XQ737 From Germany, joined Mar 2003, 103 posts, RR: 0 Posted (9 years 8 months 1 week 5 days 23 hours ago) and read 2624 times:
Hello,
I have read that the first flight ever was made by a German and not by the Wrights. Is this true?
They have written that this German man did not announce his flight before he did it (but the Wrights did it) and so the world is thinking that the Wrights are the first people who did make the first flight of the world.
Ikarus From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2001, 3524 posts, RR: 2 Reply 2, posted (9 years 8 months 1 week 5 days 23 hours ago) and read 2581 times:
And the first balloon flight was done much earlier by a Frenchman, I believe, though I'm not too informed about lighter-than-air vehicles.
The guy who did not announce his flight was Cayley - later it was claimed his plane flew (and he apparently forced his butler to be the experimental pilot, which is allegedly why he never made a claim - it was not exactly legal). This is not proven to date.
The proven and claimed first flight was Otto Lilienthal.
Cfalk From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 4, posted (9 years 8 months 1 week 5 days 22 hours ago) and read 2545 times:
Otto Lilienthal built a glider, which did fly with him on board in 1891, over 10 years before the Write Bros. flight. He also became the first aviation fatality when his glider crashed in 1896.
Cfalk From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 8, posted (9 years 8 months 1 week 5 days 19 hours ago) and read 2408 times:
Interesting article. It seems that Pearse should have tried to find a few spotters like us to take a few pictures of the flight however.
"To the exasperation of believers and skeptics alike, and the source of the controversy over whether or not Pearse "flew", no details of the flight were recorded, by Pearse or onlookers. Unlike the Wright’s attempt in Kitty Hawk, no one in Waitohi wielded a camera or measured the airspeed of the gorse-bound transit. No proof exists to pinpoint the date or offer proof of the flight: records of the visit Pearse made to the local hospital after injuring his collarbone in the fall were destroyed in a fire, and a photo of the aircraft prone in the hedge, taken by a professional photographer the day after the flight, was later destroyed in flooding."
L-188 From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 29350 posts, RR: 62 Reply 9, posted (9 years 8 months 1 week 5 days 15 hours ago) and read 2366 times:
But it wasn't a controlable aircraft.
That is the reason why Hiram Maxims aircraft was also not considered the first working aircraft either.
OBAMA-WORST PRESIDENT EVER....Even SKOORB would be better.
Jwenting From Netherlands, joined Apr 2001, 10213 posts, RR: 21 Reply 10, posted (9 years 8 months 1 week 5 days 14 hours ago) and read 2330 times:
Pearse CLAIMED to have flown, but there was noone who could certify that claim.
At the initial attempt he later claimed to have been before the Wright brothers flew he was alone.
At a later attempt where there were people it was too late.
As to a crashphoto, that doesn't show the aircraft flying controlled (if anything it shows that is was not controlled flight).
There were many attempts at powered flight before the Wright brothers, all of them ended in crashes during takeoff, often killing the aviateur.
The Wright brothers flew several times on that faithful december day in 1903, during all but the first flight demonstrating not just control in landing the aircraft without damage but also demonstrating controlled turns, climbs and descends. Noone was able to do that until after they filed for their patents which were blatantly copied and stolen.
In one case a fellow American took them to court to discredit their claim of first flight saying they had stolen his ideas. The aircraft in question was in storage at the Smithsonian at the time. The Wright brothers together with the court went to the museum and found the aircraft under construction with hasty modifications to include items from the Wright patent. Case closed.
There is also a claim from Brazil, but the aircraft Dantos Dumas operated clearly shows design features copied piece for piece from the Wright Flyer patent application so his claim can be discounted as well.
IMissPiedmont From United States of America, joined May 2001, 6201 posts, RR: 43 Reply 11, posted (9 years 8 months 1 week 5 days 13 hours ago) and read 2316 times:
My great grandfather flew a manned, powered, contolled flight in Oregon in 1901. Can I prove it? No. Just as the followers of Pearce cannot.
Allright then. Let's just add this. The first provable manned, powered, controlled flight was on December 17, 1903 at Kill Devil Hills.
BTW, my great grandfathers never (either one) never saw an airplane. I was just pointing out the absurdity of Pearce claim.
What is it with all the "is there a possibilty airline X will.." threads? The answer it'll is possible.
Startvalve From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 12, posted (9 years 8 months 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 2229 times:
Ever wonder why there is an Air Force base and a decent sized city named after Langley? What did he really do for flight other than prove that an over-engineered and overfunded bundle of sticks can fall into the Potomac river? Also as a native of Dayton Ohio I take great offense at the way Kitty Hawk North Carolina tries to not mention where the Wrights were from.. All North Carolina contributed to powered flight was wind.. I guess when you think about it thats about all Langley contributed as well. just some thoughts
FLYSSC From France, joined Aug 2003, 7313 posts, RR: 61 Reply 14, posted (9 years 8 months 1 day ago) and read 2048 times:
No, No, No, No, !!!!
The first ever "airplane" was invented and built by a French man called Clément ADER.
His plane called "Eole" was equipped with a single two-cylinders steam engine, and flew for the first time in park of the "Château d'Armanvilliers" on OCTOBER 9th 1890 (Otto Lilienthal first flight took place on Dec.31st 1891. He was at that occasion the very first man to be photographed in the air ).
Clément ADER 's Eole flew the distance of 50 meters at an "altitude" of 20/25 cm (= 10/12 inches...).
Planemaker From Tuvalu, joined Aug 2003, 5481 posts, RR: 34 Reply 15, posted (9 years 8 months 23 hours ago) and read 1973 times:
No, Ader did not invent the airplane - Leonardo da Vinci did (and a primitive rotorcraft as well). Sure they did not fly but the concept was there. As well, Ader did not acheive controlled flight. As someone once wrote in jest, just because Ader went over a bump that threw his craft into the air does not demonstrate that it "flew".
Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind. - A. Einstein
Rafabozzolla From Brazil, joined Apr 2000, 1164 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (9 years 8 months 22 hours ago) and read 1912 times:
Jwenting
Santos Dumont, the "guy" you mentioned for the Brazilian claim made his flight in Paris 1906 and he has the honor to have made the first
SELF SUPORTED FLIGHT.
The plane is called "14bis" and he was not catapulted like the WBrothes, but rather he took of and landed using engine power and the propellers push.
Later on he developed another design called "Demoiselle" and used it as his personal "car" flying through Paris and landing on parks close to his friends' homes. Both planes can be seen at "Musee del'air" at Le Bourget.
He was also the guy who had the idea for the wrist-watch, and commissioned Cartier to make a custom model for him, and if I am not mistaken it is still available on special order.
VCE From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 17, posted (9 years 8 months 19 hours ago) and read 1846 times:
It was absolutely Leonardo Da Vinci.
Even the telephone was invented by an Italian, Mr. Meucci, and before the radio by Guglielmo Marconi, but the first that registered the telephone was Mr. Bell.
Capri From Morocco, joined Sep 2003, 280 posts, RR: 1 Reply 19, posted (9 years 8 months 19 hours ago) and read 1816 times:
What is Taught: The first mention of man in flight was by Roger Bacon, who drew a flying apparatus. Leonardo da Vinci also conceived of airborne transport and drew several prototypes.
What Should be Taught: Ibn Firnas of Islamic Spain invented, constructed and tested a flying machine in the 800's A.D. Roger Bacon learned of flying machines from Arabic references to Ibn Firnas' machine. The latter's invention antedates Bacon by 500 years and Da Vinci by some 700 years
Startvalve From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 21, posted (9 years 7 months 4 weeks 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 1765 times:
Can someone show me a print of the photo Da Vinci took to prove he flew? Or any proof that anyone did it before the Wrights? With no proof really to back it up it looks like the boys from Dayton take the prize. Otherwise I could claim I made the first powered flight and I was not due to be born for another 77 years.. Pretty amazing huh.
(I did go to high school within 3 blocks of the house the Wrights built after they started making money on their invention so i may be a bit biased)
Pilotpip From United States of America, joined Sep 2003, 3082 posts, RR: 12 Reply 22, posted (9 years 7 months 4 weeks 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 1748 times:
The first ligher than air flight was made by the Mongolfier(sp) flyer. A hot air balloon made with wood and paper by the French. It was lifted by a large fire at the base. The first passengers were a duck, sheep and some other animal. At the time, it was belived that the smoke, not the expansion of air was the cause for the balloon to rise.
If I remember correctly, they put the animals in there because they were afraid humans may not be able to handle the effects of flight
Capri From Morocco, joined Sep 2003, 280 posts, RR: 1 Reply 23, posted (9 years 7 months 4 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 1701 times:
Startvalve
If everytime you want a picture as a proof, it means we have to discard all the history that happens before the invention of photography which means, Jesus never existed and so on.....
Keep your mind open and open yourself to world culture and history, not always the americans are right,
Now back to aviation topic...
"i may not know everything, but i try to know a bit of everything"
Startvalve From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 24, posted (9 years 7 months 4 weeks 1 day 1 hour ago) and read 1614 times:
Here come the flames... Got proof Jesus existed?
25 Startvalve: As a follow-up to my previous post. There is no definitive proof Jesus did exist. Many eastern religions and even a few western ones have no mention o
26 HAJ_OW: Hello, there is another story of a german aviator who supposedly flew a powered plane as the first or at least earlier than the wrights. I was a man c
27 Startvalve: I hardly call what the Wrights did seeking fame. They simply wanted a return on investment and they did not want others to profit from what they learn
28 Beltwaybandit: First manned flight was in prehistoric times when a Neanderthal fell off a cliff. Not powered, and not a good landing. Witnesses are not credible due
29 Startvalve: if he broke wind while doing it does it count as powered flight?
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