Who is considered the 'true inventor of the airplane' for first conceiving a fixed-wing aircraft with separate mechanisms for lift, propulsion, and control in 1799?
Explanation
This question tests the ability to distinguish between the conceptual inventor of the modern airplane configuration and the inventors of the first practical flying machine.
Other questions
On what date did Orville and Wilbur Wright achieve the first successful controlled, sustained, powered, heavier-than-air flight?
What was the duration of the very first successful powered flight made by Orville Wright on December 17, 1903?
What was the source of lift for the Montgolfier brothers' balloon that made the first human aerial voyage on November 21, 1783?
In 1804, Sir George Cayley designed, built, and flew a small model that is considered the first modern-configuration airplane in history. What type of aircraft was it?
What was the name of the influential but never-built design for a steam-powered airplane published by William Samuel Henson in 1843?
Who was the German pioneer known as 'The Glider Man' who made over 2000 successful glider flights between 1891 and 1896?
What was the Wright brothers' key innovation for lateral (roll) control on their early aircraft?
What was the horsepower of the custom-built gasoline engine used in the 1903 Wright Flyer I?
From where was Samuel Pierpont Langley's full-size, piloted 'Aerodrome' launched during its two failed attempts in 1903?
The text distinguishes between two approaches to achieving powered flight: the 'chauffeurs' and the 'airmen'. Which pioneer is presented as the first and primary example of an 'airman'?
Which Wright aircraft is described as the 'first practical airplane in history' due to its sturdiness, reliability, and ability to perform figures of eight?
Who was the French-born American civil engineer and aviation historian whose 1894 book 'Progress in Flying Machines' summarized existing knowledge and greatly influenced the Wright brothers?
The first Aeronautical Society, which helped to professionalize the study of flight, was founded in what city and year?
Glenn Curtiss, a major competitor to the Wrights, was a key member of a group formed by Alexander Graham Bell in 1907 to develop aircraft. What was this group called?
In 1914, Glenn Curtiss flew a heavily modified version of an aircraft originally built by which other pioneer, leading to a major dispute with Orville Wright?
The Wright brothers conducted a major program of aeronautical research between 1901 and 1902 where they tested over 200 airfoil shapes. Where did they conduct these crucial tests?
What was the longest flight on December 17, 1903, in terms of time and distance?
Who was the Scottish engineer, inspired by Lilienthal, who built the successful 'Hawk' glider in 1896 and was close to attempting powered flight before his death in 1899?
The development of what type of engine in the late 19th century is described as a 'godsend to aeronautics' and was the key to successful powered flight?
The first successful flight of a powered model airplane in history was achieved in 1857-1858 by which French naval officer?
What was the wingspan of the Wright brothers' number 3 glider, which first flew in 1902?
According to the text, what was the primary reason for Sir George Cayley's preference for multiplane (biplane, triplane) designs?
The AEA's aircraft 'June Bug,' piloted by Glenn Curtiss, won the Scientific American prize on July 4, 1908, for being the first to achieve what?
Leonardo da Vinci's designs for flying machines, which centered on the imitation of birds, are known by what name?
What was the outcome of the first flight attempt of the Wright Flyer I on December 14, 1903, with Wilbur at the controls?
Which of Sir George Cayley's designs was a human-carrying glider that, in 1853, successfully flew with his coachman aboard?
The text mentions that after 1908, European airplane designers quickly adopted two important technical features from the Wright machine. What were they?
What was the profession of Octave Chanute before he became deeply involved in aeronautics?
The powerful engine in Samuel Langley's full-size Aerodrome, which produced 52.4 hp and weighed only 208 lb, was redesigned from an initial concept by his assistant. What was the assistant's name?
In what year did Samuel Langley achieve the first sustained, unmanned, heavier-than-air powered flight with his small-scale Aerodromes?
The first powered 'hop' in history by a piloted, full-size airplane, launched down an inclined plane, was achieved by Felix Du Temple in what year?
For what primary reason were the Wright brothers' airplanes, from the first gliders to the later powered machines, considered difficult and less safe to fly compared to European designs after 1908?
What was the name of Glenn Curtiss's aircraft that won the Gordon Bennett trophy in 1909 for being the fastest airplane at the Reims air show?
In his influential 1866 paper 'Aerial Locomotion,' Francis H. Wenham established what important aerodynamic principle?
What was the title of Sir George Cayley's monumental triple paper of 1809-1810, considered the first published treatise on aerodynamics?
What was the first event that triggered Wilbur Wright's mature, serious interest in human flight?
What was the primary structural rigging method introduced by Octave Chanute in his successful 1896 biplane glider that directly influenced the Wright brothers?
What was the average speed through the air of the Wright Flyer I during its first four flights, as stated in Orville Wright's telegram?
The Wright brothers' first aircraft, built in August 1899 to test the concept of wing warping, was what type of machine?
In 1908, the first crash of a powered aircraft resulted in the death of Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge, who was a passenger. Who was piloting the airplane?
John Stringfellow's steam-powered model triplane, though unsuccessful in achieving sustained flight, was highly influential due to its exhibition in what year and location?
According to the text, the legal patent infringement suits filed by the Wright brothers against Glenn Curtiss and others centered on what technology?
In Sir George Cayley's 1852 paper on his 'Governable Parachutes,' what type of landing gear was included in the design?
What was Glenn Curtiss's primary business and area of expertise before he became involved in aviation?
The text states that the merger of the Wright Aeronautical Corporation and the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Corporation occurred in what year?
What was the fate of Samuel Langley after the public failures of his Aerodrome in 1903?
The Wright brothers' number 2 glider, tested in 1901, was noted for having what feature to protect the pilot from a fatal nosedive like the one that killed Lilienthal?
What was the efficiency of the Wrights' propeller, as measured in Berlin in 1909?
The text concludes that by the time World War I began in 1914, the United States, despite being the birthplace of aviation, was far behind which continent in aviation technology?