The first flight…was steam powered! – “When the Wright brothers telegraphed home after Kitty Hawk, the only bit of their telegram which was commented on by the local press was “Wright brothers home for Christmas”. Why wouldn’t the press be carrying “Wright brothers first to fly” banners if they had just made history? The answer is that they hadn’t. Everyone knew that powered flight had already been achieved, so the important portion of the communique was that they would be home for Christmas.
The first person to fly a powered, heavier than air vehicle (aeroplane) was Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim, (who is more famous for his machine gun). On Tuesday 31st July 1894 at Baldwyn’s Park (formerly the site of a mental hospital, now a housing estate) in the London Borough of Bexley, his flyer was launched for the first time and successfully flew. “ [via] – Link.
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10 thoughts on “Hiram Maxim – The first man to fly a heavier than air machine”
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On the contrary, heavier-than-air flight was achieved by John Stringfellow in 1848, nearly fifty years before.
The wright brothers were the first to have controlled (steerable) powered flight. It was a major step to making flying practical, but it’s a good question why they’re commonly credited with the first powered flight.
Anyway, the first “heavier than air” flight arguable happened in ancient times. Without needing to be powered or needing a long flight, a little jump goes a long way.
Santos Dumont fly on 23st October 1906.
http://360graus.terra.com.br/expedicoes/default.asp?did=13225&action=reportagem
The Wrights get the credit for one simple reason – it was a controlled, essentially level flight, followed by many others with similar vehicles. Maxim, nor any of his predecessors (including Stringfellow, who’s “flight” was unmanned) were “one-hit wonders,” primarily owing to the unsustainability of their concept(s).
Shame on you Make for muddying the waters like this.
its fun to post these, there are still a lot of great stories, opinions and thoughts about what “first flight was”…