Comment by hu3
1 day ago
wasn't it?
last I checked, Wright brothers used a catapult while Santos-Dumont made a plane that took off by itself.
1 day ago
wasn't it?
last I checked, Wright brothers used a catapult while Santos-Dumont made a plane that took off by itself.
I think it was the Wright brothers taking off from level ground while Santos-Dumpont got something flying off a cliff earlier.
Also it looks like Santos-Dumont's plane was 2-3 years after the Wright brothers. He was doing airships before that though - lighter-than-air craft that rely on a large balloon.
Edit: So it looks like the Wright brothers had catapult but didn't actually need it (their claim-to-fame flights didn't use it), but did otherwise need a "dolly" (a wooden cart, not a catapult) because the plane didn't have wheels attached to it. Then also Santos-Dumont was declared first in Europe because he demonstrated it in Paris during a period bad reporting had people in Europe questioning the legitimacy of the Wright brothers' flight.