Lawrence Sperry Lawrence Sperry Lawrence Burst Sperry (21 December 1892, Chicago, Illinois, United States – December 13, 1923, English Channel) was an aviation pioneer. He was the third son of the gyrocompass co-inventor, Elmer Ambrose Sperry and his wife Zula. Sperry invented the first autopilot, which he demonstrated with startling success in France in 1914. Sperry is also credited with developing the artificial horizon still used on most aircraft in the early 21st century. On 13 December 1923 Sperry took off amid fog in a Verville-Sperry M-1 Messenger from the United Kingdom headed for France but never reached his destination. His body
Mile high club Mile high club The mile-high club is slang for the people who have had sexual intercourse on board an aircraft. An alleged explanation for the act is the supposed vibration of the plane, which may lead to sexual arousal among men. Some say they have fantasies about pilots or flight attendants, or a fetish about planes themselves. For others, the appeal of joining the mile-high club is the thrill of doing something taboo and the thrill of the risk of being discovered. An early reference to the concept is found in the betting book for Brooks's, a London gentlemen's club.