Otto Lilienthal
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Otto Lilienthal (23 May 1848 – 10 August 1896), the German "Glider King", was a pioneer of human aviation. He built the first controllable glider, the Derwitzer Glider in 1891. He could ridge soar for extended periods in a similar way to modern hang gliders.
(Many others had built crude gliders before Lilienthal, in particular the one by Sir George Cayley. But Lilienthal's was the first that could be controlled in a reasonable manner. See First flying machine.)
While Lilienthal's lifelong pursuit was flight, he was also an inventor. He invented a small engine that worked on a system of tubular boilers. His engine was much safer than the other small engines of the time. This invention gave him the financial freedom to quit his job and focus on aviation. His brother Gustav, though, was living in Australia at the time and Otto did not partake in any aviation experiments until his return in 1886.
Nevertheless, Lilienthal's greatest contribution was to the development of heavier-than-air flight. Working in conjunction with his brother, Gustav, he made over 2000 flights in gliders of his design between 1891 and his death five years later. Lilienthal did basic research in precisely describing the flight of birds, especially of storks, and used polar diagrams for describing the aerodynamics of their wings. Lilienthal helped to prove that heavier-than-air flight was practical without flapping wings, laying the groundwork for the Wright brothers a few years later to build the first successful powered aircraft. His unpowered glider required body shifting for control, much like modern hang gliders.
Lilienthal suffered a number of crashes in his experiments, but his glider could only reach low speeds and altitudes. On 9 August 1896, a gust of wind fractured his wing and he fell from a height of 17 m (56 ft), breaking his spine. He died the next day, saying, "Opfer müssen gebracht werden!" ("Sacrifices must be made!")
Lilienthal's work was well known to the Wright Brothers, and they flew one of his gliders. However, they say that they had to redo many of his basic experiments.
In fiction
A fictional characterization of Lilienthal was resurrected as an evil clone in the Japanese Read or Die (2001) novels, anime, and manga.Quote
- To invent an airplane is nothing. To build one is something. But to fly is everything.
External links
- [Lilienthal Museum]
- [Lilienthal's appendix] From Chanute's book Progress in Flying Machines 1893. Well worth reading, from the man himself.
- [Movies and simulations]
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