View Full Version : 2008: Centenary of Public Flight?
nosefirsteverytime
25th Oct 2006, 20:49
Anyone know of anything being planned in Le Mans on August 8th, 2008? Just after reading Ian Makersey's book on the Wrights, and having missed the First Flight centenary ( :ugh: ) I don't plan to let the first publicly recognised flight go without doing something.
spitfire
26th Oct 2006, 02:30
erm... don't want to understate the historical significance of Wilbur Wright's flights at Le Mans in 1908, but there isn't much justification for calling them the "first publicly recognised" flights.
Even if we disqualify the Wright Brothers' efforts from 1903-05 (and the witnesses they had on December 17th 1903 are good enough for me), a number of flights made by Alberto Santos Dumont in late 1906 were performed in front of sizeable crowds - - - here he is at Bagatelle on October 23rd, 1906, for example.
http://www.thosemagnificentmen.co.uk/ASD/sd_23oct.gif
nosefirsteverytime
26th Oct 2006, 11:16
Well, ok then, let's call it:
"the centenary of the first flight that showed beyond doubt the Wrights knew how to fly."
Anyway, back to the festivities!
Anyone know of anything planned by the town?