ESL Blogs

If I could travel back in time I'd like to go to France in the year of 1906 and the United States in the year of 1903.Then,could you ask: what encourages me to wish to visit these countries in the last century? I readily answer you: find out the historical truth!

Most of you cannot know that between these years there were several little-known scientists trying out flying in equipments heavier than air, that is to say, there were aviators trying to create what we would came to call aircrafts or airplanes, as you wish.

A historical controversy is originated when both a brazilian called Alberto Santos Dumont and two americans called Orville and Wilbur Wright were in the eye of the storm when it comes to the ownership of the first flight in the human history.

In fact, the controversy is a bit complex and in my humble view is unacceptable not to consider technical factors. On one hand, the Wright Brothers didn't have official records by the time they flew in Dayton, in the state of Ohio in 1903. Some witnesses said their plane had to be catapulted to be in the air, besides being rather unstable. On the other hand, although the brazilian aviator "Dumont" had achieved his first flight only in 1906, he had taken part in several aeronautic contests in France, always making his inventions patented. His "14-Bis" aircraft climbed up in the air roaming 220 meters with self-propulsion.

The final argument was given by the International Aeronautic Confederation when granted Wright Brothers the first flight experience, because they had made it three years before Dumont. For me, a decision without take into account technical evidences and the fact they had no intention to be recognised as the first pilots at the time.

If I had the chance to meet Wright Brothers I'd ask them why they didn't want a broad audience to comtemplate their achievement in aviation and why they didn't soon registered his flight as the first one at the aeronautic history.

I would also ask the "Fédération Aéronautique Internationale" why they prefered to use the chronological argument rather than the technical criteria, since the brazilian aviator made a much more lasting and stable flight than the American brothers did.

Well, it seems this discussion could give rise to several other questions about the very beginning of flying , but to not prolong my thoughts on the topic I let you with just the two previous questionings.