![[ img ]](http://s1016.photobucket.com/user/craigh666/media/LTA/France%20Santos-Dumont%20No%205%201901.png.html)
France, Santos-Dumont No 5 1901
From Wikipedia and elsewhere: Alberto Santos-Dumont, Brazilian by birth but spent most of his life in France was one of the early 20th century great pioneers of aviation. With the Santos-Dumont No. 5 he won the Deutsch de la Meurthe prize for the first flight from the Parc Saint Cloud to the Eiffel Tower and back in less than 30 minutes (11 km / 6.8 mi). International celebrity soon followed. He was able to do a number of trips over Paris until August 8, 1901, nearly loosing his life after a gas leak, snagging a building, and ensuing spark exploding his hydrogen filled envelope. Apparently this guy, taking full advantage of his fame had a penchant for taking the No. 5 on little trips over town to visit pubs and whatnot.
![[ img ]](http://s1016.photobucket.com/user/craigh666/media/LTA/LZ%201%20July%201900.png.html)
Germany, LZ-1 (1900)
Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin's pioneering ridged airship. Barely manageable but it was the first successful ridged airship.
From Wikipedia: At its first trial the LZ 1 carried five people, reached an altitude of 410 m (1300 ft) and flew a distance of 3.7 miles (5.95 km) in 17 minutes, but by then the moveable weight had jammed and one of the engines had failed: the wind then forced an emergency landing. After repairs and alterations the ship flew two more times, on 17 and 24 October, showing its potential by beating the speed record then held by the French Army airship, La France of 6 metres per second (22 km/h), but this did not convince the possible investors. Because funding was exhausted, Graf von Zeppelin had to dismantle the airship, sell the scrap and tools and liquidate the company.
More to come.
