention of the synchronization gear), and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fokker_A.I Fokker A.I]], a reconnaissance monoplane whose wings were controlled by a system of external cables mounted on a mast-like structure.

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* ''Film/HudsonHawk''. A LeonardoDaVinci glider comes in handy for the title character and Anna Baragli.

* One of LeonardoDaVinci's flying machines appeared in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'', and it was propelled by giant pyres burning all over the city.

* LeonardoDaVinci dreamed up a whole range of Magnificent Flying Machines, including human-powered ornithopters and corkscrew helicopters.

[[TruthInTelevision Actual]] aircraft in the early days of aviation, as well as many early unsuccessful attempts to build flying machines, may well fit here. LeonardoDaVinci deserves special mention for dreaming up many fanciful aircraft in the early 16th century (several examples below were inspired by his work). The trope likely stopped applying to RealLife sometime between WorldWarI and WorldWarII, as airplanes gradually evolved towards their modern form, and as [[UsefulNotes/{{Airships}} large rigid airships]] passed their heyday and fell into disuse.

* In the [[{{Steampunk}} steampunk]] [[TheGloryThatWasRome Roman Empire]] that dominates the Roma Aeterna timeline in ''TabletopGame/GURPSAlternateEarths'', the only native heavier-than-air flyer is the ''jactavolans'', an incredibly dangerous melding of Roman glider and Chinese rocket technology used for scouting and courier purposes. In game terms, you have to roll Piloting checks on takeoff (to see if the rockets explode) ''and'' landing (to see if you crash). All ''jactavolans'' pilots are state-owned slaves who receive both their freedom and Roman citizenship if they survive a five-year term of service.

** The steam-powered, wing-flapping aircraft of ''Anime/HowlsMovingCastle'' are beautiful examples, including both giant war-planes and small [[FlyingCar commuter craft]]. Eventually, the castle itself becomes an example.

* The various steampunk-ish aircraft seen in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' and ''TheLegendOfKorra'' are generally pretty plausible, but Asami's airship is as magnificent as it is impossible. It looks like the offspring of a blimp and a skyscraper, being mostly made of glass and metal and featuring an excessively huge and lavishly-decorated bridge. Eight comparatively small propellers attached to the back half of the ship (via huge and ornate metal frames) supposedly keep the monster airborne.

* ''VideoGame/DiscworldNoir'' has Leonard of Quirm's Flapping-Wing-Flying-Device (ornithopter). A model briefly appears in ''Discworld/MenAtArms'', but in the game he's built a full-size version. [[spoiler: Which Lewton flies in the final battle with Nylonathotep]].

* The VSF miniatures game Aeronef by Wessex Games is set in an alternate universe where powered dirigible airships, nicknamed "'digs", are invented in 1852, and a powered anti-gravity system is developed in 1884, resulting in the construction of the titular Aeronefs, often shortened to "'nefs". Later developments include the discovery of negative-gravity particles that are passively generated from "R-Matter", a substance found in meteorites, usually in rainforests or polar regions. 'Nefs and 'Digs come in a variety of types, mostly military, ranging from small Patrol 'Nef to Battleships, as well as Carriers and specialist bombers. The style of miniatures is heavily inspired by the pre-dreadnought era from the mid-1870s to around the early 1910s, and the official timeline ends in 1911 before the outbreak of WWI.