Sir George Cayley, 6th Baronet (27 December 1773 – 15 December 1857) was a prolific English engineer and one of the most important people in the history of aeronautics. Many consider him the first true scientific aerial investigator and the first person to understand the underlying principles and forces of flight. In 1799 he set forth the concept of the modern aeroplane as a fixed-wing flying machine with separate systems for lift, propulsion, and control. He was a pioneer of aeronautical engineering and is sometimes referred to as "the father of aerodynamics." Designer of the first successful glider to carry a human being aloft, he discovered and identified the four aerodynamic forces of flight:weight, lift, drag, and thrust, which act on any flying vehicle. Modern aeroplane design is based on those discoveries including cambered wings. He is credited with the first major breakthrough in heavier-than-air flight and he worked over half a century before the development of powered flight, being acknowledged by the Wright brothers. He designed the first actual model of an aeroplane and also diagrammed the elements of vertical flight.

Sir George Cayley, 6. Baronet, (* 27. Dezember 1773 in Scarborough, Yorkshire; † 15. Dezember 1857 in Brompton), auch „Erfinder der Wissenschaft des Fluges“ oder moderner „Vater der Aeronautik“ genannt. Er baute das erste Segelflugzeug der Welt bereits 1852.

Sir George Cayley ( — ), est né à Brompton-by-Sawdon, près de Scarborough dans le Yorkshire. Il était un physicien, ingénieur, inventeur et politicien britannique.

Sir George Cayley född 27 december 1773 i Brompton-by-Sawdon, nära Scarborough, död 15 december 1857, var en engelsk utforskare av aeronautik. Han konstruerade grunderna för den första flygfarkosten tyngre än luft, ett form av glidflygplan, i mitten av 1800-talet.

Sir George Cayley fu un prolifico ingegnere inglese pioniere dell'ingegneria aeronautica; sebbene sia vissuto ed abbia operato circa un secolo prima dello sviluppo delle prime macchine volanti a motore. Fu membro del partito conservatore e membro del Parlamento del Regno Unito per Scarborough dal 1832 al 1835. Collaborò alla fondazione del Royal Polytechnic Institution (ora Università di Westminster) essendone rettore per molti anni. Fu uno dei membri fondatori della British Association for the Advancement of Science e cugino alla lontana del matematico  Arthur Cayley.