Vintage Wings - Dumont 14 bis - 1906

*** Vintage Wings ***

Santos Dumont 14 bis

In 1906 the great brazilian engineer Alberto Santos-Dumont (who would later desing the famous Demoiselle) built what, althought controversial, can be considered the first truly aircraft as we know them today.
Powered by the well known Antoinette engine, the 14 bis desing was definetly radical: the engine was in the back, in pusher configuration, the wings had a pronounced dihedral, the pilot was standing in the cockpit and the control surfaces were at the front.
After some attempts in the 13 september, resulting in a 13 mts jump, the propeller was damaged and the aircraft has to be repaired.
On the 23 october Santos-Dumont finally pulled the 14-bis into the air, flying for over 60 mts and winning a 3000 francs prize.
Controversy about who made the first truly "heavy than air" flight continues to this day because, even when the Wright brothers flew first, they used a catapult to launch the aircraft into the air, while the 14 bis could take off without outside assistance.

The model represented is the first design, without the ailerons added later and fitting the 26 Hp Antoinette V8 engine.

*** All aircraft can be seen inworld in my shop ***

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