http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/03/1...stav-whitehead/

My understanding was that it was well established that the weren't ?

The invention of the airplane, like any other thing, is full of people experimenting at the same time. Particularly in England and France there were a lot of guys experimenting with gliders and "planes", if you could call them that way. Some good, some bad, some could fly if they have gotten an engine (some tries were made with steam engines), some actually "flew" (technically speaking), some killed their pilots.

What the Wright brothers did, apart from being pioneers, is promote the thing very well. I think that's the key here.

...and don't forget Germany, Otto Lilienthal had some good gliders.

IIRC there was a replica of the plane that Whitehead made, using the same type of engine and fuel Whitehead would've had access to. The replica flew, giving more credibility to the claim.

There is a story here in Texas about a school teacher that supposedly flew an aircraft in the 1880s. There were supposed to be quite a few witnesses and an article was printed in the local paper at the time.

FWIW Richard Pearse from New Zealand flew about 400 metres in mid 1902 and about 900 metres (including a turn) in mid 1903.

Actually now you'll discover that each country has its own first flights that are celebrated, for instance in France:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ader_Avion_III

Mr. 'Whitehead' was an emigrated german, named Gustav Weisskopf (= became Whitehead later)

And even if he was the 'first one' to take off, it remains unclear whether his plane could be controlled as well as the Wright brothers' flyer, especially when it comes to turning, and rolling.
http://www.n24.de/news/newsitem_8663120.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+n24%2Fhomepage+(N24+-+Top-News)

If it is about a short hop, there are also brazilian Santos-Dumont, german Karl Jatho and danish Ellehammer, having done that before the Wrights. But i always thought it was about really controlling a plane in a sustained (!) flight, and the Wrights sure were ahead of their time when it comes to that.
Greetings,
Catfish

Well if Mr Whitehead flew his aircraft for 1.5 miles then that surely took some sort of control?

Yes, there is nothing "radical" or "new" abut the fact that other people flew (more or less in control of their aircrafts) before 1903. The great question is at what point one should draw the line with regards to what "true powered flight" means, and what is simply "jumps" or "uncontrolled flight".

Here's the wiki list if someones interested: ]Early flying machines

Not to mention the early use of: THE WET WILLY!

Straight "hops" are one thing. Being able to bank with control, gain height and come down again under control is something completely different. Do remember this however, the first Wright Flyer could not take off under it's own power (They used wind)... And most of the first flights of the Wright Flyer were also no more than "hops" with little, if any, turning involved.

The reason the Wrights are famous is their flight actually created the public awareness worldwide that led to the aviation explosion. Sure others did it with some varying success before, but if they weren't believed or had limitations to their designs that made them impractical for further development, in the big picture they were just a footnote.
After all, the Wright's design itself was a dead end eventually. The big names that came shortly after their flight were usually clean sheet designs, using ailerons and wings in front of the tail and all that.
The Wrights made people believe that powered flight was a reality, not a fantasy or whimsy. THAT is their legacy.



The Jedi Master

Our family went to the centenial of the Wright Brother's flight in Kitty Hawk and like many have said here, it was their documentation and publicity that spread the fever for flight. Last year we visited their bicycle and printing shop in Dayton. the background they had in machinery served them well. The advances they made using wind tunnels, propeller design, and wing warping we all part of the success. I don't know how accurate the microsoft flight sim X is, but the Wright flier seem to be a tough machine to master.

If Mr. Whiteheads plane got up to about 100 feet above the ground he would not need to turn as there wouldn't be much in the way.

The Wright plane can hold 2 people.

I'm still on the Wright Brothers side on this one.

... which is why I plug Pearse's flight on the 11th of May 1903 as being the first (or at least one of the first) proper flights.
The aeroplane took off under its own power, then climbed over a river bank and so was out of ground effect (and flew over a local fellow's head while he was in a horse-drawn wagon) then made a turn and flew down a dry river for about 900 metres.

It went like this -

That is pretty neat!