23 oct 1906. 100 years.

In this day, 100 years ago, a man showed to the entire world that he could fly.
Not as a greedy military secret (very usefull to ship's decks, though), but as an huge mankind achievment.

Once someone talked about a man little step & mankind giant leap... nice, but a kind of useless to mankind...

Mankind is free to have its beliefs...
I consider that 100 years ago, in a cold afternoon at Bagatelle field in Paris, the entire mankind got the giant leap,
provided by the dearest of our Heroes:

Alberto Santos Dumont
Inventor, Pacifist, Genius, Hero.

To celebrate this day among and remembering all those flight pioneers around the world that contributed with they work to give wings to mankind i've had a trip at YouTube to grab some videos:

14bis original flight

14 bis replica flying
14 bis replica big flight


14 bis nice flight with "technical comment"... (hilarious in portuguese... )


IMHO the real 1st airplane: Nº 19, the Demoiselle



and, only for historic comparsion purposes... (you do not need to click here)

 

Santos Dumont rules!!!!

The brazilian who give wings to the world!

WTG DUMONT!

 

*You blew DUMONT's left wing off*

 

two characters

[deleted]
[sorry fo inconvience]
[wondering of the payload of 14bis...]
[nah....who cares....]

 

Talking about aviation pioneers, funny thing how important a publicity is. I believe everyone here heard of Otto Lilienthal? Then I can bet a big sum of money that none of you, even Polish virtual flyers and wannabe aviation historians had ever heard of >>this guy<<, an analphabet redneck artist who designed his glider totally by his own and flew it with better results (up to 2km glides using thermals!) 25 years before Lilienthal. You western guys always seem to either skip our acheivements or at best call 'polish cheaters' lol.

 

dumont(Common):fukc cheater
dumont(Common):dm suxx

 

again?! a year ago we celebrated 100 years of some Dumon't achievements! when several forum members temporarily changed avatar. will he forever be 100-year young?!

 

2 stec:

Pardon me, absolute no intention to forget or diminish the importance of the great Polish Air Pioneers... Im only talking about I know.
And, as you, I know about the things is close to me... But is obvious that you, sr, knows much more than me at this matters.
Sorry to be pretend to be an historian... I just pay a tribute to a hero.
btw,... naturally you also knows all about Bartolomeu de Gusmao, right?

2 -exec-:
Sometimes your lack of information is embarassing...
http://forum.wbfree.net/forums/showthread.php?t=28858

sooner back to old avatar.

 

well hm yeah, so he took off without a catapult
3 years later
ummm
yeah

 

demoiselle is the first ultralight i would say a "quick silver" 70 year before
anyway it was in france, the country of aviation in despite of wright brothers who hidden their plane to protect their invention looooool

 

I must admit that I have not head of him. If he really flow, he certainly did not do it in anything like the wings on the picture. It is obviously not possible to fly in anthing like that. Totally unstable in pitch.

rehn

 

why it is that when usa make something cool brazil has to make their own in toilet paper and claim they first?

for exampel:

usa make a football stadium and brazil come along and make their own out of toilet paper

it is why u hear 'bout stadiums collapse and kill 80 people in brazil

their stadium are made toilet paper

now it is with this toilet paper plane:

 

Thanks for the beautiful picture!

 

aahaHahahhhHHahaHAhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SPLAT!

 

lemme guess:

u now wil claim that santos-dumont invented first segway?!

 

oh no... That's silly... I believe it was created in USA...
like:
http://nobrain.wordpress.com/2006/03/10/invencoes-totalmente-estupidas/
and
http://www.geocities.com/jaysliterature/invent.html
and
http://www.stupid.com/stat/SLYG.html
and
http://www.gotthegeek.com/content/view/75/94/
and (just to grab some inspiring info...)
http://www.netcartoon.net/naaas/pastrants.php

 

OMG look at the size of that strap-on boner!
crude, yes, but makes up for it in size
8=========================================>

 

Another near unkown aviation pioneer: Frederick Marriott

".......The Avitor Hermes Jr. was built in the basement of the publishing building largely by candle light and took flight at San Jose's Shellmount Park racetrack near the current San Francisco airport. According to a Scientific American journalist (July 31, 1869)... and flew at about 5 miles per hour. ...."

This was the first aircraft that had 3 axis control and an engine powered propeller.

Even Marco Polo wrote in 1290 of seeing many manned kites in China.


Santos-Dumont's aircraft did not have 3 axis control, he did not really understand the basic principals of aerodynamics that were available at the time. He had several serious crashes. He was more of a balloonist and "dare-devil" than aircraft designer.
His real contribution was more his humanity than any technical invention.
That he killed himself when his beloved aircraft was being used as a weapon of war, destruction and killing was a greater testament of the man than anything else.

 

so if something:

-has 3 axis control
-has a engine power propeler
-can go in air

it is a aeroplane

well then

a olympic diver has 3 axis control and can go in air

so a diver is a aeroplane if he wear this hat: