Otto Lilienthal

Otto Lilienthal, born in 1848, was a German engineer. His work focused around gliders, and greatly influenced the work of the Wright brothers later on.

Early Testing

Before any flying of gliders, Lilienthal tested many flat whirling arms. These devices spun around with an airfoil attached to them, to determine how much lift was being produced. After the tests with flat airfoils, Lilienthal erroneously concluded that it was impossible to fly with flat airfoils. Lilienthal continued his whirling arm tests on cambered airfoils and although their results were better, they were still discouraging.

Lilienthal's Gliders

Nothing could persuade Lilienthal to stay on the ground, not even his discouraging results. His gliders were made of wood into spars. The large wings were spread out across the entire structure except the middle portion where the operator stood. On his gliders the pilot was upright, head above the spar, and the rest of the body below.

People often compare Lilienthal to the characters in the Greek myth of Icarus and his father Daedalus. The father Daedalus made wings of wax and feathers for him and his son to escape from a prison. Icarus, who was lost in the joy of flying, flew too close to the sun where the wax holding his feathers together melted.

Lilienthal though made over 2,500 successful flights during his lifetime, quickly gaining worldwide attention. In 1896 Lilienthal's glider stalled and he fell to the ground breaking his spine. Lilienthal died the next day.