"Cub Driver" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 15:08:38 GMT, "Steven P. McNicoll"
wrote:

If that were true, wouldn't Clement Ader be credited with the first
flight?
He is credited with being first to leave the ground in a powered,
heavier-than-air machine. He wasn't credited with the first flight
because
he did not control his machine. It was known at the time, before the
Wrights flew, that true flight required control.

Not at all. If I saw a plane "flying" out of control, I would not
define it as flight.

That's assuming that Mr. Ader, whose name unfortunately has never come
to my attention, is indeed credited with this feat. What sort of a
landing did his uncontrolled aircraft make?


Hard , it was wrecked.

To quote Ader himself

'The "Avion" obeyed, recovered a little, and remained for some seconds
headed towards its intended course, but it could not struggle against the
wind; instead of going back, on the contrary it drifted farther and farther
away. And ill-luck had it that the drift took the direction towards part of
the School of Musketry, which was guarded by posts and barriers. Frightened
at the prospect of breaking ourselves against these obstacles, surprised at
seeing the earth getting farther away from under the "Avion," and very much
impressed by seeing it rushing sideways at a sickening speed, instinctively
we stopped everything. What passed through our thoughts at this moment which
threatened a tragic turn would be difficult to set down. All at once came a
great shock, splintering, a heavy concussion: we had landed.'

Many years ago I saw a film that consisted entirely of unsuccessful
flights--folks jumping off barn roofs with flapping wings, taking off
in crates that collapsed, etc. About half of them left the ground in a
powered heavier-than-air machine, but none of them flew. Perhaps Mr.
Ader was among them?


The French military, who witnessed the flight, were not impressed
and stated that while the aircraft made several short hops it
did not achieve controlled flight and they withdrew funding.

Mr Ader's machine seems to have been capable of developing
enough lift to fly but lacked efficient controls.

Keith