"Ashton Archer III" wrote in message
m...

Hey, wait a minute. What about Ader's bats, the Eole and Avion III?


In 1890 Clement Ader's "Eole" rose from level ground under it's own power
and traveled some 50 yards or so at an altitude of about one foot before
settling back down. Since Ader had not equipped the craft with any kind of
flight control system, this was obviously not controlled flight, but it was
the first time a manned heavier-than-air machine took off from level ground
under its own power.

The later Avion III never left the ground.



Also, didn't a New Zealander also fly some distance?


You're thinking of Richard Pearse. Pearse was an experimenter that made
several hops, apparently aided by gusty winds and a site that sloped
downward. His propeller was so inefficient that it's very unlikely it could
ever have provided sufficient thrust for sustained flight. While many have
advanced a first flight claim on Pearse's behalf he never did so. In a
series of letters written years later he stated he did not achieve true
flight and recognized the Wrights as the first to achieve powered,
sustained, controlled heavier than air flight.