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Former good articleAlberto Santos-Dumont was one of the Engineering and technology good articles, but it has been removed from the list. There are suggestions below for improving the article to meet the good article criteria. Once these issues have been addressed, the article can be renominated. Editors may also seek a reassessment of the decision if they believe there was a mistake.
Article milestones
DateProcessResult
March 3, 2006Good article nomineeListed
April 19, 2009Good article reassessmentDelisted
On this day...Facts from this article were featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the "On this day..." column on October 23, 2007, October 23, 2021, and October 23, 2023.
Current status: Delisted good article

The Wrights' catapult[edit]

As it is, one very strong Brazilian point of contention is that the Wrights depended on a catapult to make their Flyer take off. Samuel Langley used a catapult, but I have not found non-Brazilian evidence that the Wrights did. Apparently -- I have found printed reference, but have yet to look it up again --, in the early 1900s one American journalist mixed them up and reported of the Wrights using the catapult. If such is the case, it would seem that some of the wind could be driven off the catapult argument. SrAtoz (talk) 16:33, 18 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The New York Times, December 17, 1951. Page 30
WRIGHT TRIBUTE TODAY
Airmen to Mark Anniversary of Kitty Hawk Flight
KITTY HAWK. N.C, Dec.16 (U P) – Modern airmen will pay tribute here tomorrow to the forty-eighth anniversary of the Wright Brothers' pioneering airplane flight, but an old-timer who watched the first take-offs said the celebrators have picked the wrong day.
Wilbur and Orville Wright are credited with making their first powered flight in a heavier-than-air machine on Dec. 17, 1903. But Alpheus W. Drinkwater, 76 years old, who sent the telegraph message ushering in the air age, said the brothers only "glided" off Kill Devil Hill that day.
Their first real flight came on May 6, 1908, he said. It was on that day, that Wilbur Wright declared the airplane was a mighty fine contraption, but predicted it would never carry enough gasoline to span an ocean.
Regardless of his quibble with aeronautics historians; Mr. Drinkwater will be on hand for the celebration tomorrow. The first flight will be marked by flights of jet planes, helicopters and huge cargo planes.
https://www.nytimes.com/1951/12/17/archives/wright-tribute-today-airmen-to-mark-anniversary-of-kitty-hawk.html 2001:1284:F514:3D8A:A94D:93D8:5C2D:8BF3 (talk) 17:44, 11 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]


The Wright Catapults are heavilly documented everywhere, not only in Brazil. Just check US pages about the Wright, and you will see lots of info. However, the Wrights did not use the catapult at first. On Kitty Hawk, they used rails to overcome the sand. Some say that the dunes were used to lay the rail on an inclined fashion, allowing the plane to gain speed through the help of gravity. However, at least once Wilbur mentioned in a telegram that they were able to take off with the rail "laid flat". This day, however, he mentions that there was a significant breeze (head wind).

In 1904, in the Huffman Praire, the Wright Bros. documented several failed attempts to take off using the rail. They also claim about 2 successfull take-offs with significant head wind. By September, they built and started to use the catapult to assist on take off, which they have used from then onwards.

In 1908, the Wright Bros. presented themselves in Europe and tried to set some World Records mantained by the FIA. When they made a 56 minute flight (to the astonished Europeans), the record was denied because of the use of the catapult. It was then that Wilbur removed the track and took off without the catapult and wheels, having his record homologated.

Anyway, this is what is behind some of the comments saying that the Wright Bros could not take-off unassisted, an affirmation I think is correct (in 1903-1905). Because of its low power, it needed assistance of either: The gravity (inclined rails), catapult or WIND.

Nelbr 88.0.116.1 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 11:38, 14 February 2010 (UTC).[reply]

By the way, here is a US government link that describes part of what is said above:

http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Wright_Bros/1904/WR7.htm —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.0.116.1 (talk) 11:45, 14 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

and three years after the Wright Brothers flight of their powered fix wing...he flew. This artical is a fraud and a farce. If you read his history or see videos about him. He stole his engineering and hired people to do his math. He was a guy that worked thighs out in a machine shop using other people's R&D. Today we would just call him a fraud and move on. He Reinvented that was already invented or known. That is why the FAC threw him out. (67.1.15.106 (talk) 08:28, 20 April 2013 (UTC)).[reply]
The Wright's first successful flight DID NOT USE catapults!!! It just used a railway-like wooden runway to launch the plane but it was entirely moved by its engines! There are videos of it so don't try to fool us! (unsigned by ‎46.189.219.225 )
Correct: engine only, no catapult on 12/17/1903, but still photos only, no film or video on that date. DonFB (talk) 05:27, 29 October 2017 (UTC)[reply]
The New York Times, December 17, 1951. Page 30
WRIGHT TRIBUTE TODAY
Airmen to Mark Anniversary of Kitty Hawk Flight
KITTY HAWK. N.C, Dec.16 (U P) – Modern airmen will pay tribute here tomorrow to the forty-eighth anniversary of the Wright Brothers' pioneering airplane flight, but an old-timer who watched the first take-offs said the celebrators have picked the wrong day.
Wilbur and Orville Wright are credited with making their first powered flight in a heavier-than-air machine on Dec. 17, 1903. But Alpheus W. Drinkwater, 76 years old, who sent the telegraph message ushering in the air age, said the brothers only "glided" off Kill Devil Hill that day.
Their first real flight came on May 6, 1908, he said. It was on that day, that Wilbur Wright declared the airplane was a mighty fine contraption, but predicted it would never carry enough gasoline to span an ocean.
Regardless of his quibble with aeronautics historians; Mr. Drinkwater will be on hand for the celebration tomorrow. The first flight will be marked by flights of jet planes, helicopters and huge cargo planes.
https://www.nytimes.com/1951/12/17/archives/wright-tribute-today-airmen-to-mark-anniversary-of-kitty-hawk.html 2001:1284:F514:3D8A:A94D:93D8:5C2D:8BF3 (talk) 17:48, 11 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Sources[edit]

Santos Dumont at the Iguazu Falls[edit]

It is unlikely that this book may have something substantial for his bio (but may have stuff for the Iguazu Falls page), but I'm still sharing it here since the publisher has released it for free:

  • Silva, Micael Alvino da (2023-12-19). Santos Dumont at the Falls: "I do intend to write a book about Iguassu". Foz do Iguaçu, PR: Editora Universitária EDUNILA. p. 125. ISBN 978-65-86342-44-4.
  • Silva, Micael Alvino da (2023-11-14). Santos Dumont nas Cataratas: “pretendo mesmo escrever um livro sobre o Iguaçu” (in Brazilian Portuguese). Foz do Iguaçu, PR: Editora Universitária EDUNILA. p. 125. ISBN 978-65-86342-46-8.
  • Silva, Micael Alvino da (2023-12-19). Santos Dumont en las Cataratas: “realmente tengo la intención de escribir un libro sobre Iguazú” (in Spanish). Foz do Iguaçu, PR: Editora Universitária EDUNILA. p. 129. ISBN 978-65-86342-45-1.

Erick Soares3 (talk) 15:55, 10 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

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