Who Flew First?

[The SSK]

The latest issue of the ICAO Journal includes a supplement devoted to Santos-Dumont. An accompanying letter, signed by the Secretary General of ICAO, no less, talks of:
... the historic flight of 14 BIS, by Alberto Santos-Dumont, the first recorded heavier-than-air powered flight which took place on 23 October 1906.
If ICAO say so, it must be true.

[Torres]

The first powered flight was by a twenty-five year old New Zealander, Richard Pearse (1877 - 1953) on March 31, 1902.

http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/images/442_Powered_Flight_1903_350.jpg

(Acknowledgement to 18-Wheeler's web site).

The Wright Brothers first flight December 17, 1903.

I think the ICAO Secretary General meant to say "lighter than air" powered flight.

Brazilian Alberto Santos-Dumont attempted his first balloon ascent in 1897 and had his first successful ascent in 1898. He began to construct dirigible airships powered with gasoline-powered engines in 1898 and built and flew fourteen of the small dirigibles. In 1901, he flew his hydrogen-filled, gasoline engine powered airship from St. Cloud, around the Eiffel Tower, and back to St. Cloud. It was the first such flight and won him the Deutsch Prize and a prize from the Brazilian government. In 1902, he attempted to cross the Mediterranean in an airship but crashed into the sea.

[Mike51]

I think the ICAO Secretary General meant to say "lighter than air" powered flight.Wrong. The claim by Santos-Dumont's supporters that he made the first heavier-than-air flight is based on the fact that he took off using a conventional undercarriage, rather than the Wright's rails, which for some obscure reason, in the eyes of the S-D apologists, invalidates the Wrights claim.

Absolute nonsense, of course, just like the now thoroghly de-bunked claims for Pearse.

[ORAC]

Gustave Whitehead, 14th August 1901 (http://www.first-to-fly.com/History/History%20of%20Airplane/whiteheadarticles.htm) :} :}

The Pioneers (http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/whitehead.html) ...."On August 14, 1901, almost two and one half years before the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk, Gustave Whitehead ... lifted his acetylene-powered monoplane into the air at Fairfield, Connecticut, for his first flight."

So reads one of the documents presented in the Gustave Whitehead museum in Leutershausen in Germany...Furthermore, one can read that the machine included advanced features such as a powered landing gear, folding wings and adjustable pitch propellers.....

[noflybywire]

IMO Percy Pilcher an Englishman in 1899. I don't regard the wrights as 'The Pioneers of Flight' because many earlier brave pioneers died testing their Flying Machine's to the limit of known science. Made me laugh a few months back when some mouthy yank was gobbing off about how they had invented the Jet engine. Naturally in good anglo saxon I put him right on the subject. ie: The yanks didn't even know about Jet engines until they blackmailed one off us in 1942 or thereabouts:mad: :mad: :mad: ,

[Brian Abraham]

thoroghly de-bunked claims for Pearse
Mike51 - a little unfair appraisal I feel. While some may make that claim in perhaps a self serving manner (eg nationalism), it seems the man himself never did, although it would appear he did achieve considerable success in his attempts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Pearse

[Bus429]

Actually, Aeroplane (the mag) had an article about Pearce a few years ago. This article debunked the notion in no uncertain terms. If the Wrights were the first, the USA did not capitalise on their achievement. Europeans (including we Brits) had the edge on innovation for quite a few years after 1903.

[spitfire]

That wikipedia article is simply riddled with errors.

[sir.pratt]

That wikipedia article is simply riddled with errors.

shouldn't that read 'That wikipedia website is simply riddled with errors'????

[StbdD]

noflybywire

So good of you to have straightened out that "mouthy yank" and explained that the first jet engine that flew was made by Dr Hans von Ohain of Germany and flew in 1939 as compared with that of Mr. Whittle of Britain which flew in 1941.

That is what you told him right? ;)

............................
And to keep it on-topic;

As to who flew first, anyone interested in duplicating their favorite "pioneer" flight is certainly free to attempt to do so. There are "Wright Flyer" replicas that actually fly, as in they achieve manned powered flight in the same manner as their prototype is proven to have done in 1903.

Proving the capability for manned, powered flight of a machine would seem to be a necessary prerequisite in an attempt to unseat the proven claims of the current title holders.

And before the "it's been done" starts..... read the conditions again; achieve manned, powered flight with a replica of the prototype. Not towed behind horses, a car, with an "as close as we could get" engine, or anything else. Just fly as the prototype was alleged to have done.

[DX Wombat]

What about Sir George Cayley? http://www.ba-education.demon.co.uk/for/science/firstflight.html I think this (the one hanging from the roof) is a photo of the replica of his aircraft. I took it at Elvington, the replica was made for a tv programme about him. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v604/DX_Wombat/44a9694f.jpg

[Brian Abraham]

I recognise Wiki's errors so perhaps the following from http://www.nzedge.com/heroes/pearse.html can be critiqued.
Pearse himself, in two letters, the first to Dunedin’s Evening Star, published on May 10th 1915, the second published in the Christchurch Star on September 15th 1928, didn’t believe, by his own rigorous standards, that he had achieved ‘proper’ flight. For him this meant a powered take-off followed by "sustained and controlled flight". Pearse’s flights, characterised by powered take-offs followed by erratic descents, failed to meet his own criteria. In the letters he states that he set out to solve the problem of aerial navigation in February or March 1904, and acknowledges that pre-eminence should be given to the Wright brothers.

How many would agree the Wrights invented the airplane and invented powered flight. Many make the claim.

[StbdD]

How many would agree the Wrights invented the airplane and invented powered flight. Many make the claim.

Those claims would be equally ignorant no matter whom they were made about.

Many humans can be pointed out as 'pioneers of flight'. The Wrights, Pearse, da Vinci, Cayley, the ancient Chinese, the Montgolfiers, Lilienthal, Langely, Chanute, etc. etc. etc.

On a professional forum like PPRuNe one would hope we can respect them all for their accomplishments and realise that they all contributed to the world of aviation today.

[Brian Abraham]

"I don't have any regrets about my part in the invention of the airplane, though no one could deplore more than I do the destruction it has caused. I feel about the airplane much as I do in regard to fire. That is, I regret all the terrible damage caused by fire. But I think it is good for the human race that someone discovered how to start fires and that it is possible to put fire to thousands of important uses."
- Orville Wright

StbdD - I think those who make the "invented" claim perhaps misread Orville's statement above. I'm sure he was paying tribute to those who had gone before.