Talk:Félix du Temple de la Croix

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[edit] "Sometimes", not "often"

Let's be real and Neutral Point of View. It should be written "sometimes credited", not "often". For example if you do a Google search of "first flight", you will get a very low percentage of mentions of Félix. [1] 136,000 hits versus [2] 531 hits. Hu 04:01, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

Here are some of quotes regarding this claim, although I agree it is a little known fact, hence the small number of hits PHG 04:13, 21 March 2006 (UTC):
  • "The first takeoff of a powered, fixed-wing aircraft with a man aboard took place in 1874 at Brest, France. The steam-engine-powered plane, designed by a French naval officer, Félix du Temple, rose a few feet when it was launched down a hill." The New York Times, 2003
  • "In 1874, French naval officer Félix Du Temple successfully launched a bat-like plane with a steam engine. Rising a few feet off the ground, it was the first launch of a manned, powered fixed-wing aircraft." in Wright College
  • "Felix Du Temple built a steam-powered monoplane that managed to rise a few feet off the ground-the first powered fixed-wing aircraft that carried a passenger, albeit down a slope." US National Park Service
  • "First powered flight to make even a brief hop", according to the U.S. Centennial of flight commission
  • "It was more of a "hop" than a real flight, but some historians give du Temple credit for the first powered flight." in The pioneers, an anthology and The National Business Aviation Association
  • "It is said the craft managed to make a brief hop a few feet off the ground after being rolled down an inclined slope, gliding a short distance, and landing safely. If this account is true, Félix du Temple did succeed in launching the first manned, powered, fixed-wing, heavier-than-air flight, but the propulsion system was too weak to sustain the flight and the control system was ineffective." in Aerospaceweb.org

[edit] Translation of quote needed

A translation of the quote at the bottom of the page is needed. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Chile (talk • contribs) 04:02, 21 March 2006 UTC

[edit] Pilotted or not is not clear

The article does not make it clear if this "first flight" was pilotted or not. Hu 04:08, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

"In 1874, the two brothers built the "Monoplane", a large plane made of aluminium in Brest, France, with a wingspan of 13 meters and a weight of only 80 kilograms (without the driver)."
Seems obvious enough I reckon, even though that should have read "pilot" not "driver". CW 06:26, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] An earlier but unpiloted flight

1848: John Stringfellow made and flew a model airplane that is said to be the first power-driven machine to fly. It flew 120 feet at Chard, England. Just stirring up trouble... The Real Walrus 12:36, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

Right for the model powered plane (of course unpiloted). Corrected.PHG 13:44, 21 March 2006 (UTC)