Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright, known as the Wright Brothers, are considered to have invented the airplane. Have you ever heard of the name Alberto Santos-Dumont? According to many, the inventor of the airplane is Santos-Dumont. So what’s the truth, who invented the airplane? Let’s take a closer look at the historical journey of the invention of the airplane.
An old-style single-engine airplane was flown at the opening ceremony of the Olympics held in Rio, Brazil, in 2016, and Brazilian Alberto Santos-Dumont is remembered as the inventor of the airplane. How? Didn’t the American Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright, the so-called Wright Brothers, invent the airplane? If you ask who invented the airplane today Americans give one answer, European and Latino Americans another.
It’s a little more complicated than the Edison – Tesla thing because the definition of aircraft discussed at this point. Some experts say that the Wright Brothers did not produce a flying vehicle on their own, but Santos-Dumont made the first non-supported aircraft. By the way, there is also the name Gustave Whitehead, which makes a mess. Let’s try to answer the question of who invented the airplane.
Wright Brothers’ plane:
Orville Wright, known as the Wright Brothers, were aviator brothers who lived between 1878 and 1948, and Wilbur Wright between 1867 and 1912. Aircraft made by the Wright Brothers for the first time on 17 December 1903 At 10.35 am, it took off from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, USA.
The Wright Brothers’ plane stayed in the air for 12 seconds on the first try and covered a distance of 37 meters. This one has two propellers. due to the aircraft being in the air even for a short time The Wright Brothers are considered to be the inventors of the first powered airplane. However, not everyone accepted this situation because this flight was always seen as a bit suspicious.
Alberto Santos-Dumont’s plane:
Brazilian Alberto Santos-Dumont, who lived between 1873 and 1932, devoted himself to aviation and spent most of his life in Paris, the capital of France. While there are no planes yet Santos-Dumont began exploring the sky by inventing hot air balloons and early zeppelins.
By the Aro Club de France and the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, named 14-bis, when the calendars show the date October 23, 1906. He flew the first approved powered airplane. 14-bis took off about 5 meters from the ground and covered a distance of about 60 meters. It was even awarded the Deutsch-Archdeacon Award, being considered the first aircraft to fly longer than 25 meters.
Where does the discussion begin?
As you can see, the Wright Brothers flew many years ahead of Santos-Dumont and even had a long flight. Well what’s the problem? The problem is that no one saw the Wright Brothers’ first attempt. Santos-Dumont, on the other hand, made this experiment publicly and announced to everyone that he was the inventor of the airplane.
Brazilian physicist Henrique Lins de Barros said that the plane built by the Wright Brothers did not fly, he says he only made a long-distance jump. According to Brazilian experts, the Wright Brothers’ plane took off with the help of a rail, catapult or incline. They say that it is not possible to talk about a flying machine on its own.
Aircraft built by Santos-Dumont took off on its own, It stayed in the air for the planned time and landed in a controlled manner. The Wright Brothers’ plane somehow took off, glided and somehow landed on the ground. Washington National Air and Space Museum Aviation Department Head Peter Jakab denies these claims and says that an airplane that stays in the air for close to a minute cannot achieve this success without its own power.
What about Gustave Whitehead?
Gustave Whitehead was a German-American who lived from 1874 to 1927. Whitehead throughout his life He invented engines, gliders, and many other flying machines. He claimed to have flown a single-engine airplane many years before the Wright Brothers.
Gustave Whitehead’s claims were only taken seriously and investigated in 1935. From that day until today Dozens of different studies and researches on the subject have been made. has been bookmarked. Finally, on October 24, 2013, with the joint statement of 38 weather historians, Gustave Whitehead’s claims were denied.
Who invented the airplane and when?
Unfortunately, it is not possible to say with certainty who invented the airplane and when. Because inventions are like that. People in different parts of the world at the same time they think similar things and come up with some products. As a result, no one can easily say that this is my invention. Official records write the Wright Brothers.
What makes matters even more interesting is that the Wright Brothers were not the first to hold a pilot’s license. First official flight to the United States It was built on June 4, 1908 by Canadian Glenn H. Curtis, on a plane called June Bug that took off without any outside help. Glenn H. Curtis holds pilot licenses 1, while the Wright Brothers hold pilot licenses 4 and 5.
To approach the subject objectively, the work of Gustave Whitehead inspired the Wright Brothers and Alberto Santos-Dumont successfully built a prototype It enabled Glenn H. Curtis to make the first official flight. What remains for us is to pay homage to these enlightened minds.
Today’s indispensable means of transportation Who invented the airplane and when? We answered their questions and talked about some important names that made their mark on aviation history. Who do you think invented the airplane? You can share your thoughts on the subject in the comments.