2 of my students who don't know each other both told me within the last month that the Wright brothers didn't invent the first airplane. They told me that it was a Brazilian named Alberto Santos-Dumont, living in Paris, who indeed flew the first plane. One of them said that everyone talks about the Wright brothers being the inventors because they are from the US and "everyone" wants the inventors to be from the US (whoever "everyone" is).So I decided to look it up on Wikipedia to see what facts are listed on there. Here is the clip about Alberto Santos-Dumont:
Alberto Santos-Dumont, Brazil — October 23, 1906
the "14 Bis" at Bagatelle field, Paris. Aero Club of France certified the distance of 60 meters (197 ft); height was about 2-3 meters (6-10 ft). Winner of the Archdeacon Prize for first official flight of more than 25 meters. Described by some scholars as the first "sportsman of the air". As reported in previous years and months for Ader, Whitehead, Pearse, Jatho and Vuia, the 14-Bis flew and landed without a rail, catapult, or the presence of high winds, propelled by its own (internal combustion) engine.
And here is what they say about the Wright brothers:
Orville & Wilbur Wright, United States — December 17, 1903
First recorded controlled, powered, sustained heavier than air flight, in Wright Flyer. In the day's fourth flight, Wilbur Wright flew 279 meters (852 ft) in 59 seconds. First three flights were approximately 120, 175, and 200 ft (61 m), respectively. The Wrights laid particular stress on fully and accurately describing all the requirements for controlled, powered flight and put them into use in an aircraft which took off from a level launching rail, with the aid of a headwind to achieve sufficient airspeed before reaching the end of the rail.
The date of the Wright brothers is in fact after the date of Alberto Santos-Dumont. So what do you think? Who really invented the airplane? Can we give credit to a Brazilian for our ability to fly around the world?
11 comments:
um- doesn't 1903 come before 1906?
OK now I feel like a dumbass. I was looking at the months and not the years! But seeing this did make me wonder why folks here think that the Wright brothers didn't invent the airplane. Is it a mystery or just national pride?
I remember seeing a tv show a very very long time ago about several other supposed powered flights before the Wright brothers. Then again, it might have been on "In Search Of" which was never known for the quality of its journalism... Who knows? Maybe those dates were the best documented, and Santos Dumont did an undocumented flight before then. One thing I read about him that sounded really cool is that he used to fly around Paris in a blimp or something similar. He was also strongly opposed to military uses of aircraft.
Every Brazilian learns that Santos Dumont is the father of aviation and then if they come to the US and hear of the Wright brothers - they get heartbroken :) I have not done any serious research to find out who was in fact the first...
Why do Brazilians consider Alberto Santos-Dumont the first man to fly if he didn't fly until 1906 and the Wright brothers did so in 1903?
- question from Rodrigo Moura Visoni
"... Santos-Dumont supporters claim that even though the Wrights may have flown in 1903, theirs was not a true flight since their plane required a catapult and a steady breeze to become airborne. In comparison, the 14-bis used conventional landing gear and was able to take off from an open field in calm air."
"While these claims do have some merit to them, what is often overlooked is the fact that many key details of the Wright Flyer had become public in Europe in 1904 once the Wrights had received their patent. It is generally believed that Santos-Dumont made extensive use of this information in the design of his plane and that he would not have been successful without the Wright's influence. Furthermore, even if the Wright's first flight is discounted, detractors often overlook that the pair made three more flights that same day, the longest covering 852 ft (260 m) and lasting nearly one minute. Even more impressive are the accomplishments of the Wright Flyer II in 1904. Among these was the world's first circular flight and a five minute trip covering nearly three miles (4.8 km) that occurred on 20 September 1904, two years before Santos-Dumont's first flight."
"Santos-Dumont supporters go on to argue that his flight was verified by the Aero-Club De Frances, the predecessor of today's Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) that is considered an objective international body for conferring aviation records. The only witnesses to the Wright brothers flights, however, were typically close friends and family. On the other hand, it should be noted that the Aero-Club was a much different group in 1906 than it is today. Not only was the Club in a feud with the Wrights because of the brother's perceived secretiveness and lack of cooperation, but several of its members were directly involved in and providing funding for the work of Santos-Dumont. Given this inherent conflict of interest, the partiality of the Aero-Club is still debated to this day. Regardless, no one can deny that Alberto Santos-Dumont made major steps in advancing the design of the aircraft, and his achievements are still highly regarded by aviation historians."
- answer by Joe Yoon, 15 August 2004
Americans are never going to convince Brazilians and vice versa. :-)
With all of this information, I'd have to go with Dumont. I guess it depends on which criteria one looks at. When it comes to the "first" true flight without the aid of any outside factors such as catapults or wind, Dumond takes it, even if it came later.
The brazilian, Santos Dumont. The wright brothers were in fact the first idiots to launch themselves of a railed platform into heavy wind. But then again if i tied a trash bag over my head and catapulted myself into a hurricane i might get more flight time then they did..
It is unargued that the wright brothers "design" of the airplane was most likely used by Santos Dumont when constructing his airplame. However if you take notice the entire design is totally different including all of its systems and operation, the only similarities are that of the two wooden things with clothing which at the time they called wings.
Santos Dumont's invention could take off with clear skys in a open field with no outside assistance or external factor.
Therefore the first technical TRUE flight was Santos Dumont and technically the father of aviation.
None of them two invented the airplane..there were many other "inventors" before them..but Santos Dumont was very more important than Wright brothers..If I had a catapult I'd fly too!!
The story of the Wright brothers as the investors of the airplane is one of those big lies in history. It is just another attempt by Americans to claim everything for themselves. Santos Dumont's airplane took off by itself; it did not need a catapult. The Wright brothers invented a glider. If there is any nationalism, it is on the part of Americans who have distorted history to make it American history.
Im with Brazil , the wight brothers did a catapult to make the plane fly ,
Santos dumont made the plane fly by his self ,so he did better making the plane fly by his self :D
With a catapult i can fly too ;)
Im with Brazil , the wight brothers did a catapult to make the plane fly ,
Santos dumont made the plane fly by his self ,so he did better making the plane fly by his self :D
With a catapult i can fly too ;)
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