Ariel steam aircraft, 1843 advert. Artwork showing Ariel, the first carriage of the Aerial Transit Company, bearing the Red Ensign (British naval flag), flying over the Nile river with pyramids in the background. This steam-powered flying machine was patented in 1842, and while it was incapable of flight, it was part of a change from experimentation with gliders to attempts at powered flight. In a failed attempt to gain investment, a major publicity campaign used images of the Ariel in exotic locations. This artwork, produced by the Day and Haghe Victorian lithography company, was published as part of an advert in London in March 1843.