
Andrew Denny (1812-1870), a native of Boston, Massachusetts, relocated to the Clarke County settlement of Suggsville in 1836 and is considered to be first aviation experimenter in Alabama. Regarded as an exceptional physician who treated the most challenging cases, Denny has also been described as an experimenter and visionary. A man of many interests, Denny maintained approximately 2,000 bee hives throughout the Suggsville community. Friends and neighbors would observe Denny sitting for hours studying the action of the bees, an activity that may have inspired him to conceive of a flying machine based on the motion of bees' wings.
Reportedly, the house in which Denny resided was located at the top of a high hill. It seemed to have been his plan to build some type of craft that would soar from the hill and remain aloft through mechanically flapping wings, a type of vehicle known as an ornithopter (from the Greek for "bird wing"). In his effort to mechanically replicate the natural ability of bees to sustain flight, Denny employed the services of a local mechanic for two years and invested between $5,000 and $8,000. Although no physical evidence remains to establish that Denny actually constructed a machine to replicate the flight of bees, a marker erected by the Clarke County Historical Society to commemorate the Suggsville community includes a reference to his experiments.

In 1900, Boswell claimed to have devised the necessary devices to steer an aerial machine both right and left and to ascend and descend at will with ease and safety. This claim may have been related to a second patent application submitted to the United States Patent Office in September 1901 for his concept, "Steering Mechanism for Dirigible Airships." The design incorporated multiple controls for steering a machine through the air. Although his patent did specify a control system for dirigible airships, it seems he intended to combine his design for the steering mechanism with his aerial propeller-wheels concept to provide systems of control and propulsion of a machine capable of flight. Although he never achieved success with his aerial concepts, Boswell was the first Alabama resident to obtain a patent for the design of a component of a flying machine.

The second design, much like a seaplane, could be operated from either the ground or water. It consisted of a marine hull that included a retractable landing gear allowing for launching from and landing on a hard surface. Three separate surfaces—the bottom, intermediate, and top wings—lifted the machine into the air. Diagonal planes were placed between the horizontal planes to increase the lift produced by the three engines and propellers attached to the mid-lifting surfaces. The complex design included a mechanism to allow the pilot to incline the forward edges of the wings upward and thereby lift the nose of the machine into the air. The pilot could turn the craft to the right and left by tilting the wings in opposite directions. The rudder surface, hinged to allow for lateral and vertical movement, was located at the rear of the machine to assist in turns, climbs, and descents. In June 1926, the United States Patent Office approved Fowler's "Flying Machine" application as well as a patent for his "Propeller for Flying Machines" design, which allowed for an increased pulling effect achieved at a lower motor speed.

Although no historical evidence exists to substantiate the event, family members relate that in 1908, Quick made one attempt to pilot his machine into the air. Because of insufficient engine power, Quick placed his lighter 16-year-old son, William Massey Quick, at the controls. Witnesses recall that after William Quick started the motor, the machine began to roll slowly across the grass. Gaining speed, it reached a rise in the field, shivered like a kite, and then lurched into the air. Years later, a member of the family estimated that the machine rose to an altitude of eight to ten feet and travelled a distance of approximately 60 to 75 feet before the left wing dropped, causing the machine to strike the ground. Quick never attempted another flight with his invention, but he continued his efforts to improve the design. On October 12, 1913, the United States Patent Office issued a patent for his "Improved Flying Machine." This design differed significantly from his earlier machine in that it included a folding wing mechanism, retractable landing gear, and an improved control mechanism that allowed the operator to maneuver the machine by means of a steering wheel instead of the harness used in the original design. In 1982, in recognition of his contributions to aviation in Alabama, Quick was inducted into the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame.
Additional Resources
Bell, Landon C. "Boswell Invents an Airplane." The Old Free State: A Contribution to the History of Lunenburg County and Southside Virginia, Volume II. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1995.
Additional Resources
Bell, Landon C. "Boswell Invents an Airplane." The Old Free State: A Contribution to the History of Lunenburg County and Southside Virginia, Volume II. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1995.
Singleton, Billy J. Images of Aviation: Montgomery Aviation. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing, 2007.
———. Images of Aviation: Mobile Aviation. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing, 2010.
Sledge, John. "'Mobile Aviation' Traces the History of Powered Flight." Al.com, March 13, 2011; http://blog.al.com/entertainment-press-register/2011/03/mobile_aviation_traces_the_his.html.
Wicks, T. Gary. Images of Aviation: Huntsville Air and Space. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing, 2010.