ALBERTO SANTOS DUMONT
“The importance of being Wright”
The way history is written can frequently raise an eyebrow, but it’s not about facts that occurred in ancient times that worry us, when information records were scarce or unavailable. Did Columbus really discover America? Did the encounter between David and Goliath ever take place? The truth is we are happy to accept the myths and stories of our civilization, even when mixed in a grey interpretation of facts. It’s the modern centuries that bother us with some disputable claims, right in the heart of our so called information society.
Henry Ford invented the automobile, or was it somebody else in Europe? A rich american businessman bought the Star Line ship company early in the century, pretending to own the largest and fastest ship in the world. Tragically the Titanic sunk on her maiden voyage in May 1912, and from that date much was spoken about the “british” ship or its irish shipyards, and less about the ambitious american initiative. Later the allies won the war, a step that enabled further dominion of information and ideology.
I remember my childhood in the sixties, deep in the east-west conflicts of the cold war years, which affected the way information was reported in nearly every nation of the world, whether lined up with one side or the other. Russian Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space in 1959, an undisputed fact broadcasted by radio and television. But it was common among align states of western countries to hear much about John Glenn, and less about Gagarin. Although the russian astronaut was duly recorded in books and encyclopedias, the name of John Glenn, the first american in space, was promoted far beyond its russian counterpart, up to the point when the average street man had difficulty recognizing who was really first.
Being first was paramount for the war winning and powerful United States. Second place was not fit for their place in history, a young striving nation with an eager desire for success. J.F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon understood this well, and both presidents worked hard to fulfill the dream of putting a man in the moon before the end of the sixties. A man from the United States of America. Few things can boost a nation’s pride like this one, and they certainly deserve it. It was such a marvelous achievement that we cheered together in brotherhood, as this was a true big step for all mankind.
Probably the most spectacular outcome of the industrial revolution seen in the twentieth century was that man took off to the skies. Learning to fly was a dream pursued since primitive dawns, from Icarus to Leonardo Da Vinci. Looking up and flying as a bird seemed like a myth reserved to the gods, the ultimate power no mighty conqueror had mastered, dominate lands, seas….and the skies. Going to the moon and beyond is nothing else than the departure from land, the take-off from a two dimensional world to the unlimited boundaries of space. Flying was our finest hour in the twentieth century. The starting point of a new civilization.
So who was first to fly? History attributes it to the historic flight of the Wright brothers in December 1903. Some claim the Wright brothers flight was assisted in some way, in an unsupervised event, with only some uncertified testimonial presence, members of the public from the modest Kitty Hawk rural village, with little knowledge of aviation, aerodynamics or why they were there. The whole project was a secret, and members of the press were kept away, which made confirmations of flying properties even more questionable. The prototype was launched in December 17th 1903, with Orville Wright hanging on in position rather than in control of commands. The machine full of synergetic energy enabled it to stay aloft for 12 seconds, helped by an on-board engine, covering a distance of 120 feet. Subsequently, longer flights were claimed to have been made, all under the credibility of the tellers.
Roughly two years later an important event took place across the Atlantic, in France. There, Alberto Santos Dumont flew his 14-Bis in the first homologated flight in the world. Homologation is a well-known word to americans, specially the FAA. Nothing in aviation goes forward without homologation. On October 23rd 1906, the 14-bis took off covering some 200 feet by self-propulsion means. Several Aviation and Aeronautical institutions of France and Europe registered the technical details of the flight, effectively considering it the first controlled powered flight in aviation history.
Recently the internet has been a forum for debates about the first powered controlled flight in a machine heavier than air. Many Americans have reacted with surprise to the existence of a certain Santos Dumont, unknown to the vast majority of the population, and even more surprised he was a native of Brazil. Basically the debate has fueled with the internet and the globalization of communications, since it remained nearly idle for decades. It was probably this silence, the lack of countering or protest, that settled the matter early in history as it is known today.
Nowadays all records, marks or achievements need official verification and approval. You cannot enter the Guiness book by having just eyewitness reports. You cannot claim athletic records in unofficial events. By today’s standards the Wright brothers flight would have been considered “not valid”, while the scientifically documented in papers and media of the Santos Dumont flight would prevail as the inventor of flight. But in 1903 it was different.
There is an old saying, “the winner usually makes the rules”. A powerful and influential society that was also responsible for much of the world progress in the last century found several reasons to justify the Wright brothers as “the” first flight. Santos Dumont´s flight was made in France, and although he was adopted by the french community, his brazilian nationality must have persuaded the French not to fight back defending his role as much as he deserved. After all, Alberto wasn’t a genuine frenchman. Who should argue in his defense? The English? Italians? Perhaps the Germans? Certainly not. Some people even claim Santos Dumont was a result of a fantasy from the Vargas dictatorship government that boosted nationalism and idealized his unprecedented case.
The brazilians needed to come out and speak for his hero, present proofs and accountability of his actions in quality and number. To say this was possible for Brazil in the decades that followed 1906 was probably too optimistic. The number of bilingual intellectuals who could disseminate letters of scientific value in the english language was limited indeed, despite some brazilians claiming the opposite. Even today I am often astonished to find a lack of orderly and intelligent argumentation of facts that could lead to constructive ideas, instead finding some of my nationals quick to show passionate positions translated in few words of angry demonstrations, many out of the anxiety of being unable to express themselves appropriately in a foreign language. Their fumes do little to help Santos Dumont’s legacy, and they certainly will not re-write history.
Undoubtedly textbooks and history will ascertain the Wright brothers as the inventors of flight. There is no dispute against this, and considering their pioneer work and the whole industry built on their epic efforts, they deserve all the credit. However, for us down here in Brazil will always consider Santos Dumont as the father of aviation, the one that made the first flight as we know it, took control of a powered aircraft, rolled down a runway path, took off, flew in the air, maneuvered and landed safely. On the same principle as a Boeing or any aircraft does it today. Your attention please, ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seatbelts, may I introduce to you Alberto Santos Dumont. When his 14-Bis was ready for take-off he ordered his ground assistant to unlock the wheels, expressing a now powerful phrase in aviation history: Let’s roll…
“The importance of being Wright”
The way history is written can frequently raise an eyebrow, but it’s not about facts that occurred in ancient times that worry us, when information records were scarce or unavailable. Did Columbus really discover America? Did the encounter between David and Goliath ever take place? The truth is we are happy to accept the myths and stories of our civilization, even when mixed in a grey interpretation of facts. It’s the modern centuries that bother us with some disputable claims, right in the heart of our so called information society.
Henry Ford invented the automobile, or was it somebody else in Europe? A rich american businessman bought the Star Line ship company early in the century, pretending to own the largest and fastest ship in the world. Tragically the Titanic sunk on her maiden voyage in May 1912, and from that date much was spoken about the “british” ship or its irish shipyards, and less about the ambitious american initiative. Later the allies won the war, a step that enabled further dominion of information and ideology.
I remember my childhood in the sixties, deep in the east-west conflicts of the cold war years, which affected the way information was reported in nearly every nation of the world, whether lined up with one side or the other. Russian Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space in 1959, an undisputed fact broadcasted by radio and television. But it was common among align states of western countries to hear much about John Glenn, and less about Gagarin. Although the russian astronaut was duly recorded in books and encyclopedias, the name of John Glenn, the first american in space, was promoted far beyond its russian counterpart, up to the point when the average street man had difficulty recognizing who was really first.
Being first was paramount for the war winning and powerful United States. Second place was not fit for their place in history, a young striving nation with an eager desire for success. J.F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon understood this well, and both presidents worked hard to fulfill the dream of putting a man in the moon before the end of the sixties. A man from the United States of America. Few things can boost a nation’s pride like this one, and they certainly deserve it. It was such a marvelous achievement that we cheered together in brotherhood, as this was a true big step for all mankind.
Probably the most spectacular outcome of the industrial revolution seen in the twentieth century was that man took off to the skies. Learning to fly was a dream pursued since primitive dawns, from Icarus to Leonardo Da Vinci. Looking up and flying as a bird seemed like a myth reserved to the gods, the ultimate power no mighty conqueror had mastered, dominate lands, seas….and the skies. Going to the moon and beyond is nothing else than the departure from land, the take-off from a two dimensional world to the unlimited boundaries of space. Flying was our finest hour in the twentieth century. The starting point of a new civilization.
So who was first to fly? History attributes it to the historic flight of the Wright brothers in December 1903. Some claim the Wright brothers flight was assisted in some way, in an unsupervised event, with only some uncertified testimonial presence, members of the public from the modest Kitty Hawk rural village, with little knowledge of aviation, aerodynamics or why they were there. The whole project was a secret, and members of the press were kept away, which made confirmations of flying properties even more questionable. The prototype was launched in December 17th 1903, with Orville Wright hanging on in position rather than in control of commands. The machine full of synergetic energy enabled it to stay aloft for 12 seconds, helped by an on-board engine, covering a distance of 120 feet. Subsequently, longer flights were claimed to have been made, all under the credibility of the tellers.
Roughly two years later an important event took place across the Atlantic, in France. There, Alberto Santos Dumont flew his 14-Bis in the first homologated flight in the world. Homologation is a well-known word to americans, specially the FAA. Nothing in aviation goes forward without homologation. On October 23rd 1906, the 14-bis took off covering some 200 feet by self-propulsion means. Several Aviation and Aeronautical institutions of France and Europe registered the technical details of the flight, effectively considering it the first controlled powered flight in aviation history.
Recently the internet has been a forum for debates about the first powered controlled flight in a machine heavier than air. Many Americans have reacted with surprise to the existence of a certain Santos Dumont, unknown to the vast majority of the population, and even more surprised he was a native of Brazil. Basically the debate has fueled with the internet and the globalization of communications, since it remained nearly idle for decades. It was probably this silence, the lack of countering or protest, that settled the matter early in history as it is known today.
Nowadays all records, marks or achievements need official verification and approval. You cannot enter the Guiness book by having just eyewitness reports. You cannot claim athletic records in unofficial events. By today’s standards the Wright brothers flight would have been considered “not valid”, while the scientifically documented in papers and media of the Santos Dumont flight would prevail as the inventor of flight. But in 1903 it was different.
There is an old saying, “the winner usually makes the rules”. A powerful and influential society that was also responsible for much of the world progress in the last century found several reasons to justify the Wright brothers as “the” first flight. Santos Dumont´s flight was made in France, and although he was adopted by the french community, his brazilian nationality must have persuaded the French not to fight back defending his role as much as he deserved. After all, Alberto wasn’t a genuine frenchman. Who should argue in his defense? The English? Italians? Perhaps the Germans? Certainly not. Some people even claim Santos Dumont was a result of a fantasy from the Vargas dictatorship government that boosted nationalism and idealized his unprecedented case.
The brazilians needed to come out and speak for his hero, present proofs and accountability of his actions in quality and number. To say this was possible for Brazil in the decades that followed 1906 was probably too optimistic. The number of bilingual intellectuals who could disseminate letters of scientific value in the english language was limited indeed, despite some brazilians claiming the opposite. Even today I am often astonished to find a lack of orderly and intelligent argumentation of facts that could lead to constructive ideas, instead finding some of my nationals quick to show passionate positions translated in few words of angry demonstrations, many out of the anxiety of being unable to express themselves appropriately in a foreign language. Their fumes do little to help Santos Dumont’s legacy, and they certainly will not re-write history.
Undoubtedly textbooks and history will ascertain the Wright brothers as the inventors of flight. There is no dispute against this, and considering their pioneer work and the whole industry built on their epic efforts, they deserve all the credit. However, for us down here in Brazil will always consider Santos Dumont as the father of aviation, the one that made the first flight as we know it, took control of a powered aircraft, rolled down a runway path, took off, flew in the air, maneuvered and landed safely. On the same principle as a Boeing or any aircraft does it today. Your attention please, ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seatbelts, may I introduce to you Alberto Santos Dumont. When his 14-Bis was ready for take-off he ordered his ground assistant to unlock the wheels, expressing a now powerful phrase in aviation history: Let’s roll…
