Otto Lilienthal - the Flying Man

Abstract

"Of all the men who attacked the flying problem in the 19th century, Otto Lilienthal was easily the most important." These words were written by Wilbur Wright, who, together with his brother Orville, acknowledged Otto Lilienthal to be one of only three sources to receive credit for the Wright brothers successful first flight in 1903. Lilienthal published his book "Birdflight as the Basis of Aviation" in 1889 and started to fly in 1891. In the early 1890s, Lilienthal attracted worldwide attention, not with his book, but by sharing his knowledge of the basics of wing aerodynamics, demonstrated with spectacular photographs showing him in flight.