I remember learning about the guy and boomerang in school. Supposedly he was watching some Aboriginal kids throwing a boomerang. And he noticed how after a certain distance of flying vertically it would suddenly rise on its own accord. After studying the boomerang he noticed the "aireofoil" shape and went from there. The wright brothers also stole ideas from ~~Kingsfordsmith~~ Hargrave. The Australian who invented the box kite. Also a Kiwi was the first to undertake powered flight. Edit: It was Hargrave. Not Kingsfordsmith. Kingsfordsmith was a famous pilot