Year 1906

The flight of Alberto Santos-Dumont's 14-bis on October 23, 1906, in Paris, France, marked a major milestone in the history of aviation. This event is widely recognized as the first officially observed, publicly demonstrated powered flight in Europe, earning Santos-Dumont a celebrated place among aviation pioneers. Alberto Santos-Dumont, a Brazilian aviator and inventor, was already well-known for his groundbreaking work with dirigibles and airships in the early 1900s. Fascinated by the possibility of powered heavier-than-air flight, Santos-Dumont began experimenting with fixed-wing aircraft. Unlike the Wright brothers' earlier flights in the United States in 1903, which were not widely witnessed, Santos-Dumont's flights were conducted in public and verified by official observers. The 14-bis, also called the "Oiseau de Proie" (Bird of Prey), was a canard-style biplane with an innovative box kite-like structure. It was powered by a 50-horsepower Antoinette engine and relied on its wheels for takeoff, unlike earlier designs that required launching systems. On October 23, 1906, Santos-Dumont demonstrated the capabilities of the 14-bis at the Bagatelle Field in Paris before a large crowd and official representatives from the Aéro-Club de France, who were there to measure and verify the performance. During the flight, Santos-Dumont's 14-bis traveled a distance of 60 meters (197 feet) at a height of about 2-3 meters (7-10 feet). This flight earned him the Archdeacon Prize, awarded to the first aviator to achieve a sustained, controlled flight of at least 25 meters in a heavier-than-air craft under official observation. Santos-Dumont's 14-bis flight cemented his reputation as a key figure in the early history of aviation. His focus on public demonstrations and his commitment to making aviation accessible to all highlighted his visionary approach to technological progress. While debates over the Wright brothers’ priority in aviation history continue, Santos-Dumont is celebrated as the first aviator to achieve a publicly verified, unassisted powered flight in Europe.