First flightIn 1890, it is reported, however without evidence, French electrical engineer Clément Ader was the first person to actually fly an airplane, but his steam-powered bat-like plane, "Eole", only rose a few inches off the ground. (It was not a sustained flight like the Wright Brothers later flight.) Ader's 50 meter flight was cut short, said eye witnesses, by trees at the end of the field. The plane's design flaw didn't show up in that minimal flight - Ader hadn't provided adequate control. He coined the french word "avion" for aircraft. It is said to mean Appareil Volant Imitant les Oisaux Naturels: Flying Machine Imitating Natural Birds. At the Paris Electrical Exhibition (1881), Ader showed a closed-circuit stereo audio system to a listening booth. |
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