In France in 1783 the Montgolfier brothers are the first in history to leave the earths surface in a balloon, aviation madness was born! The next step, Powered Flight!
THE FURIOUS RACE TO ACHIEVE POWERED FLIGHT.
At the turn of the century a furious war was being fought, No! Not World War I, but that tragic event was not far off. The heated confrontation to which I refer is the battle to become the first nation to attain powered flight.
This war of technology, advancement and pride was being waged by two of the most modern, wealthy, and determined world powers on the planet, France and the United States of America.
France had many representatives who were working to attain this goal, but the only serious threat standing in France's way were two quirky brothers from Ohio named Wilber and Orville Wright
France being the leading nation in aviation in Europe was determined to win the race against the United States to become the first nation to realize motorized air travel.
French Pioneers of Aviation.
In 1901 French Captain and aviation enthusiast Ferdinand Ferber discovered the brilliant work being done by the Wright brothers in the U.S. and was inspired to try to replicate a glider like the one that had been successfully built and tested in America.
But Captain Ferbers efforts were not successful and he was in the minority with the majority of Frances early aviation pioneers failing to embrace the direction the Wright brothers were taking.
French efforts were directed mainly upon reaching the heavens using hot air balloons and dirigibles (blimps). While across the sea in the United States the obscure and unknown Wright brothers were concentrating their efforts experimenting with gliders.
Ernest Archdeacon and Ferdinand Ferber, along with famous aviators and future airplane builders and designers Louis Bleriot and Gabriel Voisin continued to work together sharing ideas and inspiration.
Although spending record amounts of money, effort, and time, and with the full support of a nation behind them, France's top aviation ground-breakers had limited success.
Aero Club of France.
Ernest Archdeacon was a wealthy Frenchman and was the leading promoter of aviation in France. Archdeacon was determined to see France become the first nation to realize the goal of a power-driven voyage.
He helped found the Aero Club of France, which quickly became the nerve center of all aviation matters related to Western Europe.
French-born Octave Chanuteliving in America was painfully aware and familiar with the Wright brothers work and had consulted with them in the past and was eager to return to France to lecture at the Aero Club in an effort to enlighten his country-men to the techniques being employed by the Wrights.
Chanute was desperate to help his fellow Frenchmen surpass the efforts of the Wrights and help bring aviation glory and prominence to France.
He essentially spilled the beans on the Wright's secrets of flight, which was based upon an ingenious patented wing-warping mechanism that simulated the way a bird flexed the tips of their wings, this allowed them to replicate a banking motion and maintain lateral balance.
The members of the Aero Club of France failed to understand, grasp, and appreciate the importance of these revelations delivered to them in a hand-basket by Chanute.
First powered flight / Wright brothers.
In 1903 the hopes and dreams of the nation of France was shattered, when reports from across the sea filtered in that the Wright brothers had successful accomplished the first manned, powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on December 17 on the Atlantic coast in the U.S.
France had lost the mêlée to become the first, but after licking their wounds, they plunged ahead even more determined to catch and surpass the Wright brothers.
The experiments and innovation continued for the next two years. In 1905 the Wright brothers once again shocked the world by launching a successful flight of over 24 miles.
France was in disbelief and dispatched media representatives to America to confirm these reports. Upon interviews of witnesses to the feat and verified newspaper reports it was reported back to France that the Wright brothers bold claim was in fact truth.
French aviators were venerated, celebrated, and hailed as hero's while the Wright brothers in comparison were secretive, eccentric and kept a relatively low profile.
First European to achieve powered flight.
It wasn't until 1906 that Brazilian-born Albert Santos-Dumont with Bleriot and Voisin cheering him on from the sidelines achieved a flight covering 722 feet in just over 22 seconds.
Captain Ferber hailed him as a conquering hero for his efforts in recording the longest recorded flight in Europe.
The continent was ecstatic to at long last have a European to have taken off and flown convincingly.
Although considered a modest gain when compared to the Wright brothers the Nation of France was proud that the years of laboring were finally paying off.
France proved that their national pride could not be unblemished and their persistence would not waver even while facing insurmountable odds to obtain powered flight.
Reference: Prendergast, Curtis
The First Aviators, The Epic of Flight
Time-Life Books, 1980
