There are conflicting views as to what was the first flying machine. This kind of controversy of invention is not limited to flight only. For example, debates over the tallest building tend to break into debates around what constitutes a building and what is the most important measure of such structures’ height. In the same way, some records of flying machines can come down to the exact definition of what, for example, constitutes a “flying machine”, or “flight”, or even “first”.
Archvtas the Ancient Greek philosopher, mathematician, astronomer, statesman,( Der Staatsman ) and strategist, was reputed to have designed and built the first artificial, self-propelled flying device, a bird-shaped model propelled by a jet of what was probably steam, said to have actually flown some 200 meters, this machine, its inventor called back then, the “pigeon”
However it would be quite some time later, that experiments and interest by the public in flight would take place, new ideas, observations of birds in flight and the possibility to travel and fly like a bird was to some extend always the human fantasy and dream. To understand yet also to break barriers of our human limits.
The Wright brothers are often credited for inventing the world’s first controlled airplane in 1903.
Both Wright brothers were publishers, bicycle retailer’s airplane inventors and pilot trainers. Their father having traveled much and one day bringing home a toy ( Das Spielzeug ) for the little Wright brothers. A small Helicopter about a foot long, that was basically a replica of the invention of Alphonse Pénaud, made of paper ( Das Papier ), bamboo and cork with a rubber band as a motor.
As adults the Wright brother’s Capitalized on the national bicycle craze, the brothers opened a repair and sales shop in 1892, the Wright Cycle Exchange and began manufacturing their own brand in 1896. They used this endeavor to fund their growing interest in flight. In the early or mid-1890s they saw newspaper or magazine articles and probably photographs of the dramatic glides by Otto Lilienthal in Germany.
Or more well known as the “Gliding King’ . He was the first person to make well-documented, repeated, successful gliding flights.
Born in Prussia, Otto Lilienthal studied the flight ( Der Flug ) of birds with his brother ( Bruder ) Gustav, fascinated by the idea of manned flight, Otto and his brother made strap-on wings, but failed in their attempts to fly. He later then attended the regional technical school in Potsdam for two years and trained at the Schwarzkopf Company before become a professional design engineer. He later would attend the Royal Technical Academy in Berlin Germany.
Volunteering to serve in the Franco-Prussian war, he put his inventions on hold, though hired by the Weber Company, and experimenting on force flights he moved to Austria so he could attempt to jump of the Alpine cliffs.
Reports of Lilienthal’s flights spread in Germany and elsewhere, with photographs appearing in scientific and popular publications. Among those whom seen him being photographed while experimenting his attempts, were American Physicist Robert Williams Wood.
Lilienthal was a member of the “verein zur Förderung der luftschiffart” ( club for the development of airtravel) “and regularly detailed his experiences in articles in its journal, the Zeitschrift für Luftschifffahrt (Magazine for airship journey) and Physik der Atmosphäre,(The physics of atmosphere ) and in the popular weekly publication Prometheus. That was translated in the United States, France and Russia. Many people from around the world came to visit him, including Samuel Pierpont Langley from the United States, Russian Nikolai Zhukovsky, and Englishman Percy Pilcher.
Zhukovsky wrote that Lilienthal’s flying machine ( Die Fliegende Maschine ) was the most important invention in the aviation field. Lilienthal corresponded with many people, James Means among other flight pioneers.
Though with such attempts, danger lurks quite close as well…
On 9 August, 1896, Lilienthal’s glider lost its lift and he fell from a height of 17 m (56 ft) and died of a broken spine the following day in Berlin Germany. Saying, “Kleine Opfer müssen gebracht werden!” (“Small sacrifices must be made!“). He was buried at Lankwitz Cemetery ( Der Friedhof ) in Berlin.
Lilienthal’s research was well known to the Wright Brothers and they credited him as a major inspiration for their decision to pursue manned flight.
In September 1909, Orville Wright demonstrating flights in Germany at Tempelhof Berlin, phoned the widow of Otto Lilianthal and on behalf of himself and Wilbur paid tribute to Lilienthal for his influence and inspiration to their own experiments in aviation.
Today, we look up in the sky and see planes, often taking this for granted without a second thought on how it all developed and while its true, that many countries produce excellent products and new inventions, some of the best engineering and designs are still from Germany, often inspiring others and still being on the top list for its inventions and quality of craftsmanship in engineering.
Cemetery- Der Friedhof
Flying machine- Die Fliegene Maschine
Flight- der Flug
Brother- Bruder
Toy- Das Spielzeug
Paper- Das Papier
Statesman – Der Staatsman
Club for the development of airtravel- verein zur Förderung der luftschiffart
Magazine for airship journey – Zeitschrift für Luftschifffahrt
The physics of atmosphere- Physik der Atmosphäre
