Early Efforts

Almost everybody knows that the Wright brothers first flew a controlled, powered heavier-than-air craft at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903. What many people don't realize is that the brothers did many earlier experiments before they achieved powered flight and that the work of several earlier men led to their success.

There were the Montgolfier brothers who, in 1783, built an "aerostate" that consisted of a huge linen bag, lined with paper and heated by a small, straw-fed fire, and J.A.C. Charles who introduced the hydrogen balloon, also in 1783. In 1852, Frenchman Henri Giffard invented the dirigible (French for "steerable") airship, the first balloon with machinery. It was powered by a steam engine that drove three propellers, and steered by a triangular rudder.

In the late nineteenth century, German Otto Lilienthal (below left) had a conical hill built near Berlin from which he could experiment with his gliders, which we call hang gliders today. After twenty-five years of experiments, Lilienthal made his first flight in 1891. He steered the vehicle by shifting his weight, but that did not provide any real control. Unfortunately Lilienthal was fatally injured in 1896 in a fall; by then he had completed almost 2,000 short flights. The Wright brothers built on all the work that preceded their experiments but they were most influenced by Lilienthal. (Alter, Judy pp. 193-194)

Another gliding pioneer was Octave Chanute (above right). He was an American engineer famous for large projects such as building a long bridge over the Missouri River. Chanute had visited Lilienthal in Germany to discuss gliding and flying. From 1896 to 1898, Chanute and his team built and flew several Lilienthal-type hang gliders.

Lilienthal, Chanute, and others published their experiments and results in scientific magazines and books. Chanute became the leading figure in America for information and reports on the science of flight. The Wrights asked him for advice, and they became friends, writing regular letters to each other. (Parker, Steve p.11)

Next: Getting Airborne