The 1911 Curtiss Model D was an early United States pusher aircraft with the engine and propeller behind the pilot's seat. It was among the first aircraft in the world to be built in any quantity, during an era of trial-and-error development and equally important parallel technical development in internal combustion engine technologies.
Curtiss Model D
Glenn Curtiss at the controls of the Curtiss Reims Racer, which used the "shoulder cradle" apparatus shown (as his later Model D did) to operate the ailerons' control cables
"Headed" Model D at the College Park Air Museum
"Headless" Model D replica at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
In aeronautical and naval engineering, pusher configuration is the term used to describe a drivetrain of air- or watercraft with propulsion device(s) after the engine(s). This is in contrast to the more conventional tractor configuration, which places them in front.
The Wright Flyer, a “pusher” aircraft designed in 1903
1871 Planophore
A Farman MF.11, showing the classic Farman configuration with engine between tail booms
Buhl A-1 Autogyro, the first pusher autogyro