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One of the most significant pre-Wright brothers aeronautical experimenters was the German glider pioneer Otto Lilienthal. This collection consists of three photographs of him.
One of the most significant pre-Wright brothers aeronautical experimenters was the German glider pioneer Otto Lilienthal. Between 1891 and 1896, he built and flew a series of highly successful full-size gliders. During this period, Lilienthal made close to 2,000 brief flights in 16 different designs based on aerodynamic research he conducted in the 1870s and 1880s. Most of the gliders were monoplanes with stabilizing tail surfaces mounted at the rear and control was achieved by shifting body weight fore-and-aft and from side-to-side. Beyond his technical contributions, Lilienthal sparked aeronautical advancement from a psychological point of view, as well by unquestionably demonstrating that gliding flight was possible. He was a great inspiration to the Wright brothers in particular. They adopted his approach of glider experimentation and used his aerodynamic data as a starting point in their own research.
NASM.XXXX.1093
circa 1894
Unknown, NASM.XXXX.1093
0.05 Cubic feet (1 folder)
National Air and Space Museum Archives
This collection consists of three black and white photographs of Otto Lilienthal. The first is a 2.5 by 3.5 inch (matted to 8.5 by 10 inches) formal head and shoulders portrait of Lilienthal, wearing a suit and tie, and is signed by Lilienthal. The other two prints, both measure 10.5 by 7 inches and are backed with cardboard, show Lilienthal in flight in a glider near Berlin in 1894.
Collection is in original order.
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Otto Lilienthal Photographs, NASM.XXXX.1093, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Gliders (Aeronautics)
Aeronautics -- Germany
Aeronautics
Gliding and soaring
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographic prints